Nekkokya

Most of my projects are explorations into subject matters that intrigue me, while others are emotional reactions to events I or the people I care about are experiencing. The more exploratory drawings tend to lean towards studies, as they are often about subjects that I know little about. I’ll use art as a way to learn about something: I’ll take notes, learn the factual way something functions, and then distort it if I want. I use bright colors and 2D characters in a drawing that also has realistic features to hammer in that I can change it if I so choose. Art to me is something that can be fun and liberating, and it’s this almost free spirit attitude that I try to share with my audience. 

The more reactionary pieces still hold a feeling of joy, even if they are about heavy topics: sadness, stress. I deliberately use colors and images that are normally not used in art regarding negative feelings in order to show that sometimes contradicting emotions are present. One can go from feeling incredibly happy to incredibly sad in a short period of time because both feelings are already present. By creating work that still looks cheerful, I remind myself that it’s okay to feel low, and that there is still room for happiness despite how bad a situation might feel.

My work is very much inspired by the cartoons I grew up watching. The bright colors and patterns that I use, even the design of some of the characters in my work take heavy influence from 90’s cartoons, anime and manga. I am a big believer in finding art in nature, so I’ll often use plants to make my work. Leaves and flower petals are some of my favorite paint brushes to use. Overall, paint and ink are the more common mediums in my work as they allow me to be messy. It’s not a work day if I don’t stain something in bright pink paint.