[7] ¡Feliz cumpleaños a mí!: Page 6

Artist Statement I aspire to create work which will serve to entertain, educate and inspire both children and adults. I get very excited when working amongst people with similar goals and interests, which is why I plan to continue illustrating books for clients as well as work with others in a graphic design studio. The benefit of digital media is its efficient nature. However, I choose to hand draw characters as well as scenery using a tablet since it is important to me that my commercial work maintains a level of authenticity. In addition to digital media, I enjoy and often merge pencil, ballpoint pen, watercolor, and acrylic paint. I draw inspiration from a variety of artists ranging from children’s book illustrators to dark surrealists. When creating art for the sole purpose of expressing myself, my creative process is often spontaneous and experimental. I use personification and abstraction to portray obscure, often dark and ironically humorous characters. I continue to produce this type of work as I am compelled to do so, and I hope it will someday weave its way into my professional career. Before making the final decision to pursue a career in creating art, I had considered teaching it. After acceptance into the School of Education, I had spent several hours in both an Elementary Special Needs classroom as well as an after school art program for Middle School students. Being exposed to visual aids that were present in these settings contributed to my realization that art was my calling. Thus, I aspire to merge my passion for creating and for children by using art as a tool for producing educational material. I was thrilled when asked to illustrate this book, which was written by my older sister, Sarah. Her goal as an educator is to make language learning a fun and relevant experience. She expressed to me that she wanted this book to be culturally diverse and thusly highly identifiable with all children. The story captures the interest of the audience as it is narrated by a young Mexican-American boy named Carlos, who is thrilled to share the experience of his sixth birthday party. Young readers are encouraged to explore the new culture and language, and key vocabulary words are emphasized as they are repeated in the pages accompanying the text. This book is a product of Sarah and I’s efforts to create mentally and visually stimulating material which will entertain and educate as well as promote a positive message to the public.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/seniorexhibfall2012/1022/thumbnail.jp