Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I love to create art that captures my world. My favorite subjects to paint are simply streets, houses, and everyday locations I encounter. I think there is a beauty in the mundane and the normal world around us, from the way the sun hits the hood of your car, the lovely cast shadows your house can make, and the light entering a window in your house. I like to capture that beauty and peace, and I am especially drawn to warm and bright lighting.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in the people I know, my family, my artist friends, and my everyday life. I get struck with inspiration when I live and enjoy my life, when I go out and hang out with the people I love is when I feel the most inspired. I also find lots of inspiration in visual development art for animated movies. I am really drawn to stylized artwork and cozy, rich scenes. Seeing other artists' work just makes me want to paint!

What would you do with $25,000?

I would use the $25,000 to help pay off my parents' student loans for my art school degree. My parents supported me through school and took on the incredible responsibility of my loans, and I am forever grateful. I would love to show them my gratitude by helping them pay it off. They have sacrificed much for my siblings and me, and not once has their support wavered when I decided I wanted to be an artist.