Artist Profiles
CHS students share the art they made while under stay at home order restrictions.
BY SEBASTIAN OLIVA AND LUCY TOBIER
RIN SIMMONS What inspires your art? I do a lot of fan art. I like to draw characters from things that already exist. I have a lot of fun doing that. So that’s probably most of my art. Especially recently, I’ve tried to branch out and do things that I might not normally do — to try and experiment and test my limits in a way. I’ve been painting, and I never really was a painter before. That’s kind of fun. And I try and kind of do less fan art and do more abstract or more backgrounds of nature. I guess lately, my big inspiration has been trying things that I haven’t done before. That’s kind of what I’ve been having fun doing lately. When did you start drawing? That’s so hard to say. I’ve kind of been drawing as long as I can remember. I think since I could hold a marker or pencil I was drawing, honestly. It was always something I was obsessed with when I was younger. My mom still [has] drawings on the wall in her bedroom that I did when I was like four. I’ve basically been doing it as long as possible. Are there any artists who inspired your drawing style? It’s not like a specific artist. It’s just because what turned me off from painting for a long time when I was younger was how hard it was to undo a mistake. And I was so meticulous and precise with my art that I hated it. But I think if I go in trying to remember and be more inspired by that mindset of, ‘I’ll make mistakes and that’s part of it,’ instead of being frustrated by that, it leads to me being much happier and ending up with much better work.
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Are there any themes you follow? So I guess. Yeah, I guess lately, my big inspiration has been trying things that I haven’t done before. That’s kind of what I’ve been having fun doing lately. What does your art aim to say? I don’t think so. I’ve never been much of a person who does art with a lot of meaning to it. And it’s kind of a weird pet peeve of mine how a lot of people when they look at art, they feel like there has to be a meaning to it. And of course, there often isn’t meaning. And it’s great when there is, but I think people forget that sometimes the meaning is just that someone likes to do art. And that is what it is for me. I just have fun with it. It’s fun to see what I can do and this stuff makes me happy. And that’s really why I do it as there is not really any meaning to it. So occasionally, I do art, like I’ve done art for protests and stuff I’ve been to. But for the most part, I kind of draw once I’m in the mood, for it helps me focus. I also draw a lot during school, stuff like that. Is there a piece your most proud of? Recently, it’s actually unfinished, but in the painting class, we’ve been doing a still life. And I’ve been painting, it’s all that sits on my desk. It’s like a vintage doll from Burger King. And it’s not done yet, but I’ve been really proud of it because I’ve never considered myself much of a painter. I never really painted much. I just did a lot of pencil drawing. And it’s been turning out really well. And I am very proud of this little doll painting.
