Devin
LaCoss

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Born in Libby, Montana, a small town tucked in the northwest corner of the state. Surrounded by wilderness and wildlife, hiking, climbing trees and spending most summer days lake side, growing up amongst the mountains is someting I've always loved but grown to cherish. I've pursued art my entire life. Through the entirety of my childhood memories, a pencil and paper have been present and sufficed to keep me entertained. Integrally a part of me, I continued pursuing art throughout grade school mainly using graphite as my medium of choice. Entering highschool, the head of the art department took notice of the difference technically between other students and myself. She graciously took me and other talented students under her wing and nurtured our skills fostering a loose creative environment. She taught me skills I still use today with my work. Approaching the end of high school my artistic foundation began to crumble. After graduating there were nothing but ruins left. It wasn't until some years later I began to realize what I had lost. Luckily, friends, also artists, were there to show me the path and help me realize pursuing my dream. The learning of art history then sent me into overdrive. However, I pursued no formal education in the arts or art history. I've only had practice, other artists perspective, occasional public school art teacher, and pursuit of knowledge by my own action.

After some reflection, I've concluded there are three conceptual supports for what I like to call, my artistic foundation. The first pillar is Nature. Being inescapably immersed deep within the mountain forests of Montana, Nature was the original inspiration of my artistic pursuits. Even to this day, it remains crucial to my foundation's structural integrity. The second integral pillar are fellow artists. Both in the present, and throughout history, fellow artists provide a wealth of inspiration to call upon. They also, admittedly quite luckily circumstantially provide profound Insite and wisdom trying to achieve my artistic goals. Whether communicating, educating, collaborating, critiquing, learning from, or even collectively present working individually, my fellow many diverse artistic contemporaries will always be a major source of progression, inspiration, and continuation of my artistic pursuits. Bringing the conclusive foundational pillar, Art History, into the picture completes my artistic foundation. Art history provides details, dates, locations, and perhaps most captivatingly journeys undertaken by our favorite masterpieces, as well creators'. As well, it gifts context to the potential meanings, objective goals, and subjective choices of all our favorite artists. Allowing for accurate interpretation and proper appreciation, Art History, along with fellow artists and Nature will continue throughout my life to be pillars which to build upon. In conclusion these are the three pillars consisting of my ever reaching, ever growing, artistic foundation.