Talented Watkins Drawing Up a Fine Career

Hailed as one of Rutgers' "most sought after visual artists" in a 2003 issue of Black Voice/Carta Latina, Kurtis Watkins MGSA'03 has continued to grow as a professional artist in the years following his graduation.

But it hasn't always been easy for the 27-year-old Camden native who currently lives in Hoboken. Watkins, however, looks at life and its ups and downs as a breeding ground for creative ideas and the motivating force behind his personal and professional aspirations.

Watkins always wanted to become a professional artist. "I've been creating art as long as I can remember. I have very early works of drawing and painting animals, people, landscapes, and abstract compositions," he says. "One of the greatest treasures I have is a report card from my kindergarten teacher encouraging my mother to place me in special art classes when I made it to the first grade."

Growing up, he attended summer workshops at Moore College of Art and Design and the Hussian School of Art, both in Philadelphia. When it came time to think about college, he considered a lot of other schools but eventually enrolled at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts.

"Rutgers was the perfect fit for me," Watkins says. "The location was great, the curriculum was challenging, and the overall atmosphere was absolutely amazing. The energy, enthusiasm, and cultural experiences I had at Rutgers will always stay with me."

While an undergraduate, Watkins exhibited some of his artwork at the Busch Campus Center. It was there that he was offered a job in Rutgers' Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Programs as the head graphic designer. In this role, he developed creative projects such as logos and designs for stickers, calendars, brochures, and various other publications.

Upon his graduation in 2003, Watkins hoped to find a job as a full-time graphic designer. He put his networking skills to the test and got in contact with Alfred Edmond RC'83, the editor-in-chief of Black Enterprise magazine and an active mentor to Rutgers students and alumni.

Instead of a traditional résumé, Watkins created and submitted an actual miniature magazine that mirrored Black Enterprise.

"It was gorgeous," says Edmond of the piece. "It was extremely impressive from graphic design, commercial art, and creative art perspectives. His articulateness in the use of fonts and other design elements and his ability to communicate his own credentials that way—it was just very impressive for a recent college graduate."

Though the publication had no graphic design openings at the time, he created several illustrations that appeared in future issues of the magazine.

What does Edmond, who was an art major himself, think about Watkins' future?

"I just hope that I can buy one of his originals before I can't afford one," Edmond says. "I know a lot of very, very talented artists, but to be able to balance the creative with the business and marketing without corrupting either of those two priorities, that is rare in one person."

Watkins says he learned many business skills in nontraditional ways. He worked as a high school art teacher in Baltimore while he pursued a master's degree at Morgan State University.

"As a teacher, you have to relate content to other people. This has helped me tremendously in marketing my work," Watkins says. "I paint pictures with words when I am not painting with brushes."

Watkins says this is an asset when he exhibits at art expositions and interacts with audiences who have diverse relationships to art. Over the past year, he has exhibited at the Philadelphia International Art Expo; Reflections II in Washington, D.C.; and Artexpo New York, which he calls "the world stage for professional visual artists."

In addition to exhibiting, he markets his work at www.kurtiswatkins.com. He says that about 90 percent of his business comes through the website in one way or another.

Unfortunately, Watkins was laid off from his teaching job in Baltimore. He returned to New Jersey after finishing his master's degree and accepted a job at Rutgers in the English department's Writing Program. As an administrative assistant for the writing centers, Watkins learned more business and customer service skills that are invaluable to him as a professional artist.

"I learned a lot about the administrative side of running a business," he explains. "It's one thing to create, but it's another to send out invitations, follow up, keep the books in order, pay taxes on time—the administrative tasks that follow the 'fun stuff.'"

Though Watkins was thrilled about being back at Rutgers, he was also laid off from this position as the university struggled with major budget cuts.

"The layoffs influenced the drive for me to push my own business forward," he says. "When I was laid off the second time, I thought, let's really look at this business thing. How can I make money doing this—no more 'doodle' mentality."

So, he defined a business model and founded Visual Luxury, LLC, in April 2006. One of his immediate goals is to create as many works as possible.

"I have so many ideas and different ways to interpret things," Watkins says. He strives to be a self-sufficient and lucrative visual artist so that he can travel and exhibit at art expositions across the country and around the world.

In 10 years, he hopes to have a "huge, massive studio" and at least 1,000 works under his belt. More importantly, he wants to be known not only for his great art, but for making a difference in the community. He's already making strides in this direction.

"I am working on a project to honor the young men and women who lost their lives at Virginia Tech," Watkins says. "One of the young men who lost his life was an RA and that had a deep impact on me because I was an RA for three-and-a-half years at Rutgers. That young man did what any responsible RA would do, and I know I would have done the same."

Watkins continues: "Artists are known for responding to world events through their creations. What I'm contemplating now is how to interpret that [Virginia Tech tragedy] visually and show honor and respect and sympathy in a way that is cherished."

On a larger scale, he plans to establish a department within Visual Luxury that focuses on ways to donate and give back to families and individuals who have suffered tragedy.

Watkins is an artist with a vision for success, and his palette contains a balanced combination of talent, creativity, business acumen, and determination. He's sure to paint a bright future for himself.