Art by Mia Araujo
Born and raised in L.A, Mia has long been fascinated by stories and characters, and the multi-faceted complexity that makes each person unique. Mia believes that all individuals contain an entire universe within them, which is invisible to the naked eye. Her work concentrates on giving shape to the unseen forces in her subjects – their thoughts, memories, emotions and complex histories. These qualities fit together to form a rich inner landscape of identity and mythology for her characters.
When did you start developing an interest in art and what have been the major catalysts to your flowering as an artist ?
Mia:
Well, since I was a very small child I’ve had an obsession with drawing—both, my twin sister and I. Apparently, we would put toys aside for a crayon and a piece of paper. I was greatly encouraged by family, classmates, and teachers alike throughout grade school, so there was never any question in my mind that I wanted to pursue art. Reading storybooks, watching cartoons, and Disney animated films were a huge inspiration to me growing up, and I wanted desperately to become an animator when I was in high school. At around 15, I took my first formal art class— figure drawing over the summer at Art Center. It was a bit overwhelming, because I’d never been in a class where everyone was artistic. It was also terribly exciting, because it was my first time on a college campus that was entirely dedicated to art. The idea that I could study art institutionally was riveting, because I was used to the occasional craft or hobby-painting sort of art class up until that point. And of course, then there was Otis, which pretty much shaped my artistic development from the ground up.
The Four Seasons by Mia
You mention storybooks and disney cartoons. Your work does carry a strong narrative element, a compression of events and mythologies into a single instant. How do you feel the images come to you?
Mia:
It’s all rather spontaneous. My ideas first come in the form of words though, which I write down sporadically, usually while I’m working on another piece. When I’m ready to begin working on the new piece, I gather my notes and start sketching from the words I have written. Sometimes I’ll get stuck and have to put it aside for another day, and other times it just flows. I keep many reference folders full of images and am constantly looking through them. Tumblr is always on my homepage so that I start the day looking at random images. I sketch random observations to be sorted through later. All of the elements and details in my pieces reflect my interests and sometimes serve to document certain phases of fascination with various subjects. For example, I had an astronomy phase some months ago, and now I’m in a bit of a sculpture phase. Those things make their way into the pieces as just another way of communicating and interpreting the story that I’m trying to tell.
How would you like to see your art unfolding in the future?
I have so much to learn…I don’t think I’ve even scraped the surface yet. As far as technical skills go, I want to soak up as much as I possibly can and eventually try other media like oils, watercolor, and even digital. I have a lot to learn about myself, so I am always trying to explore new ideas, concepts, and subjects for my fine art work. I would also like to write and illustrate my own stories someday. Much farther down the line, I’d love to blend other art forms with my work (such as animation, sculpture, or even performance), whether that means collaborating with other artists, or learning new disciplines myself. As you can see, I have many dreams, but I have the rest of my life to busy myself with, so I want to keep things fresh and interesting.
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