Name: James Guerrero
Age: 21-years-old
Pronouns: He/Him
𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?
Hi I’m James, a traditional artist and philosophy major from Albay. I started painting this pandemic using gouache and watercolor but I’ve been drawing since I was 5. I don’t like taking life too seriously. All my life I have preferred things that are gentle, mellow - chill. Swabe lang, kumbaga. I think we can be chill while still being passionate and inspiring. Although times might require us to be forceful, I think there is as much strength in being calm as there is in being violent. I also like sleeping, T1 Faker, kitkats, and Reply 1988.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭?
For me all art is personal, even the fanarts and commissions. Quite literally all my artworks are parts of my life. Some are from my favorite films. Some are political. But my favorite works are from my own experiences and memories. If you know me personally and browse through my portfolio, I’m sure you’d recognize some of them. Even in making commissioned paintings, I try to put myself in the experience of my client. I’m sure all artists know that it takes hundreds of hours to practice. You spend a lot of time, effort, thought, and emotion into your works. In a sense, all artworks are like friends. Some are bigger, smaller, prettier than others but you love them all nonetheless.
𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞?
Romantic. I like painting with a little bit of realism but with added “magic” haha. I focus more on the feeling or emotion in a scene rather than it being photorealistic. One might say it's cliche but I draw inspiration from Studio Ghibli films, Van Gogh and James Gurney. I rarely use outlines in my paintings and keep the brushstrokes thick. I want my viewer to recognize a scene and evoke emotion independently without any explanation. You can tell right away that my work is a traditional painting and not digital.
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭?
I’ve always considered myself an artist, or at least have drawing as a hobby. From my philosophy of chill, I just draw what I want, during class and in exam papers. I did compete in editorial cartooning back in elementary and high school (I got to NSPC 2016 in Pagadian!) but most of the time I draw for fun.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭?
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More of James Guerrero:
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