Meet Ronia Noval of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronia Noval.

Hi Ronia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first memory in life: orange, purple, green, yellow all over my limbs. I had covered myself head-to-toe in marker! From a very young age, I always liked playing with art materials and other found objects. This particular method of experimentation, play, and collection has manifested in my artistic practice. Today, I combine analog and digital materials to explore my primary inspirations of nostalgia and introspection.

My name is Ronia Noval, a.k.a. nia panelo. I recently graduated from Otis College of Art & Design with a BFA in Illustration and double minors in Painting and Community Engagement (also known as Art & Design Education). As I gained more knowledge about the vast multitudes in which art can be created during my undergraduate career, I began to notice and learn how to articulate why introspection and retrospection was a common theme in my everyday life. My journey as an artist would be incomplete if I hadn’t realized that nostalgia is the avenue of change that I am most interested in.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My relationship to art is much like how ocean waves always reach the shore–inevitably present and ongoing. I knew I always wanted to create art over the course of my life, but it wasn’t clear to me exactly how I should approach it. I didn’t take any art classes in high school, although I did attend a short after-school course hosted by a local art shop when I was in middle school for a few months. It took me a long time to even consider being an artist as a career, I just knew that I couldn’t suddenly stop making art and be devoid of art entirely. It has taken me a lot of time, practice, research, thinking, daydreaming, sleeping, not sleeping, playing, crying, giving up, and starting again to figure out what is the pulse of my creativity.

During my last semesters at Otis, I became fixated on nostalgia, it was the muse that was right in front of me. In turn, this focus catalyzed the epiphany of using nostalgia in the hopes of connecting other people together.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an artist in today’s world, I wear many hats. I am an illustrator, painter, and teaching artist. I am a multimedia artist that explores the combinations of analog mediums such as paint, colored pencil, collage, and digital techniques like scanning, blending modes, and photo manipulation. Despite my multimedia approach, I favor acrylic paint and collage the most in my heart. I like illustrating dreamlike spaces, landscapes, and scenes from everyday life. As an educator, I am most proud of my line of work when a community member or student has their “aha!” moment, whether that means finding their creative voice or figuring out a creative solution for one of their problems. In my off-time, I write poetry and stories about my original characters/creatures.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being open-minded and patient are the two qualities that will serve anyone in most situations. When you’re open-minded, it allows new ideas, alternative solutions, and sets the foundation for receiving inspiration from everything you experience. When learning new things, it is important to not only be patient with these new elements of thought, but to be patient with yourself. Without these two characteristics, I believe that I would not be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://niapanelo.cargo.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niapanelo/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronia-noval