Richland artist building career on off-kilter art, characters

Chances are you’ve seen Kyson Cartwright’s work.

On an event poster, like one for Rumble at the Roxy, a March 12 fundraiser for the cancer support group Warrior Sisterhood.

Or in a music video, like one for The Spirit Animals. Or Tino Cruze. Or Medium.

And the Richland artist — who has a growing client list and fan base — shows no signs of slowing down.

He loves to draw, to create.

Always has.

The 23-year-old, a 2011 graduate of Richland High School, got his start watching cartoons as a kid.

“We had a little, tiny black and white TV in our kitchen. I’d sit at the table and (draw the characters) while I watched,” Cartwright recalled.

His best friend and frequent collaborator Justin Frick — who’s making a name for himself as a music video director — remembers the first character he ever saw Cartwright sketch.

“We were probably 10 and (the cartoon) Rugrats was on,” Frick recalled.

TV host Pat Sajak made an appearance in animated form, and “for some reason (Kyson) had the idea he needed to draw him,” Frick said.

“There was no DVR so we couldn’t rewind, and Kyson ran all around the house trying to find a piece of paper while I was glued to the TV making sure Pat didn’t leave the screen,” Frick said. “(Kyson) came back and drew an exact replica in about a minute.”

Frick remembers that as a starting point. From that day on, his friend was drawing constantly.

While Cartwright liked to render characters from TV shows, he also had a knack for creating his own.

He started with a fictional clan he called the Odd Family — a collection of offbeat kin.

His portfolio has expanded significantly in the years since.

Cartwright, who is largely self-taught and draws under the name Bone.Fork, has a collection of off-kilter, beautifully weird creatures and people, from a bluish-green four-eyed monster emerging from the water to a striking portrait of artist Andy Warhol in front of his Campbell’s soup cans.

“I prefer doing (my own characters) more than scenery or objects. I think I just like the fact it’s bringing life to something,” he said. “If you’re copying something, like a landscape or building, it’s already there. Somebody already created it. It’s still your own vision, but I like the idea of creating something perfectly on your own. Giving it the potential to have some sort of life to it.”

Cartwright’s methods have grown more sophisticated since that Pat Sajak sketch. No more running through the house to find supplies; he now works primarily on computer, using a stylus and a tablet as his pen and paper.

And he’s starting to move into the world of video and animation.

Cartwright has created artwork for several music videos directed by Frick, from Looking From Above by The Spirit Animals to Tino Cruze’s School Daze.

The latter features a comic created by Cartwright. It’s a centerpiece of the video, helping solidify its tone.

And he contributed animation to the video for Good Day, the joyful and wildly catchy song by Medium featuring Jai Kelli.

The music video, directed by Frick, was released earlier this year and has racked up thousands of views online.

Cartwright worked quickly and nimbly on the video, making adjustments when needed, Medium told the Herald.

“I think he does exceptional work,” Medium said, adding that the video’s animation “is one of the most notable things, it helps give it its uniqueness.”

Although Cartwright lives in Richland now, he has plans to relocate to Spokane later this year, reuniting with Frick.

He hopes to continue growing and gaining exposure in the bigger city, he said, and he’ll continue collaborating with his friend.

Frick looks forward to that. “I don’t see it ever stopping,” he said.

Cartwright doesn’t see a future for himself without art.

He seems to find peace in it. Meaning.

“When I started getting into it, it was a way to have an outlet for emotions,” he said. If he’s angry, if he’s upset, if he’s anything, he draws.

“It works it out. It’s always been something I (went) to,” Cartwright said. “I think that’s why I got so attached to it.”

Check out his work online by searching Bone.Fork on Facebook.

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Richland artist building career on off-kilter art, characters."