5 & 5 with JT Daniels
JT Daniels is an artist and muralist in Kansas City, and 2023 awardee of the Studios Inc Residency. JT’s work weaves together various elements, such as characters and phrases, into streamlined designs that represent the heartbeat of the urban community.
Daniels invited Studios Inc. Assistant Gallery Manager Jaede Bayala to visit his studio this January as part of our new series highlighting A.I.R.’s and their works. Images and works-in-progress were documented by Terri Pollack.
Q: Has your mural work inspired your collages?
A: My mural work is very public, where the focus (for me) is on creating representational, inclusive work that also speaks to the particular occasion. My studio art works in tandem with my public work, where the only difference is that I get to concentrate on personal narratives. The collages allow room for me to sit back and reflect or focus on individual characters from my personal life.
Q: How does scale impact your work? What would it mean to go bigger/smaller?
A: Creating smaller pieces allows me to create faster and in more abundance. I’m treating these smaller collage pieces as ‘studio studies’ or an extension of my sketchbook. This makes room for ample experimentation and helps me get through mental blocks. I’m enjoying the act of just sitting down at the table and working, without worrying about if someone is going to like it or if it’s going to sell. Nothing is perfect, and I don’t have to like every one of them, which is a great reprieve.
Q: You’ve made work both highly colorful and monochromatic. How do you make these decisions?
A: I just trust my gut feeling, haha. With this series, my choices are solely based on what’s in front of me at the time I sit down. I set a few parameters to work within. I can’t buy new materials to make the designs. All of the materials I use have to be sourced from ephemera I find on the street, magazines and books that are gifted to me, and even wallpaper from my family’s home. Whatever I have available to me is what I use, and my color palette comes from those materials. I don’t buy anything new. I’ll sort through my materials and find colors and patterns I think work well together. For the backgrounds, I’ve been using leftover paper from a print-making project I did in 2012 and also donated manilla envelopes.
Q: Where do the words “yep” and “sup” come from?
A: “Yep” is something my grandfather would always say and “sup” stands for “surviving under pressure”.
Q: How does it feel to be a street artist riding the line of fine art?
A: I don’t see myself as a street artist or a fine artist. I just tell people that I’m an artist. There are multiple facets to what I do professionally, which is why my portfolio includes design projects, mural projects, brand collaborations, fine art shows, etc. My work does have an urban aesthetic, but that’s simply because I can only create what I know.
Q: What projects do you have in mind for the future that excite you?
A: I’d like to make a 3D version of my collages. I’m playing around with that idea currently, doing a lot of research and bothering friends who have sculpting experience. I thought it would be cool to create a large, seven feet tall figure based on the collages, so that when you enter the space you have to look up at them. I’m in the daydreaming phase of that process currently, but I dive down that rabbit hole this spring to see where it takes me.
Learn more about Daniels, his work, and practice at https://www.jtdanielsart.com/ and be sure to visit RA 2023-2024 this spring to view “Reprise”. Daniels will also present work in the spring exhibiton Studios Inc | 2025, on view March 7th - May 10th.
