CA: Why are you the True Enigma?
TE: An enigma is a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand. This is the epitome of who I am and what my art is, and I stay true to that. As you can see, some of my work is representational and others are purely abstract, devoid of anything but color and feeling.
CA: How long have you been drawing art?
TE: I can say that I’ve been drawing since I was a little girl. I can’t say it was something that I was obsessed with, as my family always treated it as an unimportant hobby that “won’t pay bills”, but it was always something I was good at.
CA: Glancing at your entire portfolio, I cannot pin you down to one particular style or preferred drawing subject. Do you have a preferred style by any chance? Or do you enjoy learning every technique possible?
TE: I remember at one point I was completely obsessed with finding a particular style, but today I’m the exact opposite. I definitely have not developed a particular style and it’s because I do enjoy learning new techniques and applying even a few at a time to one piece. I feel like the journey of life is a learning/growing process and so I apply it to everything that I do, especially art. The only thing that I can say is consistent with the majority of my work is the way I apply and combine various color tones, yet even that only goes so far.
CA: What was the hardest style for you to learn?
TE: The hardest style for me to learn is actually something I’m working on right now. Dazzle camouflage or dazzle painting was a military camouflage paint scheme used on ships in WWI & WWII in order to confuse their enemies about the size, type, speed and direction. It isn’t easy for me because it’s consistent with hard straight edges as opposed to blending which I do very well. To create these edges I use masking tape which is also -for me, very difficult to work with as you must be very meticulous and careful not to get paint under the tape.
CA: You also dabble in making sculptures as well. Can you explain how different the process is for building sculptures by hand is from creating words with your fingertips?
TE: I think sculpting is always going to be different from everything else for me, it takes much more time and thought than when I paint or write. For the latter, everything sort of just flows out like a stream of water. When it comes to sculpting you’re literally building outward, this is like placing bricks on top of another. I feel that when I sculpt, it takes more preparation regarding the material I’m using and the idea I have going into it. When it comes to art and writing, neither is necessary.
CA: Do you have any schooling in the arts or a teacher of some sort?
TE: Teaching art is not my profession, but because I believe we all have the ability and a responsibility to teach our peers, I do pass on what I know to whomever is interested in learning. I took art in middle school, graduating with a medal for being top of that class. I attended Fashion Industries HS, majoring in fashion design as I was convinced that the art I was interested in would “not pay the bills”. Now that I think back on it, it’s pretty ridiculous. Today though, I am a Fine Arts major and will continue learning everything possible with respect to the arts.
CA: I feel like when it comes to artist and their creative process, they have a person or place they go to for peak performance in drawing. Do you have anything that fits that billing?
TE: My studio is definitely my go to. It is my work station and my sanctuary. Anytime I have a new project to work on or a new idea I want to play with, my studio is my haven.
CA: Name something you wish to do with your art.
TE: Although my work is created with the need to stir something in the deepest recesses of the viewers mind, it doesn’t mean that I expect the viewer to feel what I felt or see what I see. I wish for my work to lose you in a way that you find yourself. If my work can teach you something about who you are, then I did my job.
CA: What goals do you have for the rest of the year?
TE: My goals this year are to continue to develop and apply new skills to my work and to establish myself more in the art world.
CA: How do you want your portfolio to be remembered when you are finished drawing?
TE: I’d like for my portfolio to be remembered as myself, a True Enigma.
Follow True Enigma on her website, on IG @TrueEnigma, and facebook