< Previous30 AZFOOTHILLS.COM@azfoothills #azfoothills 31 Photography by ALVIN JOHNSON SARAH CLEVINGER IS AN ACTRESS LIVING IN LOS ANGELES.32 AZFOOTHILLS.COM HAIRAT DAMILOLA BABALOLA IS THE OWNER AND PHOTOGRAPHER AT ADENIKE FLO PHOTOGRAPHY. Photography b y AL VIN JOHNSON34 AZFOOTHILLS.COM I noticed a bunch of hip-hop/rap refer- ences such as Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Mac Miller, etc., in your artwork. Is there a reason for your affinity to these artists and genre? I have always had an appreciation for the art of hip hop music, but when it comes to these artists in particular, the admiration is not limited to their cre- ative mastery, but furthermore, the entrepreneurial mindset these individuals possessed, which ulti- mately led to their empires of music, fashion, movies, products, etc. If you are a young entre- preneur who enjoys the genre, you probably have noticed there is much more to take away from these artists than “clever rhymes and good beats”. These are individuals who made their struggles and turned those difficulties into a major success. The work ethic and dedication that led up to their achievements are not discussed nearly enough. Take Tupac Shakur, for instance. Within five years, he released over 700 songs, eight feature films, dozens of music videos, advertisements, and even published two books of poems – mind you, all before social media was even a thing. Luck and timing does indeed play a part, but consistently working hard towards your goals and maximizing your opportunities produce legends like Tupac. Tell us about your location in Scottsdale and your studio. Our private studio is located in the Kierland area. As of right now, our work is only available online. For your art prints, what materials do you use? Or explain your process behind these prints. The art prints offered on our website are high- quality photographed images of my artwork that is later modified and printed to best resemble the original artwork itself. The image is then printed onto 13’x19’ matte card posters. Artists typically sell prints in a range of sizes between 5’x7’ and 8’x10, so you get a much larger copy when you order the art print of our website. Have you experienced any challenges being a young woman in this industry? I cannot say with certainty that the challenges I personally encountered were experienced be- cause of my gender. However, I can say that I had people entertain commissioning me for art- work, leave me in the dark when it came time to commit to a project, then came to find out later they decided to order a male artist instead. At first, I questioned if my prices drove people away or if the art itself was just “not good enough”. I decided to find out more about these artists I had missed opportunities to and discovered not only were they charging hundreds more than I was, but they were located out of state, which would also mean the higher cost of shipping was not an issue. I read somewhat recently that the value of female artwork is auctioned for approximately 47% less then the amount of artwork created by male artists. I have always been a firm believer that you cannot judge art the same way you could judge an athlete on their athletic abilities, or a singer’s ability to facilitate a great range of vocal dynamics, because art is an expression completely open for interpretation. With that being said, I do take into consideration the fact that not everyone will like your style and the sta- tistics behind this the possibility that may explain those male artists throughout history have just “made more likable work.” Factors such as the medium and size of the artwork being offered must also be considered when interpreting the statistics of this topic. It has been assumed on nu- merous occasions that I was a male artist before the viewer learning my name or meeting me, and I always found that interesting. Despite my name also being displayed on all social media outlets, I will still receive messages from young men from time to time who want to take a moment to com- pliment my artwork and refer to me as “bro,” “man,” sir.” etc. It is pretty comical. Perhaps it is the drawings of male artists or perhaps there is something to my painting style that sets off a mas- culine tone, but it does make you question if soci- ety does have the stereotype in mind that artists are typically male. As for being a young artist, my advice to other young artists in the industry would be to protect your art, and do not allow anyone to convince you that you need collaboration with them to be taken seriously. Many people in this the industry will claim to be creatives themselves, but in real- ity lack the artistic ability they need to achieve their personal goals, and that is where you come in. THE ARTISTS THE BUSINESS OWNERS THE LEADERS THE ORGANIZATIONS THE RISING Tell us about your- self: My name is Raquel Antoinette, and I am a first-generation American born and raised in Arizona. My family immigrated to the United States from Sicily. I have always loved visual arts, whether I was creating my own or ad- miring other artists’ styles. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, this passion only continued to intensify, leading me to establish a career in Art. At the age of 19, I began working as a brand artist for VIDA & Co., which gave me my first experience in clothing design. The way the company is set up also allowed me to gain exposure and insight into how to market myself, not only as an artist but also as a brand. After gaining some valuable experience in the industry, I established my brand, “Art by Raquel Antoinette.” With this change, I have full creative control over my artwork and how I choose to showcase it. We recently launched the Art By Raquel Antoinette web- site (artbyraquel.com) which offers art prints, apparel, accessories, and more. Customers will soon have the option to purchase original artwork directly off of the website as well. Raquel AntoinetteLiving Designs. Lasting Impressions. estestinc.com 480.563.1555 AZFoothills_EstEst.indd 19/10/20 1:51 PM@JAREDDUBOSE 36 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE ARTISTS THE BUSINESS OWNERS THE LEADERS THE ORGANIZATIONS THE RISING Jared DU Bo se What is Art? To me, this could be defined as an expressive inner- observation of what we perceive as an individual. It represents faultless originality through a unique blend of creativity and freedom. As of today, we all live amongst a diverse world when it comes to art. Every- thing from non-fictional literature down to a single Instagram photo simply embodies the prevailing range of “self-expression”. So, with this being said, what makes the art of photography so exclusive? When I was younger, I developed a passion for sports videography through skateboarding. I guess this was the initial breach for me. I never really understood why I enjoyed being the camera guy just as much as I loved being on the board myself. Fast- forward years later, I now understand. I purchased my first DSLR in December of 15’. At this point, I just wanted a good camera that performs well with both pictures and video. I just wanted to capture family memories with good images. When I took my first few pictures, the harsh reality of not just pointing and shooting with these technologies to get a good photo sank in. That’s when the learning curve began. As I started to experiment, I realized that just about anyone can take a clear picture nowadays; however, not everyone can capture a photographic memoir. Therefore, I began to understand how powerful I was when it came to depicting the story behind a person or an event. If I can illuminate the world of skateboarding, I would say that it presents a unique atmosphere of styles, what makes these styles so unique is the var- ious cultures that they originate from. Furthermore, these individual styles displayed untarnished origi- nality since no trick can be executed similarly. When I entered the photography world, I found meaning with why I loved being that “camera guy.” Capturing someone behind a lens is a lot deeper than display- ing my self-expression. Photography is one of the oldest forms of altruistic art that creates a platform for others to express themselves freely. “I enjoy being that platform!”@azfoothills #azfoothills 37 Model: JANEIGHA KAY Photography by JARED DUBOSE38 AZFOOTHILLS.COM@azfoothills #azfoothills 39Next >