Bio

Rhett Barlowe is an artist originally from Hickory, North Carolina. He is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree at Appalachian State University. His work shows inspiration from horror films and his love for surrealistic figurative creatures. He loves the process of drawing and painting and is now focusing on relief printmaking.

There’s a window that leads to another world, something that you have never seen before, creatures and terrifying animals filling up this space that does not look real. This fantastical place feels like home but altered to the point of where it feels otherworldly. A ghastly setting that evokes mystery, this place pulls from your imagination to form thoughts of what is happening in my work. I have always been inspired from horror films and shows such as The Thing and Goosebumps. I have always had an interest in the figure and using mark making to express how my imagination can change that form into these monstrous beings. A narrative forms from these worlds when I’m in the process of creating my art. The work I create will often show the importance of my family and friends and how they have impacted my life. My grandmother and my mom had first sparked my interest in art into me. They have always inspired me to create my own work and we have come together to make our art together as a family. There’s a precious connection we had creating our art together and that's something that I could never replace.

The reason behind my making of my work comes from my fascination with monstrous beings and the horrific settings they live in. Whenever I see a haunting piece of art or a scene from a horror movie it gives me a thrilling feeling, as if I’m opening a curtain to reveal what thing was lurking in the dark. This is what inspires me to create my work, I get the same thrill while in the process of creating my art. Theres a satisfaction to creating bizarre and strange creatures and to see how they slowly form as I draw out ideas from my head. My art usually will begin with a sketch or a drawing and evolves into a fully finished work from there. The mark making in drawing has affected how I use my marks in painting and in printmaking. I use contrasting colors in my works to show the vibrancy of the creatures in the scenes.

Through the inspiration of horror and surreal art, I strive to create new worlds inhabited with monstrous beings. Creating my art is a way to connect our world to this nightmarish vision spawned from my mind.

Artist Statement