Zerric Clinton received his BFA in Art Education and M.A. in Educational Leadership Valdosta State University, and PhD in Art Education from Florida State University. Zerric is participating in Art Clayton Art Exhibit. the 32nd Annual McNeese State National Works on, Paper, Freedom of Abstraction Exhibit at Site: Brooklyn Gallery, and Georgia Artist 2019: Abernathy Arts Center. Zerric maintains a studio at the Hood Street Art Center in McDonough, GA and teaches art at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, GA. and serves as the President of the Georgia Art Education Association. Zerric presents at state and national conventions. Presentations include like Breaking BAD: Collaborative Project - the Museum of Tolerance New York, NY and Swagger Silhouettes: How does the visual culture influence adolescents' style? Jekyll Island, GA. Zerric was the 2015 GAEA Secondary Art Educator of the Year, and the 2004 and 2012 Most Influential Teacher of an Honor Student.
Published on April 5th, 2020. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What projects are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a series called “Give me Strength….. Press toward the mark”. In this series I created imagery that has various focal points that compel the viewer to interact with the image. The mark making and the variety of color schemes themselves put people in a certain mood. I just completed the Charleston 9 series where I created vibrant images to celebrate the lives of the souls that were killed at Emmanuel Church. My goal was not to memorialize them. The idea was to celebrate who they were to society, family and friends.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I have mentors that constantly dialogue with me about the direction on my work and they remind me that I must share my gift with society. Additionally, I have family members that encourage me to continue on this artistic journey. I guess I also have intrinsic motivation as well. Each day I work on something that is related to my craft. If I am not working on a particular piece of art I am always thinking about the next series. I do a lot of research and sketching to work through ideas. The life of an artist really never ends. Even when I am not focusing on art I often see things that inspire me to dig deeper in terms of how I can become a better artist.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
Social issues motivate to use my artwork as my personal microphone. My artwork is that outlet to express my inner thoughts and feelings. Music also motivates because it parallels things in our society. My mentor Kevin Cole is a major reason that I am even doing this. When an artist of his caliber recognizes your work it motivates you enormously. I must leave you with this story. I happened to be a part of a panel discussion with Kevin Cole six years ago at the National Art Education Association Convention in New Orleans, LA. When he invited me to his art show at the Capital One Building I became very curious about his work. During the show he asked me about my work and I told him that I would love to have a show like that one day. He encouraged me to visit his studio and I did. Two years later I decided to take a job interview in Atlanta and he insisted that I stay at his studio instead of a hotel. When I saw all that art this was the turning point for me to invest in myself. That was the spark that I needed.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
Wow, that is a difficult question for me to answer. I guess for me my abstract works will continue to focus on social issues, but not in a negative way. I am that artist that wants to uplift people with my abstract creations. So, I suppose that I will still be creating work about social issues. I can imagine that the way that I create will definitely evolve over the next ten years. For me taking chances in the way that I create is necessary. Artists have to stay fresh so I know that my art will most likely look very different in the years to come.
What projects are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a series called “Give me Strength….. Press toward the mark”. In this series I created imagery that has various focal points that compel the viewer to interact with the image. The mark making and the variety of color schemes themselves put people in a certain mood. I just completed the Charleston 9 series where I created vibrant images to celebrate the lives of the souls that were killed at Emmanuel Church. My goal was not to memorialize them. The idea was to celebrate who they were to society, family and friends.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I have mentors that constantly dialogue with me about the direction on my work and they remind me that I must share my gift with society. Additionally, I have family members that encourage me to continue on this artistic journey. I guess I also have intrinsic motivation as well. Each day I work on something that is related to my craft. If I am not working on a particular piece of art I am always thinking about the next series. I do a lot of research and sketching to work through ideas. The life of an artist really never ends. Even when I am not focusing on art I often see things that inspire me to dig deeper in terms of how I can become a better artist.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
Social issues motivate to use my artwork as my personal microphone. My artwork is that outlet to express my inner thoughts and feelings. Music also motivates because it parallels things in our society. My mentor Kevin Cole is a major reason that I am even doing this. When an artist of his caliber recognizes your work it motivates you enormously. I must leave you with this story. I happened to be a part of a panel discussion with Kevin Cole six years ago at the National Art Education Association Convention in New Orleans, LA. When he invited me to his art show at the Capital One Building I became very curious about his work. During the show he asked me about my work and I told him that I would love to have a show like that one day. He encouraged me to visit his studio and I did. Two years later I decided to take a job interview in Atlanta and he insisted that I stay at his studio instead of a hotel. When I saw all that art this was the turning point for me to invest in myself. That was the spark that I needed.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
Wow, that is a difficult question for me to answer. I guess for me my abstract works will continue to focus on social issues, but not in a negative way. I am that artist that wants to uplift people with my abstract creations. So, I suppose that I will still be creating work about social issues. I can imagine that the way that I create will definitely evolve over the next ten years. For me taking chances in the way that I create is necessary. Artists have to stay fresh so I know that my art will most likely look very different in the years to come.
Find Zerric Clinton on Instagram