By Tom Morford
Nothing transcends art. What you can say through self-expression comes in many forms and is the ultimate form of communication, knocking down barriers and unifying cultures. The connection you can create with others through art is a strong bond. Art always evokes a response, but it doesn’t always have to connect with poignant feelings. Contemporary, Fine, Abstract Expressionism, De Stijl; these are all frames under the microscope from which to look at art. Sometimes aspects of art are just there to make you think ‘what is going on in that artist’s head?’
Let’s step into the head of 21-year-old artist, Mike Brown (also known as The Real Cornelius, but more on that later). Mike said, “I want viewers to see my art and laugh at the ridiculousness of it. My content does not typically speak to the viewers soul [laughs].”
Mike is an artist from Ringoes, New Jersey and he transformed his art from being an entertaining past time into a successful business.
What Makes
Your Style?
Art makes people think about what goes unsaid. An artist’s style can change ever so slightly and the message can be altered into something different. Mike said, “I draw a lot of characters of my own creation and just random objects that either just look cool to me or are fun to draw. I like to always add aspects of humor and irony in my art because I don’t believe all art has to have a super deep emotional meaning.”
One single artist is never restricted to only one form of art either. Mike added, “My style of art varies on what type of phase in my creative cycle I am going through. I like to cycle between illustration, painting, digital art, video and animation.”
Just as people speak different words with different tones and sometimes in a different language, artists assume different styles and use different mediums to express themselves. Their art ultimately comes full circle and speaks to the viewer.
“The overarching characteristics found in my ‘fine’ art would be my use of clean bold lines with vibrant fills. I also have a messier sketchy style that is typically black and white, but the bold lines still remain,” Mike said.
Mike uses Sakura Micron pens for the bold line work when illustrating and Posca paint pens for a brightly colored fill. While working on canvas, Mike uses acrylic paints and outlines with black Posca.
Art can morph into images never thought of before; beyond beauty and beyond enlightenment. “A lot of my work ends up completely different than my original vision. Gotta go with the flow – freestyling is pretty sweet.”
Going with the flow comes easily when your artistry is accompanied by a sense of confidence. Being able to improvise as your work evolves is a staple of any artisanal master.
Artists Who Inspire
Inspiration can take many forms, but other artists’ work is a prime motivator. “In high school, I was very interested in street art – gaining inspiration from Banksy’s documentary ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop.’ I wanted to get into graffiti but not specifically focus on letters,” Mike said. (For those readers not familiar with Banksy, he is an English-based graffiti artist focusing on political activism through satirical street art.)
Mike drops subtle pop culture references into his work, including his viewers in on the jokes. Mike also draws inspiration from many other artists from the graffiti scene, such as KAWS (a Jersey City native), who in 2013 redesigned MTV’s iconic man on the moon statue for numerous magazine covers.
Mike designed the logo for Reel Bear Media (the production company for the band Twenty One Pilots). He is always looking to try new things when it comes to art and, in a way, that’s what art is all about.
“I had a solo show at a local art space called Flemington DIY near my town that a bunch of people went to, which was pretty cool. For the most part though, my art career has been online,” Mike added.
So Why ‘The Real Cornelius?’
A lot of artists change their names. Picasso, Balthus, El Greco, KAWS, and Banksy. No one even knows Banksy’s real name, he or she has created an entire persona around this name and works hard to keep it a secret. Some do it to make their pseudonym more memorable than their birth name, while others make the change just because it’s something different.
“I thought Cornelius sounded pretty funny,” Mike said. “‘The Real’ was only added to the name with the advent of my Instagram account. It was me trying to be more official and at the same time, I loved the irony of calling myself ‘The Real Cornelius’ when in reality, my name is not Cornelius.”
Mike’s art went from just a natural way to express himself to a successful business. Mike said, “I was receiving a bunch of inquiries via Instagram for graphic design work, commissions, and things of that nature. I figured I would appear a lot more professional if I was a legitimate sole proprietor.”
The Art Adventure
Art really is all about the adventure. The adventure of making it, of the emotions you feel, and the radical questions you ask.
Mike describes his art as a journey. His website states it in more eloquent terms, “A young lad set forth on an adventure, armed only with art supplies and a funk-assname. The objective? To art all over the place…to art so much he occasionally falls over and says, ‘ooow I arted too hard,’ and then gets back up and arts some more. He does this, for one reason…he wants to make his punky mark on this rock.”
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