UH Artist Blends Reality With Fantasy

Update: Latin’s art has been added to the University of Houston Digital Library.

Trevon Latin, a mixed media artist, will graduate from the University of Houston this semester. He plans to move to New York City and pursue his craft in an environment wholly different from his native Houston, a place he holds close to his heart.

"Orders from the Dead One" in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.

“Orders from the Dead One” in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.

Latin’s artwork was recently on display in the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library A2 Alcove, a venue that is part gallery and part lounge. The library supports UH student artists by hosting exhibitions of their work throughout the year. All pieces are digitally documented and included in the UH Digital Library.

As a student in the UH School of Art, Latin says that his academic journey has allowed him to find what he values the most, and what to focus on in his life as an artist.

“When I put my work into motion, I really consider what it means to me to be from the South,” said Latin, whose niche is narrative art. He is inspired by those known as outsider, or naïve, artists, the untaught creatives with natural talent who didn’t pursue academic studies in the visual arts.

Latin’s work is influenced by outsider artists who nourished their craft in unconventional ways, like Aminah Lynn Robinson, who used a number of materials woven into a continuous narrative to tell her life story; and Henry Darger, a reclusive writer and artist whose epic fantasy manuscript and illustrations were discovered only after his death.

"Orders from the Dead Two" in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.

“Orders from the Dead Two” in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.

Themes blending personal experience with fantasy are very compelling, says Latin. “I try to incorporate that into my work. If I passed, what would people find? What would I want to show them about my life?”

Latin has created a character by the name of S. Relentless, a protagonist in a fantastical body of work whose story begins in antebellum South. The narrative of S. Relentless is driven by Latin’s own modern-day experiences.

Latin’s education over the past decade has been defined by lessons in patience and keeping true to oneself. He has learned that, if the work has strong meaning to the artist, it will resonate powerfully with others.

“I want to maintain a personality in my work and do it on a level where it’s known and it has a presence,” he said. His advice to burgeoning artists: remain honest and follow your heart. “It sounds like a Disney cartoon,” he says with a laugh, “but I’m being serious. It’s the only way I can create work. People tend to take notice and connect with art on a human level, and when you really put your heart into it, that’s where the connection is the strongest.”

Student artists interested in displaying work at the Architecture and Art Library are encouraged to contact Chris Conway with digital samples.

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Posted on April 9th, 2015 by Esmeralda Fisher and filed under Announcements | Comments Off on UH Artist Blends Reality With Fantasy