Views and likes don’t correlate to money. Art should be for yourself first and foremost — and when sharing it with the world, that’s when magic happens.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony DeVoney.
Tony DeVoney (b. 1994) is a self-taught, multimedia artist from New Orleans, Louisiana; currently based in Los Angeles, California. DeVoney develops visual concepts from movements, color energies, and emotional observations. The artist, motivated by ideas of stimulation, activates the viewer’s senses through his detailed use of texture and layered hues, occasionally introducing light to visually alter his work. Working with acrylics and exploring new forms of abstractions, DeVoney’s practice is a product of the environment around him. He often experiments with various fabrics, mediums, and instruments. Using spills and splatters collected from his travels, the premise behind the artist’s current direction of work is to take something organic and universal — something most people would recognize but not necessarily pay mind to — and explore these abstract forms with definitive intention and curiosity. DeVoney’s designs explore opposing ideas of chaos and control, leaving viewers to perceive unique identities within this duality; often described as a feeling of dopamine release. Through a combination of tones and colors that drive the brain to feel different emotions, DeVoney’s work allows for a range of interpretations that can take the viewer on a journey through movement, light, and abstract forms.
DeVoney has built a varied portfolio having worked for clients such as HP and Apple Studios as well as acquired collectors by the likes of Miley Cyrus, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Vanessa Hudgens and Adam Lambert.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Happy to be here! I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana — and now live full time in Los Angeles. My grandmother was really my driving force and the one who encouraged me to pursue art. All throughout school I was fortunate enough to be inspired and surrounded by her art on a daily basis, she was a painter inspired by her father, who was a full time artist as well. This inspired me to take art throughout my early life and really begin to hone in on my craft and experiment with different mediums to find out what I truly loved as it came to art. Eventually, I landed here in Los Angeles and have been painting ever since.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
One specific story that comes to mind, a really pivotal moment in the start of my career, was when my grandmother signed me up for a small art fair in my hometown. I was a bit apprehensive to do it but decided “what the hell” and brought my art to present. That day was the first day I sold my first piece of work. My grandmother was supportive from the get-go, she acted as my own personal broker for the day and this was really a turning point for me not because I was necessarily paid for my work, which didn’t hurt, but that it was the first “official” experience I had watching someone feel so moved and compelled by the art that I created. They simply couldn’t leave without it. It was a feeling and emotion I wanted to bring to more and more people, and really fueled my fire to keep going, so to say.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I’d say one of the more interesting stories might be when I got to give a painting to Miley Cyrus. Miley is my pop girl, I also really just love what she stands for and her love for all things color. So one day I told myself, “I’m going to make a piece for Miley Cyrus, and she will have it,” and that was pretty much it. I conceptualized a painting that I knew she would enjoy, having seen other art she had collected and so forth, and just kept that intention. When I was done, I told a few people I thought might be able to even just get it infront of her eyes and a few months later, I got a DM from someone on her team that she loved the painting and would love to have it. I delivered it a week later. Big moment for me.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Ooooh, I am bubbling with so many new ideas and inspirations I really don’t even know where to start. Having just launched my most recent collection, “Burgeron”, which was really an extension of my prior collection “Portals”, I was really excited to bring my work to life and show it in proper show. Now that I’ve has the opportunity to do that, I am really looking forward to this next chapter.
I’m really interested in bringing my signature essence and style into new mediums, while continuing to create fine art, but not letting go of my street art leaning aesthetic. I’ve been really interested in doing large murals, working with mosaic tiles, and experimenting with colored paper. Its important to me to always be evolving as an artist, but it has to feel organic and proper, not forced — there’s so much exciting new art already in the works.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
As for interesting people, that could be a broad statement in the city of LA. I really admired an LA-based artist’s work for a while, his name is Lefty Out There. We’ve since become friends and I love learning from him and how he conducts his business in this competitive industry.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
As cliche as it may sound, as an artist I really try to take inspiration from everything around me. I don’t necessarily mean it in the way that everything I do I try to make it into something artistic, but rather allow myself to be open to the opportunity of finding the art in something that I typically might not.
In my two most recent collections, I drew inspiration from “spills” or “splatters” I would come across, whether it’s an oil spill on the street, a dropped coffee on the floor, or an old paint stain. Everytime I would come across one, I would snap a picture of it and revisit it later on to see how I could use the organic nature of what someone might think of as “chaotic” or an “accident,” into something beautiful and intentional. My latest series, “Burgeon,” is a true encapsulation of this — energy and chaos meeting technical skill and beauty.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I feel that bringing any type of art into the world, whether that be music, painting, dance, whatever it may be, is bringing goodness into the world. Big or small, commercial or independent, the goals of art is to not only express how you’re feeling, but to present that out into the world in hopes of connecting with someone else to make them feel something.
In my own art, I like to use vibrant, bright, and neon colors because of the visceral feeling that it promotes when you look at it. Bold and bright colors bring a sense of excitement, and joy, and promote an electric sense of positivity. I often incorporate light into my art as well — shapeshifting and playing with people’s emotion in real time. If I can give that to even just a handful of people who see my art, what more can I ask for?
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
1 . Views and likes don’t correlate to money. Art should be for yourself first and foremost — and when sharing it with the world, that’s when magic happens.
2 . Creating art is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s ok to take a break and revisit — if it feels forced, rethink and dig deep because you’ll know when you’re on the right track.
3. The work will evolve, allow it to.
4. Change is necessary. In fact, it’s the only thing you can ever count on.
5. Respect is earned. As you mature as a human your work follows, therefore, so does the respect.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Great question! I think I would go back to my point from before, of how bright and bold colors bring joy to people, by just simply seeing them. I want to bring this feeling to as many people as possible, for as long as possible. If you can find the beauty and joy in the everyday chaos of life, you’re already going to be that much happier.
Like I said earlier, painting more murals is a goal of mine, because it reaches so many more people. Let’s create environments that exude joy and happiness into the world. In a world where everything is seemingly mundane at times, we could all use more vibrant colors in our lives.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
If I could sit down with Banksy, it’d be an epic day.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
I love connecting with new people, feel free to get in touch via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonydevoney/.
And to inquire about any pieces, head to my website: https://www.tonydevoney.com/.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Tony DeVoney: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.