Sometimes, learning about an artist’s early influences, their backstory, and how they became the artist they are today helps us not just understand them better but also appreciate the life experiences which shaped their creative perspectives.
In that spirit, I’d like to share three early experiences I wholeheartedly credit for sparking my own passion for pursuing a creative life.
1) palettes of island life
As a child born and raised in the suburbs of Puerto Rico, I was surrounded by bursts of vibrant color from my very start.
Island life, as one might surmise, is a smorgasbord of nature’s brilliance; and it was that early exposure to vivid colors on buildings and storefronts made the presence of color feel natural and, over time, necessary.
Beyond my colorful island surroundings, there was also my stepmom, Leany.
Some of my earliest drawing and coloring memories come from the times Leany would be waiting for my weekend visits, with open arms and crayons in hand. I’d plop down on her lap and we’d color like crazy on whatever available sheets of paper were laying nearby, awaiting our scribbles.
2) ohhh, and the fabrics!
My grandmother Juanita (or as we say in Spanish, “abuela,”) was another profound influence.
Abuela was an avid seamstress; you’d almost always catch her on her sewing machines, mending and tailoring more times than not. Her dresser drawers and bedroom closet overflowed with fabrics, sewing patterns, and all the notions a maker could ever want.
One of my favorite times with abuela was our bus rides to the local fabric store.
Walking amongst bolts upon bolts of patterned fabrics while my adorable abuela waited patiently for her yards to be cut was an enthralled experience for me. The colors, the textures, the possibilities; they infiltrated my whole imagination.
3) the dancing lizard
After my family and I moved to mainland U.S., my stepmom Leany would mail me handwritten letters at least once a week.
Each of her letters was covered in fun pen and marker doodles that she’d scribble all over the envelopes, almost as if her letters were wrapped with sheets straight from a comic book.
You can’t even imagine how much I couldn’t wait, week after week, for Leany’s letters to arrive.
And it wasn’t just about the exterior illustrations; her letters included cute little doodles, too, which she’d pair next to her silly little rhymes.
The one character I LOVED THE MOST was Leany’s “dancing lizard.”
This was a charming little lizard/alligator she dressed up in ballet slippers and a pink tutu; she’d illustrate him “dancing around” her handwritten notes, which were more like endearing confessions of just how she missed me.
Those letters were a true joy to read time and again; they fed my imagination and nourished my love for creative storytelling, handcrafted packages, and for all things illustration.
so there you have it
By sharing these early bursts of color that not only overtook my childhood but influenced my whole way forward in life, I hope you have a better sense of who I am as a mixed media-inspired author-artist.
In some ways, by recounting these experiences here, I’m reminded that launching this indie press and boutique online feels like such a natural progression; one born from those island origins and colorful pursuits which have shaped my path and way.
Thank you for letting me share with you how my start-in-art all began 🖤
Yours in mixed media,
