At FMK, we’re lucky to work with some incredibly thoughtful creatives, like Beaux. Their work on Classy Animal speaks for itself: rich, strange, deeply human. But what makes them stand out even more is the way they think, question, and explore.
Beaux is an artist in motion, both literally and creatively, and we’re proud to support their work. We can’t wait to see where their art takes them.
Meet Beaux
Artist. Critic. Music Lover. Studio-free force of nature.
I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana, and I graduated from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in 2016 with Presidential Honors in Visual Art.
In 2022, I got my BFA in Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute, with honors. I say where I’m from because New Orleans is baked into everything I do—color, movement, expressiveness. You can see it in the paintings, in the music, in the way people dress.
Right now, I’m a studioless painter learning to work digitally. It’s more accessible. I’ve built a healthy sketchbook practice and try not to live on my phone. I’d rather carry a book to read and a book to draw in. I love talking about art—critique was always my favorite part of school—and I’ve been itching to write more. I’ve also been getting into live music, DIY shows, and photographing them. I want to find ways to marry all the things I care about.
Style
I don’t try to have a style. I just focus on the skills that feel natural and meditative to me. My hand makes the choices. I tend to lean toward bright colors used in quiet ways—paintings that look realistic from far away but surprise you up close. Hyperreal drawing comes naturally to me. I love the meditation of recreating something exactly as it is. Maybe that’s why people think my work looks like collage, even when I’m not trying for that.
Lately I’ve been more focused on what it means to make art when no one’s watching. How do I stay curious? How do I keep play in it? For me, that means doing things I’m bad at—skateboarding, boxing, learning guitar, listening to experimental music, making weird stuff. It helps keep my perspective moving.
Inspiration
Usually, it starts with wanting to express a human condition visually. I’m drawn to the body—especially hands—as a kind of universal language. From there, I manipulate what I’m seeing to express a feeling or story.
I’m really into sound and horror. I love puzzles. A lot of my work could feel disturbing if the colors were different. I think a lot about how small decisions—brushstroke, color, scale—can change the whole mood. Jenny Saville makes people feel monstrous with just size and gesture. Henrik Uldalen uses empty space around the body to create existential dread. I love that puzzle.
I also like showing dark things in soft ways. When I was younger, I wanted to make pain look beautiful. Now, I’m more interested in being specific—how can I share an exact feeling or moment in a way that feels meaningful to me? That’s what’s pushing me toward sound-based work.
Creative Inspo Behind Classy Animal
The college feeling (of Classy Animal) is a natural tendency of mine, not necessarily a goal landing spot. I was inspired by photography, the after image effects. Color was a tool for me to tell a story in each image, and a way to drive interest. I have a natural urge to lean into figure work. I love hands as tools for expression, and story telling.
Who do you look up to artistically?
I don’t really “look up to” visual artists anymore. I see a lot of them as peers now. I’ve seen my friends make work that’s just as strong as anything in a museum.
That said, here are some people who’ve shaped me:
In high school: Jenny Saville, Kehinde Wiley, Grace Neutral, Lucien Freud, David Lynch.
In college: Henrikaau, Cassils, Fred Wilson, Barbara Creed, The Body Keeps the Score.
Now: Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston, Anna Park (2019 specifically), Sunday Nobody.
Music: Pandaijing, Merzbow, Swans, Sun Ra Arkestra, Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Writing & Film: David Foster Wallace, The Poetics of Space, Jane Schoenbrun, David Cronenberg, Robert Eggers.
What are you most excited about with FMK?
I make images based on music for fun, so getting to actually do that with intention is really exciting. It helps me understand and digest sound better. I’ve been picking up an old blog again, too, and I’m excited to write about things I care about. Most of all, I’m excited to collaborate—make things, talk art, be around people doing the same.
