SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – ArkLaTex Artistry’s Brittney Hazelton speaks with Shreveport native Ben Moss regarding the documentary about him, his wife and their lives as professional artists.
Willis Wilburn’s documentary “Acrylic A Love Story” explores the connection and lives of Ben and Linda Moss, two well-known artists in the Shreveport-Bossier City art scene.
On May 17, Bossier Parish Community College aired the 60-minute documentary that explores the connection and artist lifestyle of Ben and Linda Moss. A couple who, as artists, went from the alleys of downtown Shreveport to the walls of local art galleries.
“Ben and Linda Moss discuss the everyday hurdles of being full-time artists and the sacrifices accompanying self-employment,” said the Facebook event page.
As an artist myself, the documentary was impactful, it causes reminiscence of my time as an artist and the day grind it takes to maintain a life-work balance. It was also a good peek into the personalities and processes of these two well-known ArkLaTex artists.
During the interview, when asked how Shreveport-Bossier City can do better in supporting artists, Ben Moss suggests more focus on funding for local artists over national artists for projects. He also has other great ideas, such as what New Orleans has implemented by giving artists a muralist/graffiti license that allows the artist to pay for an assigned space to create in the city within public areas.
Another idea was to create a graffiti park like some cities, like Houston, Texas, have implemented. Allowing anyone to go and paint throughout an area that would have otherwise been an urban waste.
“That gets your work out there. There is no profit to be had directly (For the artists), but people start seeing your work and you might get some traffic,” said Ben Moss. Such a thing would also bring more color and attention to the city. “What do we want? Do we want industrial gray and rust, or do we want colorful which feels better psychologically?”
Ben Moss believes the artists in the community are closely bonded.
“I do think a big part of that is that there seems to be a lot of solidarity there, amongst the artists. Even among those who have wildly different styles from each other,” said Ben Moss. ” I think that all of our experiences trying to be an artist here is kind of the glue of it, because we all have very similar obstacles and triumphs here. I value that a lot, that we have such solidarity and, you know, common feeling amongst the artists here.”
Ben Moss
Ben Moss, also known as PLOID, is a Shreveport illustrator and muralist, with a unique graffiti/comic book style and twist of rebellion.
“I make art that appeals to my inner 12-year old latchkey kid. If it’s rad, I love it. Comics, skateboarding, punk rock, graffiti, and lowbrow. These are the raw ingredients that go into the stuff I make, be it paintings, illustrations, or large-scale murals. I use the visual language of my youth to express themes and messages that are important to me as an adult,” says Ben Moss’ website.
Linda Moss
Shreveport-born, Natchitoches-raised Linda Moss is an artist who works with acrylic paint, paper, fabric and found objects. Emotions play a large part in her inspiration for creating beautifully captivating art with vivid colors that bring to life flowers, plants, objects, and people with intricate details.
Watch for updates when the documentary is released to the public.
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