Check Out Delilah Reed’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Delilah Reed.

Hi Delilah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been an artist for 16 years. Born and raised in Wichita, KS. In 2018, I started my business The Loud Cicada. Muralist, illustrator, and painter focusing on nature, especially insects and flowers.

I got my first big artistic break when I started a henna booth through The Workroom’s 2nd Saturday Artisan Markets. I began selling art prints and stickers then while working at the most wonderful coffee shop in all of the land, Espresso to Go Go, I was encouraged to continue to make art and sell it inside the shop.

A friend and co-worker, Maggie Gilmore, and I signed up to create our very first mural for Avenue Art Days. After that mural in 2016 everything took off and the mural is of a cicada and that is where the name of my business The Loud Cicada comes from.

In 2020, I opened The Loud Cicada Mini Shop inside of Grow Giesen Plant Shop and in November 2021 I’ll be opening The Loud Cicada Studio/Shop at Revolutisia.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The community in Wichita has been incredible to me. I have help and support and someone has been right by my side to help me grow when I’ve been ready to take my next steps. I’ve been very fortunate to have grown a steady following and have received so much support and love.

The biggest challenges I’ve faced have been centered around the solidarity of creation. It’s hard spending so many hours alone in the studio.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I like to use different mediums depending on the mood or image I want to convey. I use watercolors to capture the delicate softness of nature; ink to show close up details; chalk pastel to express bright, blended colors and movement; acrylic paint for a bold and graphic look, and digital illustrations when I want a clean color palette that has a crispness that pops off the page. While each of these mediums has a different aesthetic they all still have an overall feel indicative of my unique style. What I’m known for in Wichita are my murals along with Douglas that have bright, bold color schemes and buggy influences. When expressing myself creatively I tend to focus on themes of nature, nostalgia, and yummy yum yum color palettes that warm my belly.

I want to create art that connects with others, be it through a nostalgic memory or by sparking a new emotion or idea in their mind. With my art, I have and most likely will always tend more towards that which is “child-like”, carefree, and whimsical. Why draw bugs and nature? I draw things that I am delighted and fascinated by. When I see a cute little bug that I have never seen before my heart flutters and I want to learn more about it! Discovery and exploration are a big drive for me, and after I have learned about something my desire to share my new knowledge with others is immediate.

I like to use different media depending on the mood/image I want to convey. I use watercolors to showcase floral bouquets and ink to show close-up details and chalk pastel to express bold-bight blended colors movement in an image, In digital illustrations, I tend to use a clean bold bright color palette that has a crispness that pops off the page. While each of these mediums has a different style they all still have an overall feel indicative of my unique style.

My primary medium is acrylic paints, but I also love playing with watercolors, gouache, chalk paint, lino printing, and digital art. I’m known for my big beautiful bright bugs, cheerful flowers, vivid and slightly unrealistic landscapes, and my happy color schemes.

The thing I’m currently most proud of is my mural located inside Angelo’s Italian Restaurant. I call it “Sexy Southern Italy”. It’s a 16ft mural of Southern Italy full of bright colors and flowing line work that just dances across the room. I’m beyond proud of this work of art.

Any big plans?
I’m just overwhelmed with excitement about the opening of my Shop and Studio. Being able to have a space to work on art and run a curated storefront full of the things I love the most is a dream come true. I love spreading joy and happiness and will strive to do just that in my fun shop.

Stepping into the shop will be a fun peek into my mind! I’m working on getting my prints, stickers, and other TLC merch available for wholesale so you can find my art in shops all around the world.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: theloudcicada.com
• Instagram: @theloudcicada

Image Credits
Brittany Schaar and Allie Burns