What is your favorite medium?

My favorite medium of all time is oil pastel. I like how simple it is, anyone could pick it up, and it really helps isolate shapes and values. I also like the limitation of a smaller color pallet. I would genuinely recommend any beginner to start off with oil pastel.

How long have you been doing art for?

I have been doing art for as long as I can remember. However, it is only in that last year that I have really taken a step forward in trying to improve professionally.

What is an artist that inspires you?

I have a couple of artists that really inspire me. One of my greatest inspirations is John Singer Sargent, a classical painter that manages to convey an insane amount of elaborate emotion in his pieces. A more modern day artist that inspires me is a digital artist by the name of Gabriel Picolo. I love his expressive drawings, and beautiful character designs. Although he often draws popular characters, he reinvents them, creating unique designs that really show an understanding of each character’s personality. Of course, I also look up to many other artists but those are the main ones that I really draw inspiration from.

What do you think you could improve in your work?

I still have a long way to go, as I’m sure many artists feel, to becoming an amazing artist. The best way to improve is to just keep at it, but in terms of the stuff I want to get better at, I want to get better at creating expressive pieces. I like to think all of my drawings are expressive in the sense that they all have a place in my life. However, most of my drawings can seem shallow from an outsider looking in, so I’d like to make that expression more apparent.

What are some of your goals for art?

My goal for art is to one day make a piece that genuinely makes someone feel something. It’s a simple goal, but I really do want my art to make someone feel how I felt once I saw John Singer Sargent’s “Nonchaloir (Repose)”.