By Shelbi LeMeilleur
Kevin Newsome has been making art his entire life. He moved to Bryan College Station with his family in 2013 after receiving his associate degree from Blinn College in Brenham, but most of his art has been self-taught. His goals are to make a career of his art and one day open an art gallery for aspiring artists like himself. Newsome admits he is well-acquainted with failure, but isn’t letting any hurdles stop him from achieving his dreams.
Newsome finds inspiration from the situations around him and enjoys experimenting with new forms and technique.
“It’s really fun making art,” Newsome says. “I don’t have any specific way or style. Each time I challenge myself – How am I going to get this picture out? How is it in my head? How can I find a different way for it to come out and see how it looks?”
Color is an important part of his art, and Newsome is always looking for new ways to implement and experiment with color.
Although he has worked with clay and pottery, Newsome prefers the fast-drying acrylic paint when working on new pieces. Sometimes he starts with a clean canvas, other times he adds a creative frame or background – like newspaper clippings.
“There’s not a wrong way to make art,” Newsome says. “The process for each one is not the same. You just have to challenge yourself and really see how creative you can be.”
While Newsome says he doesn’t have a specific process for each piece he works on, he admits he typically only works on one thing at a time, and often starts something, leaves it alone for a while, then comes back to it. “As I go along, I get started with one thing, and by the time it’s done, it will be something else,” he explains.
When Newsome isn’t working on a project, he relies on his sketchbook. There, he writes down ideas, draws pictures, and even keeps quotes and other inspiration.
Despite what he calls failures and set-backs, Newsome has a positive outlook and believes failure is just another part of the process. Newsome has applied for a handful of local artist residencies, but doesn’t let rejection hold him back – he still has his sights set on a bright future.
“You fail sometimes, but if you’re failing, at least you’re trying,” Newsome explains. “You’ve got to keep going. You can’t be upset if you’ve been rejected. It’s not the end of the world.”
Newsome has had a few art shows at local galleries, including The Village Café in Downtown Bryan. He also completed a sea-life themed mural in 2015 at the Texas Medical Clinic in Bryan. While he continues to look for new places to host and sell his work, he stresses the importance of working on his dream day in and day out.
“You’ve got to start, and you can’t be afraid to fail,” Newsome says. “It’s not going to be perfect, but you’ve just got to keep going every day. The most important thing is to start, and you can’t ever stop. You’ve got to make sure that each day you are closer to the goal. ... You can’t just be comfortable not going for it.”
To see more of Newsome and his art, follow him on Instagram @keven.newsome22.
