Claudia Newsome Finds Her Art Style

Claudia Vie Newsome is a young artist from Baltimore, Maryland. Follow her on Instagram @newviee

Does your city influence your art?

The city just like so many other areas shows you different walks of life. I’m greatly influenced by everyday things and people down to the smells of food and jewelry I see a person wear. Cities are built from all backgrounds and cultures; I seem to appreciate them equally because there’s so much you can learn.

The biggest moment in your art career?

For me personally, not one moment is bigger than the next they all play a part into where I’m headed in my path. My style is the biggest thing for me because I always had it since I was a kid. It has improved and made me plug deeper into who I really am. I would hear the same thing during my high school years especially during 11th and 12th grade “if I saw your work anywhere else I would know it’s yours” that stuck with me, because no matter how it was said,

I heard all the time that my art is my own and a lot of people can’t really express that.

Where do you do your work most of the time?

I don’t have everything I would love to and one of those things would be a studio space. Most of the time I spend my days inside of my room on the bed or floor and other days I’m at the tattoo shop I recently started coming back to. It doesn’t really matter where I am though as long as I can create.

What moves you most in life, either to inspire or upset you?

Most agree that artist create the most when they’re upset, sad or angry or whatever else. I don’t think that’s completely true; yes I’ve created some pieces based on my feeling like the ones for me and my partner or the times I’ve been at a lower vibration but I can be moved by anything I choose. I have the ability to think of new ideas, learn new information, and be myself.

I am a creator of life and realities that alone moves me every day.

Where do you feel your art is going?

My art can only go up from here. I see the progress I make and it’s really cool when other people notice too. I love to illustrate and I want to keep getting better at that and tattooing. I have so many options and myself and others don’t have to be set to limitations, I feel like so many people do that just putting their self in a box- I speak on it because I know I have and now I’m setting myself free. My art can go anywhere I want it to.

What techniques do you use?

My techniques mostly consist of drawing and painting. Although I don’t sculpt or build I still love it just like all the other techniques and art forms. My favorite is drawing, inking, or painting everything and if I take photos I just make the edits on my phone since I don’t have graphic software and a camera. I love to illustrate so getting the tech stuff I need or want would be really awesome that way I can do graphic pieces of art. I’ll get to that when the time comes.

Where comes your inspiration from when you are creating your art?

I am really inspired by art from Asia; specifically Japan,Korea and China. Especially the Edo and Heian period all the way up until today. Manga didn’t come along until Meiji period and now look where it is today. Anime/Manga is one of the coolest biggest things to me and I can say made a big impact on cartoons everywhere. We all have culturally similarities and differences which I rather understand and teach myself about and that’s why it a part of my art now. Schools seem to always focus more on western and European artworks which don’t really get too much of my interest because I learned about it since I was in an art class, I started showing myself more of whats out there and where some of that artist copied and got inspired.

I put the knowledge I get from Africa, Asia, and now South America into my art as inspiration.

I make that known since I don’t copy anyone or anything. You appreciate and embrace whats out there trust you’ll love it more and other people.

Does any of your art have a deeper meaning?

Everything honestly has a deeper meaning but there are times I draw just to draw. If I create a character from my head it’ll probably look like someone you know or I know only because I use what I see then there’s time you just use your full imagination. Some people create just because.

I don’t need people asking me “well what does this pieces stand for”,its like well I did it because I could and I have the ability to.

I do a lot of fun pieces and not too many think pieces, that’s only due to people assuming art has to be propaganda and always about something when it could totally be anything you think of.

Where do you hope your art will take you?

I don’t wish to be a famous celebrity artist, tattooer or apart of some full of crap industry where everything is on a surface level and fake. None of that is important to me and I don’t feel that is my purpose for being here. I create my art so it’s really about where I take it and where I end up being. I don’t have a super big support system where I live right now and people don’t buy my paintings often. It’s okay, but that doesn’t mean artist have to starve or die for people to actually love us and what we give what we offer. Artist are people period. They aren’t here just for services and to be controlled. I love art and I’m starting to really love myself that’s what keeps me going and happy despite anything and everything else I’ve been through and will go through.