By Kevin Murphy Wilson • Photos Provided
Alyx McClain is a painter, sculptor, and graffiti artist living and working in Louisville, KY. He is an alumnus of the Kentucky College of Art + Design who has always appreciated lettering, skateboarding, and album art, among other things. His distinctive work is featured on the sides of buildings, as well as in prominent private art collections, all across town. We recently caught up with the enigmatic practicioner for a quick look backwards and forwards.
VOICE-TRIBUNE: What put you on the creative path in the first place?
Alyx McClain: “Probably learning cursive in 3rd grade. I’ve always thought that creative people were so interesting. There are so many different ways to get to the end result. I love the endless possibilities. I’ve never really been a ‘Rules’ kind of guy.”
VT: Are there any specific artists that inspired you or that you wanted to emulate or, alternatively, were there any that you knew you didn’t want to be like?
AM: “Artists like James Turrell are a huge inspiration to me. Using the environment to your advantage is such an attractive concept to me. It’s always something I am thinking about whether it’s a commercial painting, a graffiti piece, or a sculpture. I always am thinking just as much about how it will interact with its surroundings as the work itself.”
VT: These questions are interrelated. How would you describe your visual art in general? Is there a medium/genre/area of research that excites you?
AM: “I think 95% of my work right now comes from either fabrication or a commercial painting skillset. The tools used in both these fields have so many different applications that I can’t help but play with them in the studio. Airless sprayers and aerial equipment are the coolest to me. It’s like a giant brush or spraycan! I’ve operated a hand painted sign and mural business named Slugger City Signs in Louisville for nearly 10 years. I love this work, but my passion has really been in the woodshop recently. In that realm, I’ve made some tables for local breweries and distilleries [including Rabbit Hole and Trellis] and I have painted murals on their properties as part of the deal.”
VT: When and why did you get into graffiti? Can you tell us about your involvement in the 2Buck Invitational?
AM: “I’ve been painting for 15 or 16 years now. It’s crazy to think it’s been that long. Graffiti showed me community, passion, and drive like I had never seen. And working with it has taught me so much about the world, and pushed me to see as much as I could. Now, some friends and I all help organize an event for artists to repaint walls throughout the city. We renamed it the 2Buck Invitational in honor of a friend that was very special to us and the graffiti world, who was a Louisville native. We just became a nonprofit organization recently and we are very excited to expand our projects this year. If anyone wanst to know how to help us brighten up the city, check out www.2buckinvitational.com and leave a message.”
VT: You’ve accomplished quite a lot already. What are your hopes for the future?
AM: I hope to begin an MFA program in the next year or so. Other than that, it’s travel, travel, travel for me. Seeing the world is probably the most important thing to me besides working in the studio or on a particular project.
VT: Last question. In this day and age, and at this point in your career, how do you measure success as an artist?
AM: “That’s a good question. I would say as long as you’re doing something that you love, something that’s very special to you, you’re winning. Past that, if you can make a living off of whatever you do, I would call that success.”
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