Meet Wisconsin artist, Dakotah Lawson Wolf from pourmyartoutstudio. His op art style combines the art of optical illusions with melting designs and a 60’s colour palette.

Inspired by the dizzy designs he saw on a cereal box when he was younger, Dakotah combines pour painting with spray painting techniques to create his retro style art.

But a creative career wasn’t always on the cards, Dakotah originally studied accounting before realising he’d rather be fulfilling his creative potential. We spoke to the artist about how his creative journey unfolded and what inspired him to pick up the paints.

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Kotah, I’m currently living in Platteville Wisconsin. My preferred mediums are pouring acrylics, and spray paint and I love working with optical illusions and bright colours.

Your work looks like it’s inspired by op art, how did you find your style?

When I was a kid there was a box of Apple Jacks with a bunch of optical illusions on the back and loved/ love the tricks art can play on the mind.

Your work also involves pour painting, do you plan your work or create intuitively?

Most of my work is planned but sometimes I will enter a flow state and create intuitively, and I find those pieces to be some of my best because I’m working with what’s in front of me, rather than trying to achieve what I have pictured in my head. 

How do you decide the subject matter of your works?

I have a small notebook I keep my ideas in, and I do like to go through and execute ones I think I’m ready for, but also sometimes I will just vibe on a piece without really thinking about it and that’s fun too. 

When was the last time you had a buzz after you created something?

My favourite piece recently is “Tucked into the Cosmos” the depth and colours of that piece are so phenomenal, and it sold within an hour of me listing it which is always a super awesome feeling. 

If you didn’t go into art, what would you do?

I was actually convinced most of my life, that I could never be an artist. I had gone to school for accounting and dropped out in my second year because I realised, I was living a life that I thought would make people around me happy, rather than what I actually wanted. There is literally not a single thing I’d rather be doing. I love what I do very passionately and deeply. 

Who would you switch lives with for a day?

I know the expected answer would probably be like a great artist or a famous person, but after some thinking, I think I would pick my husband just to get a better idea of his perspective and where I could improve as a husband. (I think I’m already a pretty good husband, but there is always room for improvement)

When do you find that you’re most creative?

When I’m happy and especially when I’m getting a lot of art sales. It’s kind of a positive feedback loop at times. Art sales make me happy, so I’m excited and make more art, and sell it and the loop continues haha. Sometimes I do burn out though, and it feels like the opposite, so I’m not making art or sales, so then I’m sad, and the loop continues. 

You’re at a party, what party food are you reaching for?

I’m typically not a party goer, on account of I’m socially awkward haha, but I’ve had a hankering for devilled eggs recently and I also have a firecracker meatball recipe that I got from a friend that’s super bomb.

What time period or decade would you go back to for inspo?

I would say the late 70s/early 80s just to hopefully get a little inspiration from 70s decor and 80s fashion. 

We hope that you feel inspired by Dakotah Lawson Wolf and his story! You can find more on Dakotah’s art here or check out more of our featured artists.

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