Meet Kevin Sloan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Sloan.

Kevin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
If I follow the many threads of my story back to where they might have started, I usually find myself thinking of high school in Des Moines, Iowa. So many of the choices I made then or circumstances I had to contend with had a profound impact on where I am today. I’d always had an interest in art – more specifically crafts at the time.

Once I got into high school, I was able to really start exploring different fine art mediums and found encouragement from my art teachers. The second semester of my freshman year, my cousin and best friend died suddenly and unexpectedly. We were both 15 years old. As one would expect, this had a profound and very challenging impact on me. Gratefully, I discovered that art-making was very therapeutic and helped me process the pain, loss and confusion I was experiencing.

And, my art teachers and parents really rallied around me – offering support in many ways including the suggestion I take some evening and weekend adult drawing classes at the local museum. This opened up an entirely new level of professionalism, challenge and excitement for me. I spent countless hours at the museum, looking at the collections, pouring over art books in library all while continuing to be a high school student and all that entails.

By the end of high school, it was clear that I had to continue studying and making art and would major in it in college. I had no idea where this choice would lead but knew I had to pursue it. There was nothing else I could see myself doing.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road of an artist is rarely a smooth road! But, I knew that going in and was willing to accept the challenges my choice entailed. I went through four years of undergraduate study, followed by two years of graduate school. After grad school, I actively applied for teaching jobs around the country. I didn’t get any offers. At the time (and throughout grad school), I worked in a small, family-run grocery store in Tucson, AZ.

After the series of teaching position rejections, I remember thinking, “I’ve got this fancy Master’s degree and I’m stuck here in this grocery store with a bunch of high school kids!” It was a bit demoralizing but I eventually realized that any job was ultimately in support of my real goal – to be a self-supporting artist. So, I turned my thinking around and realized that having a low impact job like the grocery store actually was beneficial in that it allowed me the mental energy to really focus on my work as an artist.

Other issues that come with being an artist can be the fickle nature of the art business – it can be difficult to find a gallery that is really supportive, has a clientele that is supportive of the work and keeping the quality and integrity of the work high despite the commercial challenges.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
My business and I are the same things – Kevin Sloan. As a professional artist, my “brand” is me and I am my “brand.” The work I create – primarily acrylic paintings on canvas are distinctive in their subject matter, intellectual and aesthetic qualities. All my work on canvas is made exclusively by me, by hand. This is an important distinction because often, when an artist reaches a certain level of notoriety, it’s not uncommon for much of the actual creation of the painting, sculpture, etc. to be done by assistants. The artist in this scenario becomes more of a conceptual guide with the physical creation of the work done in part by assistants. I’ve never done this and can’t imagine ever doing so. My work is so deeply connected to who I am and what I experience that to try to turn that into a series of steps or techniques seems impossible.

My work is collected by numerous private and public clients around the world. Many of these clients own more than one of my paintings which is very meaningful to me. This tells me that the work is in some way beneficial to them and they want to surround themselves with more of it. It’s the highest form of compliment.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’m a deeply curious person. I love to learn about many subjects and find that as our ability to access information increases, so does my interest in the things I’ve always cared about and even better, I learn about new things. This characteristic keeps me intellectually “young” – I always feel like a student and in that frame of mind, one stays open-minded, flexible and willing to grow. I believe these are essential qualities in our fast-changing era and essential to create meaningful and pertinent work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kevinsloan.com
• Phone: 303-968-4498
• Email: kevinpsloan@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Kevin Sloan
WM Artist Services
Public Art Services

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.