Name: Vanessa Tria (aka VANPUG)
Age: 24-years-old
Pronouns: Her/She
𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?
I am a visual artist based in Manila. At an early age, I already discovered that art is my soul mate. As I grew older, my heart for art grew fonder. Yet, I took a different path. I earned a degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas and became a licensed professional.
I have worked as a Civil Engineer at a construction company. Field work was fun and exciting. Then, pandemic happened, and the rest is history.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭?
When pandemic started, I chose to prioritize safety and health of my family over my original line of work. At first, I was allured by the beauty of structures -- from the foundation to the tallest skyscrapers, and then created impressionist impasto paintings with the use of palette knife and oils. I took on every opportunities that passed by.
“BOWWOW: Dogs in Art Show”, an online exhibit curated by Art Show Philippines, was my very first pug painting which changed my life as an artist. I submitted a piece entitled ‘PUGGIFIED’, a homage to Edvard Munch’s ‘THE SCREAM’ featuring ‘Doug the Pug’, an adorable pug famous among Hollywood stars. I truly enjoyed the process; every stroke gave me joy. It brought happiness within me. I was inspired to do more of it and share the gleeful sunshine my pug masterpieces bring.
𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞?
My art style is one part whimsical, and part comical surrealism. I have created my own kind of universe in another dimension, called as ‘THE PUGVERSE’ – one that lives through my artistic mind. In this place, one can imagine that pugs live just like a human being does. My artworks would surely give a ‘familiar,yet different’ kind of feeling. It is a place where pugs run the world.
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭?
Yes, definitely! Even though I took a non-related art course in college, I have always pursued my passion by different means. In a place surrounded with math and sciences, I stood out and actively participated in activities and organizations requiring creativity. It has always been my dream to paint as a professional artist and to partake in different exhibitions locally and internationally.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐭?
You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
More of Vanessa Tria:
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