Acclaimed Musician Nancy Wilson Partners with El Paso Artist
It's every artist's dream to have their hard work & labors of love get recognized. One Texas artist has been making a huge name for herself since 2020 (and especially in 2022) by working with huge names in rock such as Alice In Chains, The Smashing Pumpkins, John 5 & Nancy Wilson of Heart.
Recently it was announced that Nancy would OFFICIALLY make this local artist part of her creative team for Roadcase Managrment; and this artist is none other than El Paso's own Karmann Sloane. Aka... Sketchy Goat.
What kind of art has Karmann done in the past?
If you've seen Alice in Chains live in 2022, you've seen Karmann's work featured on his drum kit (just look at the kick head). He's used drums with art of the late Taylor Hawkins, Neil Peart, Charlie Watts among many others.
And of course she's done art for Nancy Wilson in the past.
That's what I wanted to know when I asked Karmann about this incredible achievement:
"Nancy and I have been working together since early ’21, when I drew a portrait of her inspired by her debut solo album, ‘You and Me.” Her team reached out to me, and I ended up working with her on a poster for her performance with the Seattle Symphony. Her and her creative director, Julia Bywater, then took me on for a couple more projects over time. Over the last year we’ve built a really strong working relationship and friendship, so I couldn’t be happier with where things have ended up."
"Nancy, Julia, and the folks at Roadcase are some of the best people I’ve been lucky enough to meet, let alone work with. The experience of everyone involved in this new venture is so extensive, and they’ve really made it known that there’s a shared belief in encouraging female creatives to go beyond any sort of limits. They support the independence and drive of up and coming talent, so I’m very excited to be under Julia’s management and everyone’s awesome guidance. It also means the world to be working amongst friends with this calibre of talent. In some ways, I can’t even believe it- it still feels like a dream".
Karmann has never forgot about her home in El Paso either
Even though she's worked such amazing talent, possibly the biggest achievement is by telling people that she represents El Paso every time she designs a piece of art:
"Being a native El Pasoan, this was an opportunity I had only previously dreamed of (and a professional position I didn’t even really know existed). I’ve wanted to be a professional artist my entire life, but conventional means never seemed to end how I wanted them to. In college, for example, I was told that I wasn’t up to par with higher level classes, and that I definitely wasn’t “clean enough to be a graphic designer.” When I stopped letting the art grades govern my creative expression, I devoted my time to becoming a better artist, not a 'perfect' one. Through tearing down finished pieces and building them back up from nothing, I found accessible opportunities that promoted exactly what I wanted. Being able to tell the people that I work with where I’m from is such a joy, and I love talking about the beauty of this city and the people in it. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to create from, and when I travel, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to live here."
At the end of our conversation, Karmann had some inspiring words for every artist out there:
"Though there definitely isn’t a set formula to success, creatives should define exactly what that means for themselves in order to work towards it. They should enjoy critique (especially the harsh ones), and rip apart their work to find an original voice in order to become better at what drives them. Always remember that pretension gets you nowhere, passion should be the driving force behind everything you do, and not everything you make will be perfect or make sense. But, make something daily, regardless of whether you really want to or not, regardless of how good it may or may not be. You don’t have to attend a fancy school, or be from a bigger city to make something that really matters. Surround yourself with that which inspires you, and facilitate your own creative evolution."
Congrats to Karmann on such a huge step in her career; here's to her success & to the success for many more local artists.
