ARTIST STATEMENT BY CYE JACKSON

1. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about who you are as an artist?

My name is Hannah, but I go by Cye as both my artist name and what most people call me. I’m 19 years old, originally from Saginaw, Michigan, and I moved to Detroit when I was around 11. I’ve always loved being creative and was inspired by so many people and things growing up. I started taking art seriously at 14, right around the time I got my first iPad which I still use! That moment introduced me to digital art, and I’ve been on this journey ever since. I focus on portrait art, especially digital portraits with oil-style realism and vibrant, unique aesthetics.

2. What themes or messages do you explore through your work?

My work is inspired by alternative fashion, Black representation and Christianity. I focus on themes within self-expression, individuality, and the beauty of being different! All through a lens of both cultural and Christian identity. A lot of my pieces are influenced by God and my faith, and I love bringing that into my creations.

3. How does your art connect to action or change?

I get inspired by seeing people fully express themselves. People with different styles, grillz, piercings, or just anyone expressing their true self. That kind of uniqueness sparks so many ideas for me. I use that inspiration to create portraits that reflect self-expression, confidence, and just the idea of fun within creating. I want people to feel seen and represented in my work, especially those who aren’t often reflected in traditional or “standard” art.

4. Can you share a moment or experience that shaped you as an artist?

When I wanted to get serious about my art, I used to try everything. Doing things like experimenting with different art styles, watching art videos, and even trying to mimic traditional art techniques to see what worked best for me. I still work traditionally especially with oil pastels and occasionally oil paint but discovering digital oil painting completely changed the game for me. I fell in love with it and started learning about the different techniques and brushes that I could try. That’s when I found one of my favorite artists, Eldar Zakirov. He’s a digital oil painter, and I use one of his brushes that I bought from his brush pack online. I personally tweaked up this brush to help me experiment with the different techniques! That moment really helped me find my style and step into my lane. While I really love traditional mediums, digital painting is my main technique, and it gives me more room to create my portraits.

5. Why is it important for you to create art with meaning or impact?

I believe art should come from a place of freedom and honesty. Through my art I want to impact and encourage other artists within highlighting the ideas of exploration, making what they feel, and trusting God with the process. If you ask Him for help, He will guide you. I’ve learned that you don’t have to fit into one style or follow what everyone else is doing, just be yourself and keep creating. That’s where I believe the most meaningful art comes from.

6. What people should know about you beyond art

When I Go through an art block and I can’t find anything, I do something different. As some peopleVmay not like this, I love to create photo hyper realistic generated images that I can use for my references when I can’t find anything on Pinterest. When I use this, it’s about the same as finding a real person and drawing them. I love this because my ideas can be so complex I can’t find it on Pinterest or even images I can place together so I do this. It’s so fun and I love how helpful it is. I will say though that claiming AI art and other stylized AI creations is bad! but using photo realistic images for references only should be a tool that anyone should use!

7. What inspires or encourages you when you’re creating?

When I need encouragement, I remind myself that I can do all things through Christ. Knowing that keeps me grounded, especially when I’m trying new things or doubting my own work. God gives me strength and peace when I need it most.

8. What inspired this piece or project? (“The Girl with the Pearl Earring” Recreation)

In my recreation of “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” piece I wanted to highlight Black beauty and representation. I created her with grillz, piercings, stretched ears, locs, and “Jesus is King” on her collar. This reflects the uniqueness of black alternative styles, black representation overall and my love for God, all of which are a part of my identity. This idea actually came to me as a vision from God, it was something I’ve never done before, something unique and I had to act on it! It became one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made!