I came to visual art in 2021 as a complete beginner, with no formal training and a lot of feeling. As a dancer, the body was my first subject because it was the most honest thing I could draw. These paintings from 2021–2022 are where I learned to see, to fail, and to keep going anyway. Everything I make now traces back here.
July-Dec 2022
The latter half of 2022 was a vigorous period of honing my vision and technique. I started with a conceptualized series of acrylic figure paintings, each inspired by a different favourite song (this was before I realized I was an intuitive rather than concept-driven artist). I then enrolled in the Milan Art Institute to supplement my self-taught practice, which produced a series of oil paintings and charcoal drawings.
Jan-June 2022
This was the honeymoon phase of my love affair with drawing. I was drawn to depicting anything that had curves and implied motion: the human body, leaves, and fabric. I drew portraits of myself and others. I explored different media such as gouache, soft pastel, digital art, and watercolour, while further refining my drawing skills.
2021
Learning to draw: first, in oil pastel, then, in charcoal. Both these artistic mediums called to me because of the physical sensation of using them: a smooth, yet tactile, feeling of marks gliding over hot press paper. The “Old Woman” sketches were the first time I used charcoal, and its boldness (compared to graphic) reflected my temperament perfectly. After a few sessions of life drawing at Minerva’s Drawing Studio in New York City, I was hooked.
