Demented Portrait of the Artist Semi-blind contour enhanced with watercolor crayons/brush pen on a toothy cold press.
About Me
Growing up in Clovis, CA, I was inspired by my artistic mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who encouraged me to embark on a lifelong artistic journey. I moved to the east coast, went to college at the Maryland Institute of Art (they call it MICA) in Baltimore, majored in illustration, focused on ceramics, and was interested in combining the two. With a variety of artistic styles and an interest in pop culture, I landed a job at Fifth Sun in Chico, CA in 2005 as a graphic designer and illustrator for t-shirts and apparel. My first designs were featured in Hot Topic: zombie fairies and emo unicorns.
Fashion has changed over the years and I maintain my skills and designs by researching trends and immersing myself in new pop culture as well as TV, film and other licensed brand client references. Fifth Sun is now part of Mad Engine Global and I am a Senior Artist in the eCommerce department, designing (as a Brand Champion) for big names like Disney, NBC Universal, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, LEGO, Coca-Cola and more.
Art is a core part of my life. I backpacked across Europe exploring old masters, contemporary art, sculpture, old cathedrals and any museum I could find. I love sketching, painting, drawing, digital art, and even stop-motion animation. I have a never-ending desire to learn new media to imaginatively realize all of my late night ideas. Lately, I've been vending at small pop-up art markets and fairs selling original art under my moniker LORIESQUE STUDIO. During these markets, I paint "Demented Portraits" of willing attendees using the blind contour technique enhanced with vivid watercolor pastels. They seem to be very popular.