Driven to duplicate realism and express his inner most thoughts, Cornelius Fobb, Jr., a senior from Lutcher majoring in fine arts, finds consolation in painting.
“Whenever I am angry or upset I release it on the canvas,” Fobb said.
Previously criticized for being a little different from the norm and labeled by some as being a thug, he accredits his drive to wanting more out of life.
“Painting has me wanting more out of life. Knowing that some people want me to fail, makes me work harder,” Fobb said.
Touched at an early age by an elementary school teacher, whom he considered his mentor, Fobb calmly acknowledges that he now knows the importance of attending college.
“If it wasn’t for that teacher, I don’t know where I would be. She was like my guardian angel. She was one of the reasons I chose to go to college,” he said.
He quickly admits that choosing to come to Southern University was one of the best decisions he could have made.
“Southern has made me tougher and more prepared for the world and the art department added technology and more skill to my talent,” he said.
Some professors in the fine arts department agree.
“Cornelius is very talented and we are encouraging him to pursue his painting professionally,” said Robert Cox, an instructor of fine arts.
Greatly influenced by music, other artists and his surroundings, his artwork has been featured in a student art show on campus and in other museums in Baton Rouge.
Fobb was raised in a “rough” neighborhood and only paints things that he can relate too and things he has seen in his life.
“I won’t paint a mountain or an ocean because I haven’t seen those things before, but I will paint ghetto kids playing in Projects,”Fobb said.
People view artwork everyday and sometimes based on their own perceptions create ideas on what an artist was trying to convey.
Fobb wants people to see who he is in his work.
“When people look at my artwork, I want them to see where I am coming from, the hood. When people see my paintings I want them to know that I am different. I also enjoy creating pictures of events that most artists wouldn’t want to talk about and I admire artists who do the same,” Fobb said.
Fobb, also an aspiring rapper, has sustained many obstacles in his life and started painting after the death of one of rap music’s icons.
“Tupac Shakur’s death made me want to paint. The first painting I completed was a painting of him. Everything just kind of changed after that,” he said.
