Artist Spotlight: Adam Crabtree

This month we are proud to feature the incredible Pop-Surrealist, Adam Crabtree. His love for art took him from doodling on the back of take-home assignment sheets in school to becoming a tattoo artist and now owning his own business. In school, he faced the battle between his goals and the path that others were trying to mold him to follow. Luckily, Adam’s drive to succeed in the art world started early and didn’t fade. His story gives us an inside look at what happens when you don’t take no for an answer.

Early Life and Education

Adam Crabtree has always identified as an artist. He possessed an early taste for drawing and could consistently be found sketching with colored pencils or graphite. Those around him, including teachers at school, took notice of his talent. 

“I always had a pencil and some paper wherever I went. I would even draw on some desks (not a good thing I know, it also led to a brief stint doing graffiti when I was a teenager) when I was a kid.” -Adam Crabtree

Although he showed strong promise as an emerging artist, he was no stranger to criticism. He often received feedback that recognized his effort and skill set, while simultaneously discouraging him from continuing. He would get notes sent home telling him he needed to stop doodling on the margins and blank spaces on all of his papers. A common comment he’d receive was, "That looks nice, but please stop." This didn’t stop Adam, and he continued to grow and develop his skills. 

A love for Tattoos

Adam eventually discovered that he had a strong interest in a career as a tattoo artist. 

“I started looking into tattooing and what it would take to learn that kind of art style/medium.” -Adam Crabtree

This pursuit was frowned upon by his art teacher:

“My high school art teacher Mrs. Yoder hated that was what I was going to do with my talent. She said, ‘What a waste I might as well just fail you now if that’s what you’re going to do.’”. -Adam Crabtree

Thankfully, this unfortunate perspective didn’t discourage him. Instead of taking her words as a sign to shift his perspective, he went all in and pushed to find a shop that would accept him as a tattoo apprentice. Starting at just 14 years old, Adam spent hot Arizona days walking from shop to shop with a portfolio of drawings in hand.

“They would look at my work and then promptly tell me, ‘Cool, now get the hell out of here kid. Don’t come back or we’ll call the cops or worse.’ I’d say ‘Okay, see you tomorrow then.’ And proceeded to keep coming back to the ones I could every month asking if they needed an apprentice. Eventually someone said yes and at 17 I became a tattoo apprentice.”-Adam Crabtree

Adam attributes much of his art skill to learning through the lens of tattooing. With a decade in the industry, he was able to learn a lot about color work and black and grey portraits that he has been able to carry with him to this day. He even taught himself how to work with an airbrush, using it on canvas and motorcycle gas tanks.

Favorite Mediums

Adam has three great art mediums he likes to use in his work: Acrylic, Alcohol markers like COPIC®, and oil-based color pencils. He appreciates that they all spread smoothly and blend well on the paper or canvas he’s working on.

Finding balance

Adam Crabtree has taken to social media including TikTok, lemon8, Facebook and YouTube, where his work can be enjoyed by everyone. He posts engaging videos that capture his painting process; filmed at perfect angles with vibrant color quality. It’s amazing to see the skill that goes into his work firsthand. His website is insanely cool, featuring bold colored artworks and fun stickers. His style is captivating and his aim to express “[..] joy, emotion, and the beauty of life,” is impossible to ignore when you sift through each piece of work. In order to keep his creative pursuits a consistent focus he has learned how to integrate art into his daily life.

“I’m now a father of 2 and a husband and now the proud owner of Echo & Ink Studios. I’ve only had it open for about 3 months and even though I have not made a ton of money I am having a blast learning how to run a small art business.” -Adam Crabtree

Words of Wisdom

Adam’s experiences navigating the art world have given him plenty of insight he uses to inspire upcoming artists. Here are some encouraging tips he has that you can take into your own journey:

“Yes! Never stop working on your art. Be open to criticism, take rejection as a challenge not a discouragement. “No” doesn’t mean quit, it just means you need to keep looking. Be practical in your submissions to art galleries or open calls, e.g. if a gallery is displaying animal and human portraits and you are a landscape artist, your portfolio is most likely not something they’re going to accept. Know your target audience and show them work that reflects that style.

Never be afraid to try a new style, medium, canvas or paper. Jump right in! Not everything is going to be easy but then again not everything easy is worth doing. Step out of your comfort zone. The uncomfortable spaces are where we grow the most.” -Adam Crabtree 

Connect with this Amazing Artist here!

Website: www.echoandink.net

Socials: https://linktr.ee/echo.ink.studios

🌟Bask in the Spotlight🌟

If you have a story to share or would like to nominate an artist you admire for an upcoming Artist of the Month Spotlight, send your inquiry to Quil Castro via email: bewilderingwalls@gmail.com