Courtney Hicks

Courtney Hicks is a member of the Lotus Eaters Club Creative Collective. If you’ve ever walked the Eastside Beltline you have probably seen Courtney’s work under the Freedom Parkway bridge. Here is an interview that Courtney gave to the Atlanta Street Art Map in June 2019:

You could have been anything, why did you become an artist?

I’ve always loved to draw, which I’m sure is the answer you get from most artists! When I was younger, I never expected to make art into a career, because I’d already been incepted with the idea that an artist could never make a living off of art alone. For a while, I was considering ‘splitting the difference’ and becoming an art teacher, so that I could still work in art, while also earning a more stable income. But, at the end of the day, drawing was what I was passionate about, not teaching. So, I took the leap and went to art school, hoping that I could find a way to keep doing what I loved most, while still making a living. It’s worked out well, so far!

Philadelphia has a reputation as one of the best cities in the US for street art. How did your early years in Philly influence your street art today?

Honestly, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that street art was not on my radar for most of my time living in Philadelphia. I saw graffiti everywhere and thought it was fun, but I never invested much thought in it or planned to do any myself. I was mostly focussed on “fine art” (The Philadelphia Museum of art being one of the most AMAZING museums you can find). I never imagined I would eventually find myself in the street-art scene, but once my eyes were opened to it, I see Atlanta and Philadelphia in a totally new light.

How did you end up as an artist for the Archer animated series?

Well, in my last year of college, I finally watched Archer on Netflix. It absolutely blew my mind, and I was all over the internet singing its praises! While doing that, I was informed that Floyd County was accepting portfolio submissions, and I was lucky enough to be given a shot!

What are your favorite artistic media?

My favorite media changes almost constantly. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have told you Prismacolor markers on illustration board (which I still love), but now I’ve gotten into flat acrylic on wood panel. I think my change in mediums and style has been greatly influenced by my time with the Lotus Eaters Club and being surrounded by so many different talented artists. Who knows, next year I could be in love with an entirely different process! But I think that kind of growth and evolution really helps to round people out as artists and keeps them searching for new outlets of creativity.

Is there a particular message that you try to convey through your artwork?

Most of my work is just me wanting to see an idea in physical form. I do think about the audience, but the majority of my energy is simply creating an idea that’s in my head so that ‘message’ tends to vary greatly. A lot of my earlier art is simply fantasy, so there’s some interpretation room for the audience to create a story around a character. Recently, I’ve been painting badass women characters, which is probably a reaction to the struggles women have been coming up against, brought more to the forefront in recent days. So drawing strong women has become somewhat of a self-comfort, as well as an encouragement to others, that we’re gonna hang tough together.

What is your approach to street art, your approach to animation art, and your approach to fantasy art? How are they different?

As far as animation art, that’s mainly my day job. I don’t animate outside of the office, so my approach is basically to follow the rules set before me so that I can help out the team. As far as street art and fantasy art, my approach is largely the same. I think of something that interests me, personally, and then work it for an audience to enjoy. I’d say my fantasy art is probably more of a personal journey, to create something that entertains me, foremost. When it comes to street art the audience is more important. Taking into account the area, the wall, the viewer, all affect what I paint.

The fox seems to be a recurring theme in your art. What does the fox mean to you?

I love foxes, they’re such cool animals. I think my first love for them came from all of the childhood fairytales. They were always clever and sneaky, and always had a kind of other-worldly essence about them. So, when I started to draw fantasy art, it made sense that foxes would make an appearance. Other than that, they’re simply fun to draw!

Tell us about your FoxySwine comic strip.

FoxySwine is a comic that I make with my fiance, Chris Alvarez (@thepitoto). He’s always loved pigs, and while we were dating he actually drew a pig a day for a whole year. I love foxes and drew them all the time. We both have fond memories of reading Sunday Comics as children, so we decided to make one of our own! It made sense that his character would be a pig (Swine) and mine a fox (Foxy), and the comic is basically an accurate summation of the silly situations we find ourselves in. It’s been a really fun project for us to work on together!

Tell us about your education, accomplishments, awards, etc.

I went to Tyler School of Art, in Philadelphia. And have won a few Emmys for my illustration work on Archer

Link to Courtney Hicks’ website: http://www.courtneyhicksillustration.com//

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