Interview
Caitlin Sheedy
Caitlin Sheedy is from Phoenix, Arizona. She is an emerging artist, and she has always been artistic in some way, whether it was writing, brainstorming, or photography. Her biggest passion is traveling, so she uses landscape photography to capture her most precious moments and precious landmarks. Is humanity slowly slipping away? Can people not appreciate nature anymore? Digital art looks enhanced by four times with A.I., so who needs artists anymore? Unfortunately, this is reality, but she has discovered a way for people to work alongside A.I.: taking photos and painting pictures that strikingly resemble the digital art that is prominent today. All it takes is a little magic from human imagination and a beautiful soul.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a multidisciplinary artist who specializes in watercolor painting, alcohol ink painting, sculpture, and photography. The earliest memory of being artistic was at age seven in grade school, where I was required to take an art class that had introduced me to different mediums. The one that stuck out to me the most was paper mache because I had a great imagination to mold and plaster bunched-up newspaper into animals like a wolf. Currently, I am the only artist in my family who are mainly athletes and travelers. I was a great athlete who had always used mental imaging to practice my performance such as visualizing myself hitting a softball, giving me a gift of having a photographic memory and visualization skills. I am also a traveler, and as a child, I would travel write, write poetry, and write short stories giving me strong creative thinking skills. My artistic knowledge came out of applying myself to different subject areas in college, but pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English degree and Master of Arts in Communication degree had helped me to identify myself as an artist. After college, I had felt that my photography skills had set me up for success as an artist because I had gained attention in multiple digital exhibitions around the world such as in Stockholm, Sweden, Melbourne, Australia, and Johannesburg, South Africa, including five magazine features in Silent Spark Press and an honorable mention in the Blue Koi Gallery Nature Competition. Painting isn’t my strongest ability, but I do so to show my audience that I am well-rounded and am eager to face challenges.”
What inspires you?
“Music and looking at statues inspire me. Both evoke emotions; both have powerful messages behind them; and both create a beautiful voice to be heard. In music, a singer’s voice is like an instrument that projects their soul after hitting a high note to express their emotions and message (e.g., “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.) Looking at statues, I see an artist’s soul by how they use objects and/or figures to memorialize reality or enhance it such as a war memorial to dedicate the fallen soldiers of each war ( e.g. “The Iwo Jim’s Monument” in Washington D.C.) ,or ones that symbolize power ( e.g., “St. George Slaying the Dragon Statue” in London.)”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Photorealism (photography) and surrealism(painting and sculpture). My main goal is for my audience to be moved by what they see and to apply their imagination to understand how each work got its proper title. I want them to understand the importance of human imagination because the digital world is sending them a message that it is being driven out by A.I.”
“My main goal is for my audience to be moved by what they see and to apply their imagination to understand how each work got its proper title.”
How would you describe your work?
“My photography artwork is like a photo gallery/ printshop that makes postcards. They consist of landscapes, cityscapes, and nature. Because I live in Arizona, most of my photos are from Antelope Canyon and other canyons. These photos portray “optical illusions” because of how the rock formations were structured by the power of nature. Other photos include iconic architecture and structures from all around the world such as the Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, etc. , all of which are original copies. My art pieces made out of alcohol ink and watercolor are like tattoo designs because they are examples of distorted realities and universes that are millions of light years away. My sculptures are mini statues because I use them as models to create, design, and develop bigger projects such as fire pits or fountains.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I don’t know of too many famous artists, but my maternal grandfather is my idol because he spent most of his life around art and is an icon to the art world. After serving in the Navy in the 1950’s, he had served his art community by attending the Chicago Institute of Art and then became the art director for Billboard Magazine. He’s the face behind the original Billboard logo that is the cover art for the Top 100 Music Hits. My mother once told me that he used to doodle on match boxes (before lighters.) This explains why I take photos of random things in everyday life aside from photoshoots. It’s kind of like doodling, but with a camera.”
What is your creative process like?
“In regards to my photos, I take pictures from a side angle , instead of from the center to show projecting objects/figures. On Photoshop, I don’t crop them unless someone or something photobombs it. In regards to the Antelope Canyon photos, I crop them to find an optical illusion or a cool figure embedded in the rock. I make sure that these images are bright and sharp (matches my personality.) The paintings require an image visualization of a different universe and a step-by-step process. I’m enthralled by fantasy, so I try to be as creative, but different to other dragon-loving artists. I have to use tools such as a dish sponge or slabbing two papers together for some pieces. Watercolor painting is done on watercolor paper and alcohol ink painting is done on yupo paper. Sculpting is easy because I use my hands to create lines and features by pinching the clay, or using my fingers to mold.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“These days, artists have to be very open to different art mediums and adaptive to digital art since A.I. art is rapidly becoming a reality like in other industries. Artists need to also be very influential towards non-artists because not many communities preach the importance of human imagination. YouTube channels are considered jobs where the owner gets a certain amount of subscribers. However, they are in fierce competition with other world travelers, for example, so they have to use their imagination to do a channel on food or their experience in the world’s coldest place in Earth. When A.I. was created and developed, it was noted that it was supposed to work alongside humans. However and overtime, A.I.-related jobs have driven out much of human labor, so this calls for people to use a little reverse psychology to keep up with that life. For example, artists can work alongside civil engineers for city planning by visualizing and drawing/ painting designs of structures and where they would be best located. A picture-enhancing art app, called PicsArt has an A.I. generator that uses descriptive detail and imagery to create digital art. Artists can work alongside these engineers to illustrate their visions.”
Instagram: @an_artists_silhouette
