I am fascinated by design, various mediums, surfaces and techniques. As an Illustrator, I find that it is very important to explore and experiment in order to communicate visually through my art. I believe that art can be a powerful tool to communicate emotion and story, however simple or complicated the message can be. I utilize numerous art techniques and mediums, not limited to, hue, value, temperature, focal point, and different mark making in order to provide a specific feeling.
I am currently exploring more ways to incorporate themes of juxtaposition including order/chaos, natural/manmade, and traditional/digital elements in my current painting. I recently visited the Philippines for the first time, as a Filipino American and daughter of an immigrant, I felt a sense of familiarity, yet things were still very foreign to me. Everywhere we went, I caught sight of contrasting images, rich and poor, manmade and nature, American consumerism and native tradition, I felt as if I could identify with both countries and at the same time, none at all. To explore this more, I will be creating a market painting series to help dive deeper into dualities that are present in everyday life in the Philippines. My studio practice is first finding a challenge or a question to answer. Then I will jot down in my sketch book, a list of adjectives and techniques I may want to use. During the initial brainstorm process, I am able to start identifying a pattern or theme from the list of words and from there I start my thumbnails. I continue to work out my pieces in my sketchbook with composition, lighting, and color studies before attempting to work on the final piece. I will also utilize Photoshop to quickly digitize the same process if I am eager to get to work on a final piece. I really enjoy the process of making art and being able to solves problems creatively and visually. For this reason, I can really spend a lot of time being methodical about the process, as the options are endless, in terms of materials and techniques you can combine. A common theme in my work would be the use of color and playfulness through utilizing different techniques. Color and expression through mark making, design, and temperature play a big role. I Bounce from more tactile traditional mediums, like oil paint on canvas, watercolors and marker on paper to clean digital renderings through digital programs, such as, Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design, I choose a specific medium depending on the work and function of a piece. I am always finding new combinations, like learning a new recipe and adding a dash or this and a dash of that, creating new ways to express story and feeling through my work. |