Dontae Coleman — Wichita, KS
"I don't know exactly where I'm going — I just know art is going to be part of it."
I'm Dontae, a 24-year-old graphic designer and oil painter based in Wichita, Kansas. I'm currently studying for my bachelor's in graphic design while building OZI Arts — a creative studio that's part gallery, part print shop, part whatever-I-feel-like-making.
I've only been oil painting for about a year, but it's taken over. There's something about working with paint — the texture, the slowness of it — that graphic design on a screen just can't replicate. I've shown at a few art shows, sold some pieces, and I'm still figuring out what my style really is. That part feels exciting, not scary.
Outside of making things, I'm into gaming, anime, and basketball. Those three things probably show up in my work more than I realize — the attention to detail in game design, the bold color and storytelling in anime, the intensity of being in the zone on the court. It all feeds into how I see and make.