Artist Statement
Creatures, Deities and Monsters Compendium
My work depicts creatures, deities, and monsters from various mythologies from across the world. They are portrayed in a minimalist background to have them be the focal point of each piece. They take up most if not all of the pictorial space in order to have the most presence possible. My work is meant to invoke a feeling of fun, which can be obtained from the pieces being funny, cool, or thrilling. My aim is for the viewer to experience this, and feel connected to each piece. I find inspiration by looking at books or searching on the internet for mythological creatures, monsters, and deities and picking whichever interests me the most. This interest can range from how I envision they might look whether that be humorous, or scary. I sketch to get a good idea of how I want them to look, and to consider color and space. I consider each creature’s personality in order to determine the color for the background– for example, goofier ones might have warm colors, and more frightening ones have cool or dark colors. Brushstrokes are a major component in my pieces. I enjoy employing expressive brushstrokes because it gives energy to these creatures, and this is why oil paint is best suited for them. It allows me to make them very vivid and bring them to life. From here, the viewer’s imagination takes full control as they imagine what these creatures’ stories are. My mode of painting these creatures creates a cohesive group, despite each coming from different mythologies all around the world.
