Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2.   You’ve mentioned large-scale vision projects—what does it take to turn a dream that big into something real and tangible?

• ANSWER 2.    I come back to trust once again. In 2022, I took on a massive concept for the Parade of Hearts in Kansas City. I designed "A Summer Sundae Kinda Love" Which turned the KC heart sculpture into an 8 foot melting ice cream with cherries on top. I had never done a project like this, but I trusted my ability to learn... AND that I had my mom in my corner for guidance as she has much more experience with 3D materials than I. Her advice for turning ideas into large scale projects... "The first step in any plan is making a plan". That advice has stuck with me on all projects, especially those that have a lot of small steps that lead to the final vision. This has been particularly useful as I planned my 2026 Parade of Hearts heart, "There's No Place Like Chrome" which will be debuting for the FIFA World Cup KC in Spring/Summer next year.

Trew Love
Multidisciplinary Artist

MEDIUM: painting, sculpting, writing, music

BIO:    I'm a heartland artist, born and raised in Kansas City, and formed in the city of angels, Los Angeles. I love to bring visionary concepts to life through many mediums, focusing on the contrast of emotional experiences of being human. I love the bright neon and colorful expressions of joy and excitement contrasted with the depths of despair and longing. Together, I paint/sing/dance/write to demonstrate that the beauty of being human is wrapped up in the complexity of our vast emotional range.

WEBSITE:    TrewLove

QUESTION 3.    Your large-scale projects sound like visions of worlds you want to build—what drives you to think and create on that scale?

• ANSWER 3.    To be honest, it's just the way my mind works! I spent so much time day dreaming as a child that it showed up on my report card notes more than once in grade school. I remember staring out the window, wandering into creative realms. I didn't know at the time that I was training my creative mind to think in worlds, but that's what was going on. As an adult, as I began completing projects or collecitons, my trust in myself deepened and I am now able to believe with certainty that anything is possible... with the right plan, of course :)

QUESTION 1.    How do you decide which medium best serves a particular story—does the material shape the message, or the message shape the material?

• ANSWER 1.    This is such a great question! Most of my ideas come through in the format they're designed to be in. And sometimes, it's the material itself that gives me the inspiration for the story. I've always felt that the material itself has it's own story within it. For example, when I'm painting on canvas, I often say to myself "Trust the brush" or "Allow the paint to speak". Using fiberglass for large sculptures is similar. I trust where it wants to go, and often, what I perceive to be the 'wrong move' ends up being better than I would have done it consciously. You could say its a conversation between me, my hand, the material, and the concept, all working together as one in a state of flow and trust. As for cartoons and story telling, I'm convinced that the characters and their stories are all fully written before I even meet them, and it's simply my job to capture it as it flows through my mind and fingers and onto the page before me.

Sculpture: A Summer Sundae Kinda Love, 2022, Parade of Hearts, Kansas City

Book: Trew Basics, written and illustrated by Trew Love

Liberation

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Trew Love.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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