Kevin Rhodes is a 23-year-old studio art major with a minor in English from Barstow, Calif. Since he started attending Grambling State University his talent in the field of art has blossomed, and now he is on his way to being a phenomenal artist.After graduating from high school, Rhodes decided to pursue his college experience at GSU. This was his first choice for college. He was advised that GSU would be a great HBCU to attend.
He realized that he had a natural talent for drawing when he was a small child. However, his interest for his gift did not flourish until his later years in college.
“It was not until my upper level years in undergraduate that I learned to appreciate my talent and develop my skills and my passion for portraits,” said Rhodes when questioned about what he specializes in.
Most of his works are portraits. When he creates an image, he tries to capture the essence of his models’ personality and mood.
“I enjoy painting ordinary people to show the beauty that is not seen commercially and editorially. Painting or drawing a person gives me a sense of who they are, whether I know the person personally or not,” says Rhodes. Capturing people’s emotions gives him a personal connection with them.
When he first began creating portraits, he started out using graphite. But as he got more confident, he graduated to using paints and realized how much more expressive he could be.
By using a variety of colors, Rhodes was able to add a more contemporary feel to his work. The mediums of art that he likes to use are pastels, oil paints, color pencils and 3-D designs.
“My influence has come from everyday people that I am surrounded by. Being surrounded by people of different cultures helped me to understand color more,” he said.
While at GSU, Rhodes has entered work in numerous showcases locally. The past three years he has won The Best of Show in the Dunbar student show. Although he is not sure yet what graduate school to attend, after graduating from GSU, Rhodes plans on pursuing a masters of fine arts.
As an artist, he strives to make his art beautiful and impactful. Rhodes plans to graduate on Friday, Dec. 18, and his work will be displayed in Dunbar Art Gallery until the end of the semester.