Growing up poor in the Bronx, artist Devon Rodriguez had an inkling he was destined for something much bigger.
After gaining acceptance to the High School of Art and Design, he entertained himself on his commute by sketching the people he saw on the subway. Mentored by a series of supportive teachers and the sculptor John Ahearn, he persevered on his own terms until a viral TikTok in 2020 sent his reputation skyrocketing.
Rodriguez, who has gone on to capture figures such as Robert De Niro and President Joe Biden, shares his self-made story in his first book, Work in Progress. One might expect his art to be the book’s focus, but Rodriguez has instead chosen to share the heartrending tale of his upbringing along with his innate confidence in the power of art.
“People sometimes tell me they would have given up in my circumstances, but art gave me so much happiness and made me feel so alive that I couldn’t imagine letting it go,” he says. “It was such a big part of who I was. I didn’t always know how things would work out, but I knew I wanted to keep drawing and keep getting better. I feel lucky to have found something I loved that deeply, because that love kept me moving.”
Rodriguez says he still doesn’t feel like he’s “made it” despite collaborations with big brands and a booked schedule sketching celebrities and regular humans alike. But the “surreal, incredibly fulfilling” feeling of using words as his medium fills his soul as much as the interviews he conducts while sketching. It’s no wonder he’s one of the most followed artists on social media, with 34 million followers on TikTok and 9.5 million on Instagram.
Currently launching a postcard series of his subway work for subscribers, Rodriguez says he hopes his story helps spread the curiosity he feels by engaging with fellow humans.
“I’ve had incredible moments with celebrities, but I also have super meaningful conversations with random strangers that I meet on the streets,” he says. “I genuinely want to hear what someone has to say. Everyone has a story, and there’s always so much more to a person than what you see at first. I love discovering those things and finding the experiences we have in common. It means a lot when someone feels comfortable enough to let me into their world.”
Details
“Devon Rodriguez in Conversation with Claudia Vega,” Oct. 15 at the Dallas Museum of Art, is sold out, but livestream tickets are available on the DMA site.
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This article originally published at Viral NYC subway artist making book tour stop at DMA.