Graphic Design & Beer

LOVE Wayde

WORDS + DESIGN + PHOTOGRAPHY LACEY WINTER

Wayde Love is a painter and artist in the Eugene area. You can usually see him riding around town for one of his LED Bike Brigades or chilling in the Whiteaker neighborhood. I first laid eyes on him at a three-day wedding festival here in Eugene, Oregon. He had a beautiful set up with canvases and tapestries, lights illuminating all of his artwork in the night. Everything around him, including his clothing, was so colorful I was enamored immediately. He was doing a live painting, something I had never really experienced before. There was just something really special about him and his vibe. I recently sat down with Wayde for an interview.

Q:Where are you originally from?

A: Well, I’ve always thought of that question as a loaded one. It’s a little bit complicated but I’ll try to sum it up. I was born in El Paso, Colorado, at 5:55am on Valentine’s Day of 1976. My mother and father both were in the military, so you know how that goes. So I lived there for a few years, also in Germany and in Belgium. Oklahoma and North Carolina is where I say I mostly grew up because I went to high school there. But then I moved to Wichita, Kansas, for a couple years, and then came here to Oregon in the mid 90s. I’ve mostly lived here for 20 something years, although I did spend some time in San Diego, Atlanta, and Maui.

Q:What work do you most enjoy doing?

A: I definitely would have to say, large pieces on canvas focused on geometrical shapes, bright colors, and good energy. I’ve been very much into murals recently, and, honestly, anything I can get my paint brush on from bicycles, motorcycles, buses, and cars - I just wanna splash color on everything!

Q:What wouldn’t you do without?

A:MUSIC!

Q:What’s your dream project?

A: Doing a large mural. I’m doing my first big mural behind Prince Pücklers in the near future! Q:Do you think art should be funded?

A: Hell yess.... Wait, funded or funny? I love when arts are funny too, that’s more in my doodle world. I have an art desk at my home, and when I get some kind of splashof paint that looks like something, I’ll turn it into random things. It looks like, for instance... It’s, honestly, a little weird, but I created this weird monster/Martians or something, and they’re having quite the orgy, I’m not really the orgy type, but it’s comical to me.

Q:How has your practice changed over time?

A: Well, anything and everything, it just evolved when I was young . It started as a process. I was really big into country crafts as a kid, I was amazed that I could paint a duck on a piece of wood and write “Welcome” on it, and people would buy it. It was probably due to a Bob Ross influence, and I went to quite a bit of art shows at my school. And I had a great art teacher who really inspired me and pushed me. Pretty soon I got into psychedelics, and other fun stuff started. Really, being inspired by Salvador Dali, Peter Max, MC Asher, etc. and after growing older, I started going to more art shows and really fell in love with the idea of creating my own unique style. I wanted my art to move and really carry a vibe. I then started getting into color theory and I just realized how much it really affects myself and anyone that experiences it. I never really was a big fan of Andy Warhol, well, his actual art, but I love that he was such a weirdo, and I think that’s what made him famous. And I think, subconsciously I wanted to be a bit mysterious and weird, and over the years it just developed. I wanted to be an artist where if you saw my bike, my car, my home, anything that was mine, you would know it was me. If that, often I don’t even sign my art these days, especially if I’m showing local people, they just know who did it. I wouldn’t say my art is amazing but I think it’s aesthetically pleasing and beautiful and uplifting to look at, and I believe my art is so much more than anything I’ve ever put on canvas or a wall. Life is art and everything I do I want to do it with some kind of creativity and pizzazz. From getting dressed, to your mode of transportation, by the way you walk in and hold yourself, or the way you keep a home, work etc. Everything In life can be approached artistically, even conversation.

Q:What’s your best piece of advice?

A: Well, honestly, the first thing that always comes to my mind, it’s just to be kind and treat people like you want to be treated. Work hard, play hard, and have too much fun, but know when to be serious, careful, and cautious. Usually, when I get asked this, I feel like I normally say, look both ways twice, watch your step, and be mindful of your words and actions. Basically, just be awesome, it’s not that hard!

Designer of Color

WORDS+DESIGN RICK WILLIAMS

When building my online portfolio, I had to make a decision: whether or not to add a picture of myself in my “about” section. Making it clear that I am visibly Black, or allowing my white-sounding name to be the first perception someone has of me. This isn’t something white designers have to consider.

Our clients feel more confident seeking out white people to design what they need instead of people of color. There is a perception that people of color can neither design nor create a product intended for a white audience. That we can only design for the race or ethnicity we are a part of. Then if we do design directly for our communities, white people will be neither interested nor represented in that content. Moreover, because of this, the content will not be profitable enough.

This isn’t just in graphic design, bias is felt in marketing and advertising, filmmaking, entertainment, and so much more. When Black Panther, the Marvel movie, received critical acclaim, it was the first movie to prove that something made for Black African People can entertain the world and be profitable.

Black designers have to deal with the fact that when we hide ourselves, our Black sounding names, and any reference to Blackness, we get more clients and higher paying jobs. All because we’re perceived as white, as smarter and better.

Over the years I’ve made the decision to allow myself to be recognized as a Black person on my portfolio. It was a personal decision that came from the fact I want to design for my communities. It won’t take away from the fact that people may subconsciously think of me as “less than”, but I feel more empowered by embracing my community and my authentic self. It also comes with the fact that I’m non-binary and I already have to fight to be acknowledged for who I am; that I am worthy of the same respect as others.