When Dwight Easter is most absorbed in his phone, it’s not because of a viral reel or an endless group text – he’s a digital folk artist whose tools are his iPhone 12 and a stylus.
The Chesapeake resident is among 125 artists exhibiting Oct. 19-20 at Stockley Gardens Arts Festival in Ghent.
Anyone out and about in Norfolk has probably already seen Easter’s art. He sketched portraits for a Black History exhibit at the Kroc Center. He’s drawn posters for the Naro, his David Bowie likeness made a cover of VEER magazine and he designed the poster for last year’s Chesapeake Bay Foundation Clean the Bay campaign.
His Norfolk Tides artwork adorns a utility box on Princess Anne Road. Easter sketched multiple businesses through the lens of Pride for the Norfolk Pride Series and his work has been on display at the Norva and backstage at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
In fact, he even painted the official poster for the Stockley Gardens festival back in 1999.
Years ago, Easter painted on canvas.
When his career turned to managing restaurants, the drain of those hours interrupted his art.
“I got away from it,” he said. “I realized four or five years ago that I missed thinking like an artist.”
That’s when he discovered the Sketch app on iPhone.
“Art became something I could do any time I wanted,” he said. “I never run out of yellow or green. I always have my phone. I can do one or two pieces a day. While they’re not all winners, by doing art as frequently as I do, it helps me get to some of the winners.”
Easter embraces simple concepts. He started off drawing with his fingers on the app and has since transitioned to a fine-point stylus.
“I don’t get caught into overmanipulating things,” he said.
Easter works quickly, often completing a project in an hour or less. He’s done live sketching during recent political conventions and major awards shows to challenge himself to capture the moment while still in it.
At festivals like Stockley Gardens, Easter’s art is often the most affordable. Most of his pieces are $10 unframed and $20 framed.
“I see it as a compliment if people want to hang something up that I drew in their home,” he said.
A big part of his artwork is giving back to the community. He often draws people’s pets as commissions and donates that fee to Little Roar Cat Rescue.
He will often ask visitors to his booth to donate any amount for a chance to spin a prize wheel. They receive the work of art the wheel lands on with all proceeds going to Hope House Foundation. Easter also supports the Virginia Beach SPCA, Lil Roar Cat Rescue, the Salvation Army and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
“I love to use my art to help people,” he said. “I like knowing I can make pieces that actually help others.”
Often he’s inspired to draw something from his day as a manager at Food Lion. It could be the mums the store has for sale or boxes of bananas from a recent delivery or even the fawn he saw that morning in his Western Branch neighborhood.
“The stuff that I choose usually brings a smile, especially from Generation X,” Easter said. “Something about it, the nostalgia maybe, just hits that sweet spot.”
Stockley Gardens Arts Festival is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 and noon to 5 p.m. on Oct. 20 in Ghent.
