• What made you choose Acrylic as your dominant art style?

 

    I’ve always loved the look of canvas. But it wasn’t ‘til I was 21 that I found I had a love for acrylics. The thickness-thinness range of textures you can achieve and its fast drying abilities were what really attracted me to it.
 

• What does your work aim to say?

   My works is the traveling machine, and the viewer is in the passenger seat. It’s aim is to make you feel as though you have gone somewhere far away and are living in that moment, in that time setting, in that dream world.

 

• What influences your artistic style?

    E V E R Y T H I N G influences my artistic style!! From sitting on the train and seeing someone interesting, to the yellowness of a banana in comparison to the yellowness of a daffodil. If I’m traveling or if I’m sitting in a waiting room. As an artist, you must gather information from everywhere and organize it in your brain. These files become useful when you are creating because the more you have stored away, the more wild and detailed your paintings get!
 

 

• Who is your favorite artist? How have other artists or art genres influenced your sense of aesthetics? Which artist influences your work most?

  It was years ago when I saw the famous oil paintings of J.C. Leyendecker, and Wayne Thiebaud (my absolute faves). There was an airiness and dreaminess to their works. I wanted to paint like that! But being in the year 2018 you want instant gratification, and oil paints are not in that category (slow drying). So I started experimenting with techniques to make acrylic paintings, with the look of an oil painting!
 

• What motivated you to become an artist? What made you realize that art was a true passion for you?

   I’ve known I wanted to be an artist since I was 5 years old. I remember running into my mothers oil paints as a child in the garage. I walked past what looked like a very elaborate popcorn tin with handles. But my curiosity peaked and so I took a look inside. What I found were all of these colorful tubes (some squishy, some hard) and a color chart.  This was my first impressions on art; Mystical, magical, ethereal.
Since that moment, I’ve always had a fire inside me for art.
 

•  What is a defining moment in your artistic career?

    I would say a high point in my artistic career would be when my mural was chosen to be in an upcoming Netflix Documentary. (Out in December 2018)
 

• How have your life experiences influenced your aesthetic style?

  I grew up in NorCal in the mountains of El Dorado National Forest. This gave me such a love for nature and animals that it goes to the very core of my being. It is in everything that I do, so in many of my paintings you can find animals and/or plant life.

 

•  Do you like the direction the art world is taking? In what ways would you change it?

   I think the art world is constantly evolving and for the better. I see more and more female empowerment and minority paintings everyday and this is the beauty that has been hidden from the world for so long because of overpowering other beauty standards. Now the platform is widening for everyone to stand on and show their own perceptions on beauty/art.
 

•  What do you look for when you’re looking for inspiration on a new project?

 
  #1: The Internet is your friend!! Pintrest things, Google flowers, places, people from different cultures, do research! #2: Get out of your head and out of the house and take in all that is around you, you’d be surprised where you can gain inspo! Maybe it’s the brickwork of a certain house or road, maybe it’s the color scheme of the landscape, but I open my mind like a book and read the world from it.
 

•  What is your creative process like?

  My creative process starts with an idea or inspiration. From there I do more research on said inspo, and sketch out details I may want to play around with the pose of or become more familiar with the subject. At that point, I then begin my production of the piece. Laying down a general color or under-painting to get an idea on layout. Once the second layer goes on, I can then get a better feel of where the painting is going and evaluate/critique from there. After evaluation, I re-work any parts as needed. The critiquing process can be repeated as necessary until I’m satisfied with the piece.
 

 

• Which current art world trends are you following?

    The ever-present “millennial pink” is something I constantly use in my paintings for the simple love of the color. There’s something so bubbly and magical about it. Color plays a big part in my paintings. The more current  “jewel tone” trend is also seen throughout my works. These are colors I’ve always gravitated towards but are becoming more widely popular in 2018. Also the every growing art trend of “The Female Voice” I love creating inspiring feminine imagery. There is power in delicacy, sometimes even more so than in forcefulness.
 

 

• What has been your most touching or amazing moment you've experienced as an artist?

    One of the most touching, amazing moments I’ve experienced as an artist was mid spring of this year. I was invited to be the live paint entertainment and display my work at a weight watchers internal affairs event on 23rd St. Manhattan. 150 internal employees watched with wide eyes as I painted next to an electric violinist. The air was electric as well, as on watchers commended me on the beauty of the artwork and it sent prickles down my spine. These are the moments I live for. 
 

• Art is known to be viewed as very subjective in nature. What some people like, others do not. I am sure you have encountered both positive and negative feedback for your work but I want to know how do you handle the negative criticism?

   If the negative criticism is constructive I can use it to improve my paintings of course. Being an artist you must have an open mind and sometimes that means changing some of your routine to achieve a greater outcome. The way I see it, a different perspective may be what you need to make it to the next level in your art.

 

• What do you believe is the key element in creating a good composition?

   I rely a lot on intuition, but also I toy with the ideas and techniques of the greats. Leonardo da Vinci applied the Golden ratio, to his works. Other techniques used by the greats include “the rule of thirds” and “odds over evens”. I play with color theory a lot because it truly makes a difference in the end result. Colors are strong on their own but even more powerful in packs. And each combination has a completely different aura to it.

 

• How do you integrate art into your life?

   My every day life is filled with art! I immerse myself in it, but the more I fill my life with it, the higher I float, never sinking, nor drowning. From the time I wake up I open my eyes to a loft filled with my art. I browse instagram for inspiration. Sketch on the subway to work. Little sketches and doodles throughout my day keep me going. And finally my weekends are full of galleries and Art parties!

 

• What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without when creating?

My most important tool may sound like a copout but it’s my brain! It’s my own unique perspective on life and my own style that has evolved and been refined throughout the years that helps to create my artworks. There is no specific paint or brush or pencil that I cant live without. In fact, I love experimenting with new art tools all the time! You never know when you’ll find something that you can implement into a painting to give it that extra bit of pizazz.
 

• Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? Why?

  As I said before, color is one of my favorite elements to art because every color is only relevant to the colors around it. The same canary yellow can look completely different if it sits next to grey vs if it were to sit next to fire engine red. Color is entrancing and complex in that way. Texture is another element I enjoy working with.