Artist's Statement:

My time in the military was a significant influence on my life. It is where I drew my inspiration for my creative process. In vice-versa, being creative helps me deal with my ongoing battle with anxiety I acquired from the service. When I am painting, particularly any landscape/cityscape scenes, I feel a sense of healing while going through the process. I hope to demonstrate the beneficial effects of creating from nature and beautiful infrastructures to other veterans seeking art for healing. The series of landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes that features the West Coast is the focus of my concept. My artwork is a visual representation of the featured subjects and the journey that I had envisioned for my creation.

Artist's Bio:

Art has been part of me through all my journeys in life. As a young child growing up, I used to think that stick figures and coloring with inexpensive crayons outside the lines would be sufficient in turning in my homework. It was my fifth-grade teacher that inspired me to become the artist that I am today. She made me realize that I can learn to be better in art and anything I wish to accomplish in life by working hard. Not only did art become my passion, but it is also my healer, my talent, and potentially my lifelong career.

I developed and showcased my artistic talent throughout my younger years. My creative skills sharpened through art classes in secondary schools. I won a few awards in various contests and competitions and participated in many school events that exercised my artistic skills. My artworks were in multiple Spring Shows and Veteran art exhibits. I expressed my creativity while enhancing the techniques of my craft.

Art became my idea of a career and my therapy. Expensive universities led me to start my career in the Navy. There, I gained the experience and life skills to become a good artist. With my Veteran benefits, I enrolled in college after my service; but depression, anxiety disorder, and other health issues became my roadblock. Throughout this journey, I found that painting in general and rendering landscape/cityscapes specifically are vital to my recovery. While providing me with healing, art has evolved into my lifelong goal of a career.

In 2017, I committed full-time to pursuing my BFA at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. And in 2020. I achieved my goal of earning a degree in fine art. Now I am pursuing my MFA degree at the same Academy. I'm always fascinated with the natural healing powers of nature. Having lived in the Western part of the United States for more than half of my life, I wanted to express these healing powers through painting the beauty and variety of the seasons of West Coast landscapes and cityscapes.