Molly Markestein is an up and coming artist and a senior at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. The daughter of two working parents. Because her father was a military pilot, she lived on a military base for most of her life; living in California, Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, and North Carolina, until moving to San Francisco to pursue Advertising. Being a military brat she developed a sense of understanding of other cultures and allowed her to be patient with people and her surroundings. Being one of four and the only daughter, she was naturally a daddy’s girl. She had a difficult time with her dad’s deployment and often felt abandoned and didn't know how to hide her emotions. At one point when she was not living on base, none of her peers understood what she was going through. So she turned to her art as a form of expression. She was teased for her drawings since most kids didn't understand them. But in high school, she began taking basic art classes and she grew excited with the new techniques she was learning but was never sure about pursuing a degree in it. She didn't want to spend all the time training and was scared so she began to doubt herself. She decided to take a break from art for a while until she decided to move to San Francisco and realized how much she missed it because it was a part of her and her happiness.
I met Molly during the first week of college at the Academy of Art University. I was drawn to her confidence and quickly found out about her phenomenal artistic abilities. This week she will be featured in TRAPXART show exhibiting artists from all over the bay area. Molly was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about her work and the upcoming show.
Jade Ingersoll: How old were you when you started to draw/paint/create art?
Molly Markestein: I started drawing at a young age. My earliest memory would’ve been when I was in kindergarten and remembering how obsessed I was with creating my own mermaids with crayons.
JI: When do you find yourself feeling the most artistic?
MM: Late at night, I don’t think I’m ever creating something I’m passionate about before 9pm.
JI: Where is your creative space? Can you describe your space for us?
MM: Oddly enough, the most comfortable creative space for me is my bed. I live in this closet room (typical San Francisco). All I can really fit is my bed and about 2 feet of hardwood floor. I have a really dark room, one wall is painted in chalk paint so it gets super dark. So when the lights are on, there’s this zen ambiance surrounding me. I’ve only recently started painting in my bed and I can just get lost for hours.
JI: Where do you find inspiration?
MM: Walking around the city listening to music.
JI: What is your favorite medium?
MM: It used to be graphite but over the past two years I’ve focused a lot on painting with acrylics. I love painting on a smooth wood surface more than a normal canvas.
JI: What is your favorite thing to paint or draw?
MM: I love drawing the human form. It’s so beautiful. Other than keeping proportions I have a lot of freedom with details.
JI: Is there a constant theme throughout your work?
MM: Mostly with color, I’m naturally drawn to a lighter more pastel palette. But that’s just for now, maybe that will change.
JI: When or what made you realize you were a REAL artist?
MM: My friends would always say I’m an artist but I just figured no I just enjoy drawing... But the older I got, the more I realized this isn't just a hobby. When I'm painting, I get lost in this visual story I’m creating.
JI: Who is your favorite artist? Who has influenced you as an artist? Favorite art piece or work of art?
MM: As far as known professional artists, Dali is great because he’s so daring and bold. I’m a big fan of Leroy Neiman as well. But I follow quite a few artist through social media and it’s hard to choose. There are so many types of artists with unique styles and they're all so inspiring. I’d say the most influential artist to me would be Fabian Perez. I found him when I lived in Vegas. My parents are a fan and invested in some pieces of his and I remember living at home and just admiring how film noir they were. I remember specifically from a book of his work, there was this flamingo dancer. She had on a red dress with this strong sexy leg peeking through. She looked so powerful and feminine and it made an impression on me.
JI: Have you sold any of your pieces?
MM: I’ve sold a few prints, it took me a while to think I could potential sell my work. But now I’m being commissioned to paint an original for a client in North Carolina. I’m still finishing up the painting, but I hope to feature it in Friday’s show.
JI: What is your professional/Artistic goal?
MM: I want to be someone people could seek inspiration from. And know I’ve done all I can to challenge my artistic abilities.
JI: Tell me about the art show coming up?
MM: So this Friday, September 16, 2016, myself and artists throughout the bay area will be displaying artwork for a TRAPXART event. I’ve done a show there before and they bring such a great sense of community. TRAPXART does a great job in embracing diversity and celebrating individuality. There are three floors and three hip hop artist tributes: Aaliyah, PartyNextDoor, and Metro Boomin. Some artists stick to the theme or bring in other beautiful original pieces. I love participating in the show and seeing all the different styles and how people portray the tributes to the different artists.
This Friday’s event will be held at 420 14th street in Oakland from 8pm-2am. Tickets are available on their site at www.trapxart.com. There’s a five dollar ($5) discount if you use Molly’s promo code mollballs at checkout. If you’re interested, you should buy tickets in advance because this is one of their more popular venues.
Huge thanks to Molly for taking the time to speak to me about her art and TRAPXART. I hope to see you all there this Friday. For more of Molly’s work check out her Instagram: moelma.creative.
