Tell us how you first became interested in creating art.
I began practicing art in my early childhood. I had always been surrounded by art in my life because of my father; he had aspired to be a comic illustrator, and he practiced his craft whenever possible. Naturally, I took interest in what he did, and I started following in his wake to illustrate whatever I could. We would spend time together drawing and doing crafts at the dinner table. That is where my love for the arts started to unfold. I owe my beginnings as an artist to my father, who always supports my endeavors even now and who served as my first teacher in artistry.
Colorful, cute, and eye candy-esque graphics are foiled against my “FROGAS,” the frog characters that are recurring in my artwork
Which artists or art movements have influenced you?
Contemporary, postmodern, and pop art are the subjects that interest me most, especially because of their focus on culture in the present day. Artists such as Takashi Murakami and Keith Haring are creatives that have long been my main “mentors” in my artistic journey. Specifically referring to the world of Murakami, I am heavily influenced by how he hides negative emotions with prominent colorful, cutesy, and “easy” scenery. Symbolic of this idea are his cute, bug-eyed, smiley flowers, where they hide the resentment of post-World War II society. Keith Haring’s work challenged the idea of art being for a certain type of person and pushed for his artwork to speak for others like him. I linger about how he aimed to bring art to the “common person” in the New York City subways and how active he was in protests with his art. I think of Haring and the care he placed into the people of his community very often.
In times that I cannot talk about what I am feeling I turn to illustration and creating forms that are representative of myself at the moment
How would you describe your artistic style? What inspires you?
I embrace a unique illustrative and pixelated style in my work. Colorful, cute, and eye candy-esque graphics are foiled against my “FROGAS,” the frog characters that are recurring in my artwork. I enjoy playing in a cute “marketable” style because it is eye-catching, fun to look at, and very deceptive. In my practice, I challenge myself to create a visual narrative or depict heavy emotions which are hidden behind layers and blobs of “FROGAS,” colors, and movement. The style itself is directly influenced by the video games and internet media I engaged in since I was young. This illustrative style is also unique to my own experience regarding my childhood spent online, in which I combine both the nostalgic and distressing aspects of it.
Frogs are always present in your work. Why frogs?
The philosophy that guides me in my personal life is the concept of “metamorphosis”: the ability to grow and change. The concept and acceptance of moving forward rather than remaining stagnant are spiritual to me. I have faced turmoil caused directly by my life online since childhood. I push myself to be more than my traumas, working towards evolving into the best version of myself. Frogs are symbolic of this process. They represent the concepts of metamorphosis, renewal, and beginning anew. To grow, they burst limbs and new structures from their simple tadpole bodies. Like frogs, it feels like my body and mind contort and put themselves back together again in a cycle at times. Sometimes moving past trauma does feel ugly and grotesque, and sometimes the result is not always beautiful or resolved either. Frogs signify the perseverance it takes to grow and accept change, and the changes necessary to be a better person to me.
I am the “FROGAS,” and the “FROGAS” are me.
What is your favorite art accident? Did it change your perspective?
I work primarily in silkscreen printing. When I first started practicing, I made what felt like infinite amounts of mistakes when it came to layers. One of my earliest print runs had a transparent blue layer on top of a black one because I thought the ink would print opaquely. Little did I know, I bought transparent cyan ink meant for CMYK printing. It caught my attention, though, because it glistens if the print is held and moved within the light. At the time, I thought of it as an amateur mistake. I have been thinking back to that edition and how I could utilize transparent inks layering on top of each other as of late. It changed how I think about layers not only being a technical technique but a narrative one as well. I wish to experiment with this soon in my future endeavors.
What is the most important thing about art to you?
Visual art is an exceptionally powerful tool. I believe often that words alone cannot voice the sheer emotion that I experience which color and shape can. In times that I cannot talk about what I am feeling I turn to illustration and creating forms that are representative of myself at the moment. It is my method of journaling and documenting my days, so it is important for me to always draw.
How do you promote your art?
I began tabling and selling my artwork at several different art events this past year. I base myself in Chicago, which is a great bastion of artistry, and so I have started to vend my artwork and submit my work to gallery calls. I also try my best to maintain a social media presence to support myself and other artists to reach further than Chicago.
What are your plans? What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am working towards strengthening my discipline in illustration and fortifying it with stronger visual narrative. It is especially important to me to never “settle” or reduce my artwork down to pure visual stimulation. I am also working towards finding more events to display my artwork and finding more places to engage with artists.