Throughout the duration of September, I was haunted by an image. And
it wasn’t necessarily the image itself that haunted me, but it was
more or less the significance of the image. With it being the final
remnants of such a prominent artist in my life, I began to hate the
final photo posted on Mac Miller’s Instagram, an image that
concurrently served as the face of his final op-ed. I hated going to
the Instagram post and seeing the like count rise, and the number of
“RIP” comments subsequently rise in number as well. And for the weeks
following his death, I dreaded going on the Internet primarily because
this image was reworked as a black and white photo in remembrance of
him, alongside past moments where his light shined brightest. So
considering that the event was still relatively fresh in my mind, any
mention of him was met with a saddened tone in voice and character on
my part.
But a few weeks after his death, I was greeted with a breath of
fresh air. Instead of the snapchats of Mac and ScHoolboy Q, or past
interviews where his laugh filled the room, and a caption that read
how much they missed Mac, I saw a painting of Mac on Twitter that for
the first time in the ensuing weeks really made me happy. The reason
being was because although the intent could be gauged as something
that was done in memoriam, the image was anything but. It was
definitely one of the most charismatic depictions of Mac that I had
ever seen, and the one thing that stuck out to me was the level of
DETAIL that was within the painting. It was that same image that had
haunted me throughout the entire month but it was recreated in a way
where Mac’s vivacious spirit seemingly lived on. Complemented with a
fluorescent orange, this painting was something that helped begin my
healing process from the tragedy that occurred, and made me want to
see more work from this artist, which led me to further commend the
work that I had seen, and essentially just support this artist.
This artist is Jenavieve Louie, and after consuming a multitude
of her pieces within the past few months, and getting to speak to her
about her admiration and dedication towards her art, it became a no
brainer as to why I had to support her. See to me, it’s interesting to
see an art form such as painting get such a current and refreshing
spin. Seeing Jenavieve depict some of my favorite artists such as
Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and the aforementioned Miller has helped
me garner an even greater appreciation for what she specializes in.
Through each painting, it feels as though she is speaking directly to
me and what my tastes align with, and I can always love and appreciate
an artist who does that without having to explain themselves. They
just present the art to the public, and it speaks for itself, which is
exactly what Jenavieve’s art has done since I’ve discovered it for
myself.
Furthermore, it was only right that I use this platform to
introduce readers to the incredible artist that is Jenavieve Louie,
and how she became the person and artist that she is today. And from
her story, and the path that she has taken in life, hopefully that
encourages some aspiring artists out there to stay true to their
heart’s desires and create a path for themselves. So without further
ado, here is our interview: