Jess Lin shares her colorful artwork with us in Issue 17. By combining abstract and realistic elements, Jess blurs the line between reality and the surreal.
What is your artistic process like?
I mainly paint my finished pieces with acrylic but use pencil and markers to sketch out ideas, practice and doodle. I like creating worlds of bright colors and patterns, where there’s a realistic component layered over abstract patterns or concepts. More recently I’ve been inspired by land and mountain scapes.
“I remind myself not to get too attached to the initial idea – it’s okay for it to change!”
I start by identifying the realistic component and pattern that I want to combine, and do a really rough sketch of them together so I have a general idea of what I’m going to paint. Then I research the realistic component, and get familiar with the details and different perspectives of the subject (for example, mountains, cliffs, etc.). Once I start working on the piece, I test out color combinations and shades, and adjust as the piece progresses. Most importantly I remind myself not to get too attached to the initial idea – it’s okay for it to change!
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