Artist Statement 2025
Some of my first memories are of drawing with my father. He was my stay-at-home parent growing up, and taught me all kinds of things about life, one of which was how to use my hands to create. A machinist and computer programmer by trade, he had a perspective on drawing that always stuck with me, and I always revisit when I am struggling with illustration: it’s just shapes. Though simple, it allows me to return to the basics and remember what is important.
Being a character illustrator for my entire life has allowed me comprehensive knowledge of effective and relatable designs. I was inspired by educational television as a child, and my dad encouraged me to express my love for my favorite characters through art. From there, I remained intensely interested in all kinds of media, finding a love for Japanese anime and adult American cartoons in particular. Ever inspired by the endless possibilities of story weaving and design, I began to create my own characters and stories. Between illustration and writing, I knew that the arts were magic on earth to me.
With my love of creating in tow, I achieved my B.A. in Art from UC Santa Barbara in 2024, a university I picked specifically for its research-oriented curricula. During my undergraduate years, I found a word for my craft: concept art. Now, as an artist with experience in several fields, including education, publishing, and computer science, I am looking to establish myself professionally as a concept artist. My ultimate dream is to be an artist for a studio and work collaboratively every day to build something incredible, may it be a movie, show, video game, or the like.
I have existing knowledge in character design, human anatomy, and conceptual settings, and can adapt to unfamiliar workflows quickly, which I attribute to my interdisciplinary experiences. My genuine hope is that everyone can see a bit of themselves in my characters, so I focus on people of all backgrounds, often lacing human character designs with fantasy elements to create something intriguing yet accessible. I intend for my work to never exist in a vacuum, which motivates me to keep learning every single day.
