The Carcosa Interview: Mattahan (Paul Davey)

Black Nerd Problems: First let me say, for such a long time, I saw, reblogged, and shared your art on social media sites without any clear idea of who you were — of who the artist was. So now, it’s finally great to put a name to the work and a face to a name. Your artwork has always blown me away, in a good way of course, because of the subject matter. I feel like I’ve seen everything from hints of afro-futurism to creatures akin to what one could imagine from a Studio Ghibli film: wondrous and strange. Some even see your body of work as “baffling”. Can you touch upon how you came to be inspired to create such pieces? Paul Davey: My sketchbooks are mostly filled with nonsense. It’s honestly the source of my creativity, doodling. I advise everyone, including non-artists, to try it. Just put the pen to the paper and see what happens. Preconceived ideas about what you should draw really get in the way sometimes. I haven’t made time for it lately and I feel guilty.

BNP: I can recall reading an interview of yours where you were asked if you thought that you would gain a larger clientele if you drew more Caucasians. The abundance of black and brown bodies featured throughout your art caught my eye immediately because I’m way too familiar to NOT seeing black and brown folks in digital art. Thinking back, how did that question make you feel? And now, in present day, how does that question make you feel? Paul D: Having a huge following would be nice but that’s not why I make art. I…