When Nate Pollock was younger, one of his teachers scolded him during class for not coloring inside the lines.
Years later, he and his wife, Brooke, are leading the way of a unique form of art in the Hub City, and it’s not exactly because he decided to stay within those lines.
“Create something that nobody has ever seen and just watch what happens to them,” said Mr. Pollock.
The two are creating artwork through the use of hand drawn stencils and spray cans. Each piece takes roughly a month to make, and they will not leave one uncompleted. They begin, like most artists, with a simple sketch. From there, they begin scaling it to however big it needs to be.
‘We then blow it up this big, three feet by four feet. We then transfer that eight times – 10 times to however many stencils we want, all by hand. And none of this has ever touched a computer.”
Before they begin to spray paint, the couple gears up by strapping on a face mask and a pair of gloves. The two both work separate jobs during the day, but once they get home, it’s time to go to more work.
“Don’t expect to rely on maybe art as a full-time job in Lubbock,” said Natalie Pollock, who says that although she and her husband love what they do, they realize making a more reliable income is necessary in order to keep pursuing their art on the side.
“We both work 40 hours and then we come home, we put on a smile and we make sure that our art gets done,” said Mr. Pollock.
It’s difficult to walk past any of their paintings without making a double-take. The extra hours are clearly shown in their work.
“Art has a way of changing people that is beyond – I guess it has to touch emotionally. As soon as it gets emotional, that’s when people start changing,” said Mr. Pollock.
However, other than the hand drawn stencils and meticulous spraying of layers upon layers, one other thing that sets the duo apart is the pride they take in their roots. They say the art scene in Lubbock has really taken off in the past two years, something that’s only encouraged them to work harder.
“There’s really not much to do outside the doors if you don’t want to spend money, but there’s art everywhere,” said Mr. Pollock. “Nobody pushes you back, nobody has anything but positive criticism, and then there are people in Lubbock who will have the criticisms that you need to hear, and if you accept them, they evolve they keep taking you.”
Fueled off canvas and coffee, the two say they don’t expect to tire from continuing their art. Instead, they only foresee themselves growing with it and look forward to sharing it with the world. They plan one day to open their own studio.
“And we’ll turn around and help the next artists in line. Because that was us before, and if we can help someone, teach them, then we’ll know our art is serving a purpose.”
Want to see more of Nate and Brooke’s art work? Catch up with them on Instagram:
@n8pollock
@be_pollock
