Meet Squid
Squid's techniques involve mixing careful paintbrush strokes with violent careless splatters, creating perfection, destroying it, and putting it back together, only so she can destroy it yet again. Through a deliberate blending of the opposing, Squid purposefully melts the contracting with expanding, the concealing with revealing, the precious with the sinister. All while enthusiastically sprinkling sparkle in a sometimes desperate attempt to create inherent awkwardness.
By applying abstraction, manifesting her thoughts, repeating mistakes, emphasizing aesthetics, and layering chaos between glitz and glam, a sort of wicked goodness emerges. It becomes blatantly apparent that she enjoys making the rules almost as much as she loves breaking them.
Interpretation of her work can be multifaceted to some, with every thought processing behind the seemingly random yet highly intentional layers. Her works highlight life's unfiltered, accidental, and unexpected connections through her unconventional and experimental applications of various and often experimental mediums.
What remains is yours for the taking. Squid insists there are no wrong answers. She welcomes you to make whatever you want of her art, “Love it or Hate it, just as long as you see it”.
Squid currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona. She shares her space with her gorgeous sneakerhead husband, a handful of teenagers, and their 5lb Yorkshire Terrier aptly named "Boss" who utterly owns their hearts.
Get to Know the Artist
Why do they call you Drunk Squid?
Sorry to disappoint, but I am not actually drunk. My love affair with alcohol inks earned me the moniker "Drunk Squid" - an ode to being intoxicated by the vibrant hues the inks produce and the 99% alcohol used to create them.
What inspires you?
I am a self-diagnosed drama queen with a peculiar affinity for all things that are delightfully not quite right. I aim to capture those peculiar and often uncomfortable feelings we all relate to. Awkwardness? Oh, that's my jam! Uncomfortable silences? I live for 'em! Above all else, I find contrast to be the highest form of beauty.
What's your technique?
My technique involves mixing a healthy dose of alcohol ink with careful yet violent splatters of acrylic and adding various mediums layered in resin. It's a bit like organized chaos but without any of the organized parts. You almost certainly find bold colors, whimsical tornadoes of glitter, punches of the unexpected, and a liberal sprinkle of gold leaf.
What do you say to any critics?
I encourage you to interpret my art however you please—there are no wrong answers. If it resonates with you, that's absolutely fantastic! I hope you'll consider making it yours. And if it doesn't quite tickle your fancy, that's okay! To be honest, I secretly hope some people hate it—because controversy and provocation, that's hot.
Can you tell us more about Boss?
Oh, the Mighty Mighty Bosstone. He is a fantastic dancer, and he knows it. He has a bigger and better wardrobe than I do. His favorite place to be is inside my purse. And he loves chicken far more than he has ever loved me. I have no idea how he manages to pack so much personality into that tiny body of his. I could go on forever. He's my best friend, hands down.