Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

I love to create illustrative fantasy pieces that take you to another world. I enjoy creating things that are an escape from the normal. I myself am weird and eclectic so my art reflects that and the many corners of my imagination. I like to combine various concepts, try new things and make art that is fun. I try almost every style but I always come back to creating illustrative characters that are either inspired by nature or sci-fi.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration from all around me. Believe it or not, some pieces I create are my thoughts, feelings and emotions manifested as a character or creature I designed. When I make art, if it is not an animal, it needs to have some sort of fantasy element to it. I see real life everyday, deal with the world and such, I don’t want to make art that reminds me of those things, I want to imagine and create things you don’t normally see. Except animals. Who doesn’t love animals?

What would you do with $25,000?

As an art teacher, I don’t make a lot. But I love what I do. My partner and I work hard every day, live paycheck to paycheck, and I want to make things easier for us. But one thing we have always wanted was a family of our own. Because of our finances, and being an LGBT couple, it’s harder for us to create a family of our own. And maybe with this money, we can finally start the process to make that dream a reality.