From Dream to Canvas
Shaping memories in my sketchbook.
The idea for each painting arrives like a recurring dream, one that fades the moment I try to reach for it with my fingers.
That’s when I know I have to act quickly, writing down a note or sketching the concept, because the longer it lingers in my mind, the more it haunts me to create it… or else it disappears.
From there, I begin gathering a visual collection of feelings, looks, and meanings. I often create a collage of my favorite things, a mood board of textures, colors, and fragments that speak to the story I want to tell.
Next come decisions about color palettes, reference photos, and composition. But along the way, accidents happen—and I’m learning to let them. Textures shift with the rhythm of the song playing in the background, and a new material might surprise me.
Around the feminine figure I’m painting, I add motifs, symbols that surround her as part of her inner world.
Acrylics, gouache, watercolor, colored pencils, and alcohol markers are my favorites. I love adding accents of bold color and small details that create moments of fantasy-dreamlike elements that contrast with realism. I then weave everything together digitally in Procreate or Photoshop, layering in even more magic.
My intention is to create a vibrant world, one built from memory, emotion, and growth. Even when the feelings are bittersweet, what matters most to me is being truthful to the story.
