M.T. Wells
M.T. Wells is an artist from California, USA, who draws figures, creatures, and imaginative forms. His ability to express gestures and anatomical distortions in addition to his manipulation of lights and shadows are remarkable. Although the entities he designs are not of this world, they seem to be tangible and appear to exist in a three-dimensional space carved from within a flat canvas.
Looking at his incredibly imaginative artwork, which is primarily made using Procreate, it’s clear that M.T. doesn’t seem to rely on one specific reference to actualize his vision. When asked if he had a particular process he tends to follow throughout the course of a project, he was very insightful about the balance between using his imagination and using references:
“My idea always comes from wanting to see something that I haven’t necessarily seen anywhere else. Then it comes down to me looking at dozens of pictures, whether they’re of real people posing, 3D models, clinical anatomy references, or other art that I’m really into. I try to balance the creative part that I can just spur out without needing to look at anything alongside looking at real things, so that the subtleties of form, light and shadow, texture and all that, aren’t lost.”
While every artist has individually unique ways of bringing their ideas from conception to reality, one thing is common across all creative endeavors: challenges. Talking with M.T. provides a ton of insight into understanding the importance of mindfulness throughout the entire design process, from the application of one’s self and knowledge leading up to the first mark to the value of project-based learning:
“It is all decision-making. I think right now most of my challenges come from a technical gap in my understanding. I haven’t been at this for too long. Maybe a year ago, I’d think I would need to go do 100 studies. As of now, I include that sort of research and build understanding in the project.
“What makes up the bulk of my decision-making is being more mindful, careful, and receptive to what’s going on.”
Basically, I’m learning something for the first time, and I’m doing it for real because there are real stakes involved. It’s not about perfectionism – nothing can be perfect. It’s more about, “Can I get it good enough to convey my initial idea or whatever the particular goal of any given drawing is going to be?”
M.T.’s clarity regarding his approach and the application of his continually growing knowledge to each and every artwork is remarkable. I was surprised to discover that he had only started drawing in 2021, during the midst of the covid pandemic. When I asked about how the timing was relevant to his art, both due to the pandemic but also because he was 25 years old at the start of his practice, his response was, “As an adult with some life experience and responsibilities, I was able to use my time efficiently by just focusing on what I wanted out of art, which I was also able to discern before I put pen to paper. The fact that I was home a lot allowed me to sink all my time into this.”
While some might find new beginnings to be daunting, M.T. is fearless. After having spent a decade of his life pursuing dance from a young age, he shared with me, “It was a struggle because, at some point, I knew it wasn’t necessarily what I was really passionate about, but the benefit that I did take away from it was knowing what it’s like to work very hard daily. I knew what it was like to struggle and to fail, and to be out of your comfort zone.” When it came to drawing, M.T. had ten years of experience to look back on to propel himself forward, but ultimately his priority is to enjoy the process of creating: “That goes in front of anything, even when it comes to your skill level or your daily practice or your discipline. I think the only ‘discipline’ that matters is that it maintains enjoyment for you. It should be a place of expressing and also a place of personal investigation.”
The profound sense of creative freedom that I feel from talking with M.T. and looking at his art is no coincidence. Rather than taking a goal-oriented route or seeing that there are any particular mountains to climb, M.T.’s main concern and only real goal is that he constantly engages with the things he’s in love with.
“The possibilities are really unknown, and to me, that’s the best part about it. We are limited beings; we don’t have unlimited life. Drawing for me keeps me in touch with that part of myself that I let go of so long ago.
That’s my goal, to never lose that.”
-M.T. Wells
Follow M.T. Wells on Instagram @mtwells_art