Famo Explores the Internet’s Role in His Art and His New Urge to Unplug From it All

by Rubén Palma
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Famo (b. 1994, Texas), is an emerging painter whose work explores the intersections of internet culture, contemporary life, and the human experience. Having completed his BFA at Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2018, he is looking to advance his studies with an MFA to further develop his artistic practice.

Hi FAMO! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Texas?

Yo! First and foremost, I want to say thank you for taking your time to sit down and get to know more about me! I’ve been so stoked for this day to come ever since you mentioned interviewing me for OVERSTANDARD. It’s truly an honor getting to be a part of something that some of my favorite artists have partaken in. 

As far as how a regular day in Texas is for me, I’m a pretty big creature of habit. My days usually involve going on a 4 mile run (sometimes shorter if the heat is too much to handle) or hitting some weights first thing in the morning, eating some lunch, painting, doom scrolling on Instagram, painting some more, and then eating dinner. I’ve also started getting more into hiking and being outdoors so thankfully it’s around that time of year where things are starting to cool down. 

I’m curious. Growing up, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?

You know, I often find myself thinking a lot about my childhood and teenage years while I’m painting. And as much as I would love to say that I was some type of super active and outgoing kid, that just wasn’t the case. Growing up, I mainly spent my time playing video games. I was pretty shy and quiet so I spent a lot of my time playing Halo and Call of Duty on campaign mode since we never had internet to play online. Oh, I also spent a weird amount of time watching Rom Coms haha. 

Alright, so when did you start to paint, and when did you start taking being an artist seriously?

 I remember the first time I picked up a paint brush in a serious manner was around my junior year of university. Before then, I was mainly doing a lot of graphic design until I had a professor sit down with me and tell me that if I started applying myself a bit more, I could do some pretty big things with art. 

However, I will also say that my more recent paintings are the first ones I make in this more realistic style. So I’m having to learn how to tackle each painting as I’m moving through it. It’s definitely challenging but I always enjoy the final outcome. 

Let’s stay on the art topic for a bit, and excuse me if I fuck up the timeline, but around June this year your painting style changes. Can you tell me about that?

Honestly, the day I chose to make a change was quite stressful. I was experiencing a breakdown of sorts and kept thinking about a meme that said, “Be an artist, they said… It will be fun, they said…” That moment made me realize just how impactful internet memes can be if put in the right context. So I went ahead and started drawing memes using colored pencil, which led me to wanting to push it further and using pigment sticks (oils). As I mentioned, I’ve never really painted realism before, so seeing that I’m more than capable of doing so if I just take my time has been super exciting. 

With that in mind…. How does internet culture influence your artistic vision and creative process?

Well too much of anything isn’t good. That being said, the same goes for the internet, especially when searching for inspiration and doom scrolling through hundreds of memes in a matter of a few minutes. I think when used correctly, the internet has definitely helped me take my works to new levels and given me great ideas that my mind would have never conjured up on its own. On the contrary, I have found myself frustrated with meme burn out and not able to really comprehend what I should create next. I think it’s important to define the line that separates being inspired by what internet culture has to offer and starting to rely purely off the internet for your creativity.

What aspects of contemporary life do you find most compelling or challenging to represent in your work?

Portraying contemporary life in my works is something that is completely new to me. At least in the form that I’m doing it now. In my older works, I used text a lot to portray my current state of mind and emotions. However, these new paintings challenge me to think a bit deeper about what I’m about to spend hours of my time painting. I guess what makes it more challenging is the fact that I’m a bit of a recluse and don’t really go out much. So as far as subject matter, I’ve been relying on things I’ve probably heard on the news or seen while scrolling on Instagram.

For instance, I had been hearing a lot about the declining birth rates happening all over the world and how it’s going to have a negative impact on our future since we won’t have any young people to take our jobs when we get old. I sat there and thought about it and realized that people are still doing the deed, they just aren’t pursuing it for the means of procreating. That’s how my body of work “That doesn’t belong there” which portrays body parts covered in semen came to be.

As I mentioned earlier, I am getting more and more into hiking and the outdoors so I’m definitely curious to see how that will affect the future of my work, if at all. 

How do you feel the internet, with its vast, often ephemeral content, has shaped modern identity, and how does that come through in your art?

The internet has basically allowed pretty much anyone to connect with others that share the same interest, no matter how niche or weird their interests may be. This very fact has kind of given power to the individual by showing them that they aren’t alone. As for my art, I think it has allowed me to see how other artists are expressing themselves through their work, which in turn, has allowed me to generate and play with new ideas that I probably would have never considered or even thought of without the internet. 

In what ways do you think traditional painting can engage with or challenge the digital imagery and content we see online?

I love this question as it’s something I have been thinking about a lot lately. I don’t necessarily think traditional painting and digital imagery need to collide. If used correctly, digital imagery and everything offered in that realm (such as photo editing software and the new integration of AI) can be used a tool to push traditional painting to new limits. After the introduction of photography, everyone said that painting was dead. What was the point of spending days or months of your time painting something that you could just go outside and take a snapshot of? I truly believe that the new advancement in editing software and AI is going to create some type of rebirth in painting. You’re already seeing it happen with the new movement in airbush artists, and those people are creating insane works in a fast manner on the daily. 

Internet culture can be both a space of connection and alienation. What’s your take on that, and  how do you navigate these dualities in your work?

I mean, I think it’s safe to say that as great as the internet may be, despite all of the answers it can give us in just a matter of a few seconds and how we can stay connected with our friends and family, it has also turned into something we go to to seek validation. So for me, that can be posting images of a new artwork on Instagram. I’m not gonna lie, I’m quite guilty of posting and refreshing my notifications every 5 minutes to make sure it’s doing “well”. But the Instagram likes only go so far. And once they stop, I think it can be easy to find yourself questioning your worth and feeling like you could be doing better. 

Thankfully, I can say that I’ve gotten a lot better than how I used to be. And what’s helped the most is just being able to disconnect from it all and knowing that the internet and social media is more of a tool than it is something I have to rely on. The internet isn’t going anywhere, in fact, it’ll outlive us all. 

Can you walk me through your creative process from beginning to end result?

Well I definitely have to start off a new work with an image that I feel has inspired me or an idea that I can digitally render through photo editing or even just taking a picture, that is usually the hardest part. Everything after that is relatively easy as it’s just getting the image painted onto the canvas. There’s a lot of reminiscing and thinking that goes on when I’m working on the actual painting. Especially if I decide to paint in silence. I also am currently using pigment sticks for my paintings which some people find odd and the reason for that is because they are essentially oil paints but without the fumes from the additives and mediums which you combine with traditional oils. 

How do you approach color?

Color theory is something that can definitely be quite scary to just jump right into, but with my paintings being on the more realistic side, there’s not much room for just doing whatever. However, I will say that color is probably my favorite thing to approach. I’ve learned to not shy away from it as mistakes are usually fixable. I find it quite fascinating how adding the smallest shade of a color can make such a huge difference in how it turns out. 

Alright FAMO! Now to something totally different… What are your plans for the future? Got anything planned?

I’ve honestly been toying around with the idea of returning back to school for an MFA in painting. It’s always something that has been a thought in my mind but I’ve usually shoved it into the dark when the thought of it would come up. And after a lot of consideration, and after seeing what I’m truly capable of, I do think it’s the right next move for me.

But other than that I just want to be able to keep painting and seeing where my work goes. My new paintings have kinda opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me that I’m stoked to explore. 

In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?

I believe that in a parallel universe I would be doing something extreme. Maybe a mountain climber. I just went bouldering yesterday so that’s probably going to be my new obsession for a while haha. 

What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?

As a reclusive person I don’t tend to put myself around others that much unless they are family or very close friends I’ve built good relationships with. I very much enjoy my alone time and find it very easy to be annoyed or overwhelmed by other people that I don’t connect with. As far as the qualities, I prefer to spend time with people who are passionate, driven, funny, and easygoing. It probably goes a little deeper than that but those are the terms that popped up in my mind right off the bat. 

Anybody you look up to?

Definitely look up to my dad the most. He’s always been there for me no matter what type of battles he was going through himself. I wouldn’t be the person I was today without him. 

What motivates you?

The thing that probably drives me the most is that I want to one day be able to do give back to my family and loved ones. They have all supported me tremendously throughout my journey as an artist and I would love to be able to show them some type of appreciation for it all. Also, I’m a very competitive person so being the best I can be is always something I’m aiming for. 

How would you describe a perfect day?

A perfect day would have to start out with a good protein smoothie, then going to a state park and getting a good challenging hike in to get my blood flowing. And then ending the day by spending some time with family. 

Alright FAMO, I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?

That is honestly such a hard question because I have quite a few Rom Coms on my list that I’ve watched well over 10 times each. I’ve always been such a huge fan of the cheesiness that ensues them, it gets me feeling all lovey inside. 

The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?

I’ve been listening to a lot of George Strait lately. 

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