Artist Statement by Fellow Shaina Vega

Shaina Vega
Festival Fellow

I am a drawer and painter because life and colors are my inspiration. Drawing and painting helps me understand life more, helps me see the "bigger picture" of why people kill themselves, why they become religious or why they decide to bring life into this world without real reason. My goals and aspirations are to show everyone all over the world my drawings and paintings so they can see what I feel and understand my creativity.

I would like for people to imagine or feel themselves floating on the lines or colors of my artwork. Some of my art represents the funny, loving, and caring person I am and who I'll always be. My inspiration was my cousin Macho who caught my eyes with the curves of his lines and the pain, love, heartbreak, and happiness of his colors. My cousin's inspiration is women; the women in his art tell his story, who he really is as a person. Macho always told me "art can come from anywhere and everywhere but it takes a true artist to taste, touch, smell, hear and see art without having to just see it in front of you, you have to connect to your art so that you and everyone else knows that it's your art.” Those words inspired me to not only just look at my work but to look beyond what's in front of me, "get connected" to the art and everything else around me.