Featured Artist Shayla Maddox

Mixed media artist Shayla Maddox creates “light reactive paintings” that appear to change with the light of the day as well as with the seasons. Visit her website to enjoy more of her work.

 

 

I call my art “paintings” but they’re better described as sculptural or experiential. Before I ever picked up a paintbrush, I was directing large-scale art installations for public events that required a full team of people to build.

 

 

 

Now I work with acrylic and mixed media (including sand, glass, wax and phosphorescent pigments) to create paintings that morph with the sun all day and glow brightly into the night. My art is best viewed in person where it can be seen from different angles and interacted with.

 

 

Despite this, I am independent and represent myself almost entirely on the internet. I started my career in 2006 doing gallery shows in my local community, but within a few years began organizing my own (equally or more successful) art shows in Los Angeles. During this time, I championed artists to join the thriving culture on the internet and represent themselves and their work on their own terms. I wrote about my own story for others, so that they too would know it was possible.

 

 

I dreamed of a future in which artists could be simply paid for being artists. I wanted something sustainable and lasting that brought artists to the forefront of society (where they should be) instead of having to starve and beg within structured institutions for their own right to work.

 

 

After dabbling in many communities online looking for the right place to fit in, I finally found Patreon in 2013 (the year it opened). It was an organization that shared my values and vision for the coming creative class and in all ways felt like a perfect match.

 

 

I have been documenting my art there almost daily ever since, engaging in open dialogue with my patrons and fans about the work I’m doing, all while getting to know each other better. Patreon allows me the chance to have an artist-patron relationship that is personal and meaningful in a way I don’t think has existed since the days of Michelangelo. I get to form real, lasting friendships with the people who support my art. Nothing is distanced or separated—it’s just a hundred or so of us chatting every day.

 

 

It’s more fulfilling as an artist than I could have ever imagined. I am humbled and honored by my patrons. I rise to meet their support by making as much art as I can and dedicating my life to living passionately and creatively. It’s literally my job!

 

 

As support through Patreon grows and my income as an artist becomes more sustainable, so does my confidence in dreaming big. Perhaps one day I’ll get to turn these paintings into large-scale installations once again.

 

Artist Shayla Maddox invites you to follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Patreon.com.

 

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