Artist Spotlight: Justin Haggerty

 When did you start creating art?I started with mostly digital art designs a few years back, but around 2019 is when I really started to become fixated on painting. And there has been no turning back since (although I do still create digital art prints). What is your preferred medium?In terms of surface - I use both traditional wrapped canvas and 1/2” birchwood panels for all of my paintings. I tend to prefer using the birchwood panels since they allow for some really interesting cutout and layering ideas to come to life.In terms of painting materials - Although it isn’t exactly the most classical approach to painting, I use a combination of Behr marquee house paints and sharpie oil paint markers. The house paints are great because of the 100s of different color combinations that they offer, and the markers support true line work precision that has become so critical to my “style”.    What drives your creative spirit?I am driven by the satisfaction that comes from conceptualizing a design and bringing it into reality. That point of conclusion, that you created something that is literally one of a kind. Something you can touch and feel, that was made by a human hand, and that has your signature all over it (not literally ). How has your art adapted during the pandemic?The only real change has been a willingness to try new things. The majority of my work in the past was of the human form, and it continues to be my favorite type of subject matter to work with. But I have started to really dive into wildlife and plant life, and it feels both scary and exhilarating to venture into new areas of subject matter.  How does reuse play a part in your art?The main thing that ACR has introduced into my work, and which will continue to become a theme in my portfolio, are the painting surfaces and repurposed frames. There are countless small and large surfaces that can be repurposed from ACR – and you are able to breathe new life into something that was once something else. That’s especially true with these vintage frames that just require a little cleanup, and a fresh coat of paint – and then my painting is brought into a whole new territory of visual excitement (at least from my perspective ). 

See more of Justin's portfolio on instagram: @simple_compositions