Meet Mirage Vanguard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mirage Vanguard.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My story would have to start with my dad because he’s an artist too. So I’ve always had a natural ability for art. I was the kid in elementary school who would stay inside during recess drawing portraits of my friends. In high school, I would draw tattoos with sharpie on people’s arms for extra money. I spent most of my free time drawing, but I really wasn’t taking it seriously. To me, it was just a hobby.

It wasn’t until after college, that I decided to take my art seriously. I got fired from my job and spent two months unemployed. That’s when I painted my first collection. I submitted my work during an open call to a local gallery, and I still remember the feeling of seeing something I painted hanging on gallery walls for the first time. That was November 2015. Since then, I’ve been painting, stippling, muraling (if that’s a word), showing in group shows, and basically just preparing for my first solo show.

Please tell us about your art.
My style is pretty versatile. In the early days, I was primarily doing pop art, as inspired by Warhol and Lichtenstein. It was a style I naturally gravitated to and still implement in my work today. As of lately, I’ve been doing a lot with ink and mixed media. I like to use simple, household materials, such as sharpies, ballpoint pens, lined paper, and plastic wrap to create my pieces. It’s my way of challenging the idea of what’s considered fine art, similar to what Warhol did with his soup cans.

He has always been a big inspiration in my artwork. Plus using unconventional materials add interesting elements of texture and lighting to a piece. Using metallics has kinda become my thing. And similar to pop art, I use highly saturated and rainbow color palettes in most of my work. No matter what style I’m doing, that’s one thing that ties them together – the colors. To me, the rainbow symbolizes unity and acceptance of diversity, as well as representing a range of emotions; so you’ll often see portraits where I’ve used a primary color for the skin tone instead of natural tones. I also enjoy incorporating stippling into my work. To me, it’s a meditative style and the patience it requires is so intense, but when you’re done and you see how it comes out, it’s pretty amazing. As you can see, my focuses are kinda widespread. But when people look at my work, I just want them to feel happy. Or at least feel something. Most people’s lives are filled with so many mind-numbing tasks, art is way to escape, whether it be into beauty or into debate.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Follow lots of artists and galleries on social media and go to your local art events. That’s what I do. Get from behind your phone and go experience art in the real world. Over time, you start seeing the same people and you end up making some connects and maybe even a friend or two.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I currently have a portrait I painted of Pusha T on display at T.I’s Trap Museum in Atlanta. And in January, I’ll be in a group show titled “The Art of Values” displaying some pieces representing love and activism at Sinclair Gallery. I’m also an art instructor at Paint, Sip, Socialize in East Atlanta Village, where I teach paint & sip classes every Saturday. Those are dope. And people can follow my updates & see my work on my Instagram @MirageV and my website Samirage.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: Samirage.com
• Email: MirageVanguard@gmail.com
• Instagram: @MirageV

Image Credit:
Samirage.com

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