Studio Chat with
marcus leslie singleton
July 1, 2021
Travis Landry and the VE crew went out to Marcus' studio in Brooklyn, NY to learn how Marcus does what he does. Upon walking up to his studio, the first thing you notice is the industrial gate, which makes you wonder what they are keeping inside.
Gates outside of MLS' studio
MLS and the VE crew walking down the alleyway
We arrived at the "gate" late morning. While waiting for Marcus to arrive the VE crew watched the staff of a local restaurant prepare for the afternoon crowd. Before we knew it, Marcus was at the gate with a HUGE smile on his face. He opened the gate and lead us down the alleyway to his studio. Upon entering his studio we were immediately face-to-face with a large, colorful painting of kids playing on the street. Marcus started going into the background of the painting and how it represented his childhood. From there we sat down and had a quick Q&A session with the artist.
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Q. How and when did you decide you wanted to pursue a career as an artist?
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A. It was in 2011, the decision came with a journey of trying other creative pursuits. I was designing cloths before, I stopped that, then I started playing music in this punk band, then I stopped that. Then I started to do street art, and gradually shifted into painting.
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Q. What does your work mean to you and what does it represent?
A. My life and work are synonymous. It represents who I am, who I growing to be. It’s like a visual diary of my community, my family, my flaws and strengths.
"My life and work are synonymous."
Q. When you wake up in the morning how do you decide what you'd like to paint?
A. There are so many things I want to paint and just make in general, I keep a bunch of notes with references, sometimes they are short writings, drawings, minute long videos on my phone, I reference these things for the paintings I want to do.
A work in progress in Marcus's studio.
Q. Are there any subjects or themes you are looking to experiment with in the future?
A. Yea! I’m working on some films now, and eventually I’d like to work with VR and AR to create art.
What do these do?
Q. What is your life and interests outside of the studio?
A. Since a kid I’ve always loved basketball. I play a couple times a week near my apartment. I also love anime, delicious food and wine. And now that things are opening back up I’d love to go hear some live music.
Marcus was fun and energizing. The VE crew had a great time and looks forward to hanging out with him in the future.
