10 Questions with Spencer Sinclair
Spencer Sinclair is a twenty-two years old African-American artist from Tucson, AZ. Although she was born in Tucson, she spent her childhood and teen years in many different states along the East Coast. In her senior year of Highschool, Ms.Sinclair moved to Scottsdale, AZ, and attended New School for the Arts and Academics, where she studied classical art under Matthew Dickson. During this time, Ms.Sinclair was introduced to charcoal. She made it her primary medium until 2017, when she attended Arizona State University. From then on, her focus has been on both charcoal and oil paint. Ms.Sinclair is currently a senior at Arizona State and seeks to create a deeper understanding of color and to establish her own style.
Spencer Sinclair portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
During her teen years, Ms. Sinclair lived with her grandmother in Pennsylvania and was surrounded by gorgeous art prints and collections. Her grandmother loved reading art books centered around iconic black artists during the Harlem Renaissance. This exposure to art influenced her at a young age. Thus, Ms. Sinclair quickly became an avid student of the arts and studied the works of late African-American artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner and Scipio Moorhead. In her high school years, it was then that Ms. Sinclair decided to pursue a career in art. Ms. Sinclair is most inspired by the juxtaposition between shadows and light areas (reminiscent of Carravagio's work) and their relationship with each other and the other areas of the composition.
INTERVIEW
First, tell us a little more about your background. How did you begin making art?
I started making art in middle school- back in 7th grade. I started off making people and animal portraits with graphite and colored pencil. It all started because I just decided to start drawing out of the blue, and I drew every day whenever I had the chance- even during class. I even began drawing portraits for other classmates and teachers. However, I didn't find interest in charcoal until my senior year of high school when I attended New School for the Arts and Academics. There, I studied classical art under Matthew Dickson. As a result, I made charcoal my primary medium until 2017. From then on, my two primary mediums have been both charcoal and oil paint.
You use charcoal and oil paintings. What do these mediums represent for you, and why did you choose them in the first place?
Charcoal represents a transition from technical drawing to figurative. I felt free to create portraits that convey a variety of different themes. With oils, I feel that same sense of creative liberty. Another reason I chose oils is that, unlike other paints, oils are more forgiving, offer great versatility, and are rich in pigment.
Are there any other mediums you would like to experiment with?
I'd be open to experimenting with watercolor.
Lily, charcoal and gold leaf on toned paper, 18x24 inches, 2021 © Spencer Sinclair
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?
The process for creating my work is consistent with both mediums. I first start by establishing an accurate drawing. Then, I focus on blocking in the shadow shapes. Afterward, I set the mid-tones and focus on establishing the right values. Even with oils, I focus more on the values than the actual hue when I am working with color. "Color gets all the credit, but value does all the work."
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I draw inspiration from relationships. Everything in art and life is based on this principle. How can we know what darkness is without light and vice versa? How can we know what pure joy is without melancholy and sadness? With that being said, I also take inspiration from the juxtaposition of light and shadows (Caravaggio's work serves as an excellent example). I also find inspiration from portrait photography. The two photographers whose work has inspired me are Sarah Bockrath and Catherine Conner
Do you have a role model that you've drawn inspiration from when creating your art?
I have drawn inspiration from Caravaggio, Michael Carson, and Maria De La O.
Devotion, oil on wood, 11x14 inches, 2020 © Spencer Sinclair
What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?
My hopes for my art career are teaching-related. Right ng the works of John Singer Sargent and taking online courses by Chelsae Lang and Chris Fornataro. My hopes for my art career are teaching-related. I plan to upload educational art videos on YouTube and create my own Patreon page where I can share my knowledge with people worldwide.
What are your thoughts on digital presentations, like fairs and exhibitions, for artists? Do you think these are good opportunities, or do you just wish to go back to life as it was before the pandemic?
I think digital presentations like fairs and exhibitions serve as fantastic opportunities for artists to get their work out there while connecting with other artists from around the world. That's a loaded question. If going back to life before the pandemic means getting rid of wonderful online opportunities, then I would find that quite disappointing. Although these past two years have been difficult, to say the least, I think one good thing to come out of it is the myriad of online opportunities that opened for artists and nonartists.
Daydreaming, oil on canvas, 16x20 inches, 2017 © Spencer Sinclair
What do you wish to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?
Apart from being an artist, one of my career goals is to be a Digital Marketing Manager. So, one of my goals for this year is to get an internship and experience hands-on learning in this field. Another goal for this year is to strengthen my relationship with my friends and family. So, my relationships with others is on the top of my priority list.
Finally, share something you would like the world to know about you?
As I stated above, relationships are especially important to me, and they inspire me to grow as a person and as an artist. Thus, I would like to give a huge thanks to one of my closest friends Emma for always being my voice of reason and for supporting me through all these years. I would also like to thank my friends Ethan, Julia, and Maria De La O (a wonderful artist based in Wisconsin), for supporting me since the day we met. Maria, thank you for inspiring me with your art every day. Lastly, thank you, Mohamed Benhadj, for this exciting opportunity.
