Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Watlington.
Hi Devin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
As a kid, I was always drawing and creating. I dreamed of being an artist but didn’t think it would be possible to make a living off of. I became a cheerleader in middle school and high school and was one of the main illustrators for the massive 40ft. Run through signs for our football team.
After high school, I attended Baylor University and began studying pre-med but soon found that I was being pulled to the fine arts side. My photography professor sat me down one day and convinced me to switch my major to art. I loved every single class and the professors were the best mentors I could have asked for. I graduated from Baylor University with a BFA in Graphic Design.
The first year after college I landed a job as a graphic designer and jeweler’s apprentice. I loved being able to create with my hands and decided to work as a bench jeweler. I moved to Austin a year after graduating and worked as a jeweler for 5 years. During that time, I kept trying to figure out what I really wanted to do as a career that would make me happy at the end of the day and not dread going to work the next day. I started teaching myself how to paint at my home. I would watch YouTube videos of other artists painting and study the brushstrokes in artwork from my art history courses. I started painting portraits in the evening after work and on the weekend.
In 2018, I was at the point in my life where I knew I needed to quit my day job and just follow my dreams. It was a very scary move and I definitely had moments where life as an artist was hard. I decided to reach out to a mural company I had seen at a creative event in Austin. I found Watson Murals after a quick search and emailed the owner, Leigh, and asked if I could shadow her and learn a few things about the ins and outs of her job. She emailed me back immediately and gave me an opportunity to do a working interview. I traveled with her to paint murals for a week straight. At the end of the week, I was hired! It was at that moment that I knew I had found my dream job. I have been a mural artist for almost 3 years and I can truly say that I love my job and it never feels like work to me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road to get to where I am now in my career. It was difficult to promote my artwork and make sales. I felt as if I was working 24/7 to try and make enough to pay my bills, let alone enough to buy food with. I was living the starving artist life for a bit. When I was hired on with Watson Murals at the end of 2018, I was still trying to supplement my income by working other jobs. It took a lot of hard work and determination to finally get to the place I am today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a mural artist and portrait artist. I specialize in painting anything and everything on really big walls as well as painting people/animal portraits on canvas. My work focuses more on realism and illustration but I am able to paint many different art styles. I am a contract mural artist that is able to help other artist install their designs as well as painting my own.
What are your plans for the future?
For the future, I plan to continue being a contract mural artist that helps other muralists with their installs as well as building my portfolio of work. I look forward to learning more techniques, acquiring new skills, and painting multi-story murals. My goal has always been to share my art with as many people as I can and inspire future artists to chase after their dreams.
Contact Info:
- Email: Devinwatlington@gmail.com
- Website: www.DevinWatlington.com
- Instagram: @Devinwatlington
