STEVENS POINT - It's one of his earliest memories, and it led to the foundation of his entire life.
Stephon Kiba Freeman was just a little kid, 5 or 6 or so, growing up on Chicago's South Side, when he saw a guy drawing something. "It was either on the bus or at a bus stop," Freeman said. "I went home and I was like, 'A guy did something super cool with his pencil. I want to try that.' ... I kind of have been trying it ever since."
Now 29 years old, Freeman is a husband, stay-at-home dad and a professional artist. His medium is spray paint, and he creates a wide array of pieces, including standalone paintings, garage door murals, street art, cornhole games, puzzles and more. His pieces veer from mystical and magical sci-fi worlds to more realistic landscapes with an impressionistic vibe.
His artistic drive sparked a curious and wide-ranging mind. It led Freeman to attend one of Chicago's most prestigious high schools, Lane Tech College Prep, and then to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, graduating with a bachelor's of fine art degree in 2014. A study-abroad trip to Italy opened his eyes to the possibilities of how spray paint can be used to create fine art.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic started its suffocating march across the globe, Freeman was building a reputation and demand for his work by painting live and selling the work at art festivals across the state. It paid off, he said, because even as he hunkers down at home and focuses on the care of his 2-year-old daughter, Soraiya, orders for his work are still coming in, and he feels as busy as ever.
'I've always been an artist'
Freeman drew and drew and drew when he was a kid. He drew superheroes, anime scenes and Looney Tunes.
He loved attending Lane Tech College Prep, located near Wrigley Field on the north side of Chicago, about an hour and a half commute by bus and train from his home on the south side. He thrived on it all — even the commute. It gave him time to draw, read, think and watch Chicago change through the years.
Freeman compares Lane to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter books. "Only with a little less magic. Or a little bit more, depending on your perspective," he said.
He found that he was good at a lot of different things. "When I was growing up, you were either into the sciences and math, or into the arts and drama. Or you were into like, mechanical work, building stuff. But I've always been kind of like into all of them. I mean, I excelled in math. ... I don't know, it made sense to me."
As a college prep school, Lane's students have majors. Freeman's was fine arts, but he wasn't always sure that he would be a professional artist.
"I've always been an artist," he said. "Did I know I was going to do art as a profession? Not specifically. I kind of went back and forth with that idea for a while, because growing up, you always hear how hard it is to be an artist."
UW-Stevens Point was a natural choice for Freeman, he said. Lane has "a kind of partnership with UWSP. UWSP typically recruits from my high school."
He majored in fine art again, and focused on photography. As much as Freeman loved to draw, he found painting with brushes to be tedious. So he had every intention of using a camera to express himself, until he took a life-changing journey to Italy as part of a study-abroad program.
Freeman saw stunning works of classic art, famous and timeless paintings and sculptures. But what swept him away, opened his mind and set him on the course he is on today was the street art.
Artists were using spray can paint to form quick and easy paintings, then selling them directly to passersby. Like the guy drawing years earlier, those artists resonated with Freeman. And when he returned home, he set the camera aside and started creating with spray paint.
Being husband, dad influences Freeman's work.
Although Freeman is a professional artist, his art is very much a part-time endeavor. Most of his days are spent caring for Soraiya. He typically fits in painting a couple of hours per day while she naps. Meanwhile, Jenna, his wife of six years, works at UW-Stevens Point. It keeps all of them busy, but the system works.
But in essence, being with Soraiya and Jenna and painting aren't separate activities. Being a husband and a dad very much influences what happens when Freeman paints.
"I look at my daughter. I play with my daughter. I make her laugh," Freeman said. "Everything is an adventure with her, and she is a shot of joy."
Freeman tries to see the world through Soraiya's eyes, and recreate that feeling with the paint.
It also means that Freeman works to reach children through his art. One of his more popular products are puzzles. He paints over puzzles he buys in the store, and sells the one-of-kind scenes. The concept took off when he introduced it at art fairs, and now the puzzles are steady sellers off his website.
The more children — and adults, too — appreciate art, Freeman believes, the better off everyone will be, because art represents the diversity of mankind.
"In theory, you have a closer appreciation for people, and our essence of being," Freeman said. "You understand how we create, how we do everything. Because we are all artists, whether we make money on it or do it for fun. ... The way we dress, the way we talk, the way we dance, walk — it's all art."
About Stephon Kiba Freeman
Learn more about Freeman and his art at www.kibafreemanart.com. People may also follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
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Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on Twitter and Instagram or on Facebook.
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Stevens Point artist finds success, ‘adventure’ working with spray paint - Stevens Point Journal
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