3. What are you trying to communicate through your art?

I am always trying to tell a story that everyone can relate to in my art. If it is an illustration, I try to capture sweet, charming, or sentimental moments that I observed or felt, and create one image that tells a story with the composition, color, and lighting. With my plein airs, I always try to capture the atmosphere and lighting of the landscape in the brush strokes and color palette; I never try and replicate the colors that I see, but more like the colors I felt while observing the landscape and soaking in its beauty. I always try and experiment with different color harmonies to make colors vibrant against and sing with each other.

4. As an artist, what does “success” mean to you? “Creativity”?

Success to me is an ever-changing goal that I am always trying to reach as an artist. I believe that to be a successful artist, you should never consider yourself completely successful, but should always strive to push for something more. To attain success, I must push myself all the time to go out of my comfort zone. It does not necessarily mean just being “creative” when designing, but it is when I feel like I have put my soul and identity in the piece and have been true to the original concept I first brainstormed. When the emotion and message I am trying to convey is adherent in the brush strokes and color, that’s when I consider a piece a success.

5. What was it that made you decide to pursue art as a career?

I had been going to art classes since I was 6, so art was always in my life. However, I wasn’t sure I want to try and pursue art and animation as my career until I watched Avatar by Spielberg and was amazed at the visual effects of the film. While studying animation at the University of Southern California, I slowly discovered that my passion in the film industry was working as a visual development artist and brainstorming conceptual ideas during the early stages of creating a film.

During these last couple of years, I have gotten the privilege to study under various mentors who have helped me discover my passion for plein air painting and illustration even more. Now, I am currently working as a painter and animator on the film Loving Vincent with Breakthru films, where we are making the first fully hand painted feature film about the life of Van Gogh.

6. How would you describe your style? How has your style evolved over time?

I would describe my style as very loose, free, emotional, and organic. I used to love very detailed, intricate paintings but now I and attracted to pieces that carry the impression or essence of the subject. I am always inspired by color and light- I am constantly observing my surroundings and noticing how people interact, how the light is affecting the atmosphere, etc. My style is constantly evolving even though I don’t always notice it- I think as I technically improve in painting, I unexpectedly discover new fresh ways to put down brush strokes and experiment with different color palettes.

7. What are some of your favorite pieces, and why? Which is your most personal piece?

My favorite pieces are probably the ones that I resonated most with at the time I saw my inspiration. They are the ones that are not necessarily the most detailed or took longer to create- sometimes pieces that I whip out in an hour or two are the ones that I consider most successful. My favorite digital piece up to date is titled “An Artist’s’ Thoughts” (see slideshow below). It shows a girl sitting by a large window, notebook by her on the couch, gazing out through the rainy glass. I painted this one at a more darker time in my life, when I wasn’t sure what to do next and felt confused, but I felt something good was going to happen in the near future- I didn’t know what and when. I painted it spontaneously at a coffee shop, and was surprised at how many people connected with it, even though it wasn’t the most technically well executed piece.