The Artist
Sean Mulkey
Raised in Albany, Georgia, and currently residing in Atlanta, Sean Mulkey is a self-taught artist who has embraced his passion for fine art despite attaining a degree in both architectural and mechanical drafting and design. After decades of working a 9-to-5 job, Sean decided to finally pursue his artistic dreams and become a full-time artist.
Sean considers himself a neo-urban contemporary painter, creating unique worlds for viewers to get lost in. His preferred medium is acrylic paint, which he uses to express and reconstruct his vision of the world and beyond. By utilizing distinctive perspectives of urban architecture, Sean creates visual movement throughout his environments to draw the viewer in.
His art style can be described as very urban, whimsical, animated, and vibrant in color, with touches of grit and familiar details throughout. Sean's work continuously evolves as he pushed the boundaries within his pieces to fully capture his creative vision. His goal is to build an entire universe for those seeking exploration and adventure, curated by the imagination of his audience.
Sean has exhibited his art in various local galleries and pop up shows, offering different perspectives for exploring one's curiosity of the unknown while reconnecting his audience with the familiar. Sean currently works out of a studio in Powder Spring, Georgia, where he continues to create and share his captivating art with the world.
Statement and Creative Process
I’m constantly in search of reasons to escape from the influence of this subjugated society. I often feel as the years pass by, as a society of people, we are becoming more indifferent towards one another all thanks to certain aspects of our economic state and an oversaturation of social media. For the sanctity of my well-being, I seek refuge in the act of painting places of wonder and discovery. My inner child screams for adventure, which leads me to pick up a paintbrush and construct dwellings of interests where my mind can roam free and explore. I often approach the creative process similarly to how objectives on a construction site are executed. Each work begins with a topographical layout on canvas, where the foundation is strategically deployed through abstract based color mapping. I start by laying down a strong structural plan, beginning with a conceptual sketch or blueprint that guides the subjects and background composition.
I carefully build my scenes layer by layer, from background to foreground, using a silhouette method to define subjects with a solid foundation. This approach allows me to avoid any conflict of opacification during the final rendering. The visual details, vibrant colors, lighting, shadows, and other visual effects are added throughout the painting to bring the environment to life. Through this meticulous and strategic process, I bring to fruition unique and immersive worlds that will ignite the imaginations of those seeking to explore, play, and simply escape from their own tangible reality.
ArticulateATL Interview
In this interview, I briefly talk about who I am, my mission, what inspires my creativity as an artist and where I strive to be in the future.
Deep South Outer Space Interview
In this interview, Tindel sits down with me on this episode of Deep South Outer Space as I talk about how I arrived to Atlanta and my emergence as an artist.