How did you come up with the name Hellbent, and has its meaning changed for you over time?
Being a fan of punk music and especially the early New York punk scene, one of my favorite artists was Richard Hell, the song “Blank Generation” being an anthem for punk and its denizens. A roommate at the time had remarked how that was the best punk name ever and could not be topped. Hellbent was my answer to my roommate's challenge and also an homage to Richard Hell. As I have begun using JMikal Davis as it pertains to my work, I still have not completely walked away from Hellbent. Originally, it might have meant more like being hellbent on destruction, but now it is more about ‘just keep going” by being hellbent on continuing to make art and not giving up.
What has been a career highlight or memorable moment in your journey as an artist?
I think being asked by Ralph Lauren to be their first artist in their “Artist Series” back in 2015 would be a defining moment in my journey for sure. At the time it was the largest mural I had done and it was smack dab in the middle of New York City. Besides having my art on the outside of the store, they recreated my studio in the windows, I sold all my artwork that was on display inside, and I was able to create some one-off clothing pieces with my now wife that were also displayed. It was a great opportunity and it led to a lot more projects.
In your public art, you aim to incorporate elements from the textiles associated with the communities you work in. Can you share a specific project where community input significantly shaped the final piece?
I definitely look at the demographics and history of a place that I am going to paint in, for sure. One example would be a four story mural I did in “Little India” off Journal Square in Jersey City, NJ. I got a lot of inspiration from Indian block printing patterns in the preparation for painting this mural. One in particular would have been the paisley pattern, which I had not used previously and is very common in India. Also a big element was Indian food trucks that are found throughout India, which are brightly decorated and hand-painted by their owners. Their color palettes are akin to my own in that they celebrate vibrancy. So it all came together very nicely and the community loves it in their neighborhood which is what it’s all about.
Was your inspiration from quilt-making and folk art traditions something you grew up around, or did you discover it on your own?
My grandparents were amazing artists whose work might fall into the folk art tradition. My grandfather was an amazing woodworker and would do these awesome cartoon paintings on his pieces, while my grandmother actually painted on china and even developed a watercolor technique that could be painted and fired onto the porcelain. My aunt is an incredible, talented quiltmaker. Growing up in the Southern United States exposed me to many different folk artists. Howard Finster being a hometown hero in Georgia. I see a lot of parallels in graffiti and street art. Not everyone who does these things came out of art school, which allows for pure freedom of expression. I think tight technical graff is fine but the whimsical and different are what I am interested in. The pushing of boundaries is how things develop and that change is what keeps everyone moving forward. That was what I wanted to do when I was starting out, to bring these folk traditions into the urban dialog.
Dress Sexy at My Funeral (Smog) | Commission for Bay Street, Emeryville, SF | Courtesy of the artist
Your work operates between structured, hard-edged designs and more fluid, abstract expressions. Do you think about this as a balance or juxtaposition?
I think it might be a bit of both but I probably lean more into the juxtaposition most of the time. I like tension in paintings and this is one way to create some of that on the canvas, trying to make them both work together even though they are diametrically opposed. Loose but controlled. It's like the car skidding around a corner. If you don't flip that shit, it’s cool. But I guess when one is doing that you are in a way balancing, so, yeah, it might be both.
While murals require planning and precision, your studio work offers spontaneity. Can you share a project where you intentionally combined both approaches?
I think every mural I have done has had to incorporate a bit of spontaneity. Given the time constraints and scale that go into the murals, no matter how much you think you got it planned out something always pops up. Sometimes it's a piece of the architecture on the building that poses a problem and you might have to adjust to it, which may shift some other part of the design. Sometimes the color is not working and I’ll have to change it, which then leads to other changes needed elsewhere.
With your recent move to working on paper and old drop cloths to move away from the “preciousness” of traditional canvas, are there any other materials or mediums you’re excited to experiment with?
I have been making a lot of tools to create different patterns and what I am liking with that is the unforeseen “mistakes” that can happen. I have been carving rollers into patterns and then using them to lay down patterns and sometimes it works and other times it doesn't but then it makes me try and make it work for what I am doing. I have been thinking about making stamps to that same end. I like the idea of trying to do it perfectly but then there is the element of the hand involved, which keeps it real, you know? Sometimes it's the mistakes that make it perfect.
Looking forward, what themes or ideas are you eager to explore in your upcoming projects?
I am going to keep pushing some of the ideas that have been coming out of the works on paper. I am playing with perceived depth in the works and still think there are some avenues to explore along with the tearing apart of patterns and reconstructing them. I am excited to get a book together of the works on paper. My initial aim was to complete 50 this year which I have done and now I would like to put it together in book form. A complete showing of all them would also be great. I am actively working on getting shows lined up for next year and hope to show the complete set of works on paper. I took a little break from the mural work but would like to complete a large scale mural in the coming year.
Untitled | Spray paint and acrylic on paper | 22 x 33 | Courtesy of the artist
Untitled | Spray paint on paper with collaged paper | 22 x 33 | Courtesy of the artist
Ralph Lauren Denim and Supply Store | 12th and University Place, Manhattan, NY | Courtesy of the artist
The pushing of boundaries is how things develop and that change is what keeps everyone moving forward.
Breeze Block Dream | Acrylic and spray paint with cut canvas | 30x40 | Courtesy of the artist
Plowing the Fields of Heaven | Spray paint and latex on drop Cloth | 30x40 | Courtesy of the artist
Pieces on Studio Wall
Various media
Courtesy of the artist
Jaan Pehechaan Ho (Mohammed Rafi) | India Square, Jersey City, New Jersey | Inspired by Indian block prints and textiles | Courtesy of the artist
More Pieces on Studio Wall
Various media
Courtesy of the artist
The Red Ghosts of European Time | Spray paint with cut muslin and lace | 30x40 | Courtesy of the artist
Synarchy | Spray paint on canvas | 30x40 | Courtesy of the artist
Welling Court | 2019 | Courtesy of the artist
Wholly Bully Is a Sea Shanty | 2023 | Spray paint and acrylic with application on paper | 30 x 22 | Courtesy of the artist