Inside a Dreamscape

When did you first start creating art?

I’ve been doing arts and crafts my whole life, but I started getting into painting when I was about 8 years old. I began working with oil paint around 9.

Have you had any mentors who encouraged you to pursue art?

I work with an oil painting teacher who runs a studio here in Washington, D.C. I’ve been studying with her for around five years. She is a classically trained oil painter, so I learned a lot of the traditional techniques I use today from her.

What inspired the painting above?

I am inspired by surreal elements like unexpected objects and infinite horizons. I wanted to use elements like those to capture my creative process as an artist. This painting was for the Identity Art Show at my school, and since being an artist is such a big part of my life, I wanted to capture that part of my identity.

What was your working process?

I started with a charcoal sketch of the scene I had imagined [and] then transferred the sketch onto a larger canvas. I toned the canvas, coating it with a thin, even layer of paint, then continued my work in oil paint. The whole process took around three weeks since I had a deadline for the art show.

How did you decide to use oil paint?

I love oil painting—I love the colors you can get out of oil paints, as well as the drawing that goes into it. Painting is my focus as an artist, so I wanted to explore and expand my skills with this piece.

Do you have advice for aspiring artists like yourself?

Art is a skill like any other—if you work at it enough, you’ll eventually become good at it. I don’t believe that artistic skill is something you’re born with. If you work hard, you can create amazing things.