As far back as I can remember I have always loved Art. I remember growing up with drawing competitions between all 7 of my brothers and sisters and seeing their designs all over the house. There hasn’t been a moment when I haven’t been trying to craft something or drawing. All throughout my career as a student I have always favored my art classes, and felt as though I can truly flourish and becoming the person I want to be.

There are many inspirations for my art. One of the most prominent is my family, specifically my older brothers. My family is composed of artists of different types, from music to tattoos, and nearly everything in between. Two of my brothers are tattoo artists, who are well known throughout the California Bay Area. Their work has pushed me to strive for a better mastery of color, design and imagery. Seeing all of their work makes me want to become better than they are. However my goals reach far beyond the realm of tattooing and painting I am interested in woodcarving, welding, graphic design, etc. and I intend to incorporate them all into my professional career.

Discussion questions:

1. What motivates you to make art?

When I was younger I was restricted from most things, because the neighborhood that I lived in, only when I was drawing or making something with my hands was I able to mentally escape the house and go on adventures. As I got older I began to see art as my brothers saw it, a hustle. Hustle in this sense doesn’t directly mean a plot to make money, but rather a way of alleviating my situation. Art has always been my release from reality and by honing my skills I can travel anywhere that I want and watch my ideas and passions take life.

2. How do you use color, space, form, and other dynamics in your work?

For most of my work color is added for emphasis, or to highlight s specific area, however I have begun to experiment with it more. In terms of scale my work has begun to grow and grow, I am now working in a more dynamic fashion experimenting with size and interactivity with the viewer.

3. How do you view your craftsmanship?

I am meticulous with most pieces that I create. However when I am on a short and strict deadline the quality of my craft can suffer. This is because I have many grand ideas hat I want to try, but I underestimate the amount of time that I have to work on them.

4. What do you consider to be your strengths?

My strengths are definitely drawing and planning out what I want to focus my energy. I also am able to market myself and make my name known because of my social behavior. Lastly I am able to conceptualize projects and see the finished product before I start, which helps me make the drafts.

5. What skills do you feel that you need to improve?

I definitely need to work on my time management and figuring out just how grand I can make my projects before my craft begins to suffer. I also need to improve my color theory so that my work can move away from black and white images and begin to look more alive and vibrant.

6. How does your art relate to art historical precedence?

My work is moving closer to Fauve, in respects to color theory, however many of the pieces that I make are focused on Art Nuevo and the organic feel of them.

7. What are your expectations and goals for yourself in the next five years?

In the next five years I plan to graduate from school, and get a job that I can make my own hours so that I can set up a base income that I can build on later with more of my art interests.