Today we’d like to introduce you to Andreinna Giron.
Andreinna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Grew up in the city of Inglewood. From the moment I was introduced to coloring books is where it all started. I remember spending long hours coloring and trying not to color outside the lines. I had tons of coloring books, but not enough crayons. Most of the time, I was always too shy to ask my mom for coloring materials just because I didn’t want her to waste the little money she made, as a single mother, so I tried to work with what I had. My Crayola crayons were my most prized possession and I would try to make them last. I remember once I got a Barbie coloring book and the coolest fluorescent markers, I was so obsessed with them. But now that I think about it, I was always obsessed with any coloring materials my mom got me.
In middle school, I ordered from the Scholastic Book Club a “How to Draw Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants” and a “How to Draw Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls” book. Convincing my mom for these books was a mission and you were considered the coolest kid in class if you could even order books from this club. I practiced so much, almost religiously, to the point where I no longer relied on my books to draw these characters. In class, I would doodle to perfect my skills and a classmate asked me to do a SpongeBob drawing for him. Soon half of the class wanted me to do drawings for them, so I started selling my little drawings for 50 cents. I was so proud of my little drawings.
In high school, art with Ms. Joo was the class I always looked forward to. My art projects always made the wall and it made me feel so proud. That’s when I started considering majoring in art for college, but I didn’t have the support I thought I would, so I settled for nursing. I switched my major so many times and got stuck in community college for six years. Took a bunch of art classes for fun to keep me sane during college. Taking sculpting and having the support of my sculpting professor to minor in art changed everything for me. I switched my major for the last time, transferred, and majored with a BA in Studio Art at CSU Dominguez Hills. It’s been a long ride, but I’ve been pretty lucky. I’m mostly thankful for all my professors because each one has pushed me and seen the potential that took me so long to see.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been a struggle, but nothing in life comes easy. You always have to work a little hard and always keep a positive attitude. Money was an issue once I started college, so I started working and going to school, both full-time. I went from working so much to just taking one or two classes every semester. I even had two jobs at some point. It was such a draining and emotional time for me. During that time, my mom was jobless, so it was up to me to provide which meant there was no time for me to even consider giving up. My mom and little sister were always my motivation especially during those exhausting times. Also, getting art supplies was an issue. I never had enough money. I remember once my painting professor gave me a Blick’s storage box with new brushes, paints, etc. and he let me pay him in payments.
Please tell us more about your art.
Work with a little bit of everything. I sculpt, work with ceramics, oil, acrylic, and watercolor. But my favorite medium is black ink with watercolor. I’m a very nervous person, usually always freaking out about something every day. My paintings reflect those fears and anxiety. Mostly draw bugs, especially a lot of roaches and spiders to embody an anxiety. When I see them, I have the same familiar feeling as when I am in a nerve-wracking situation. That is why these bugs are so crucial in my paintings. I use a stippling technique to create a sense of anxiety. When anxiety takes over, there is a sudden lightheaded feeling, everything feels blurry, and you can hear your heart pounding. I can feel that when I see the stippling effect in my paintings. Also, keeping a black and white color palette is very important in my watercolor paintings. I seldom use other colors. I’m really inspired with black and white manga, especially with Junji Ito’s work. That’s is why I use those colors and borders in my paintings to create a graphic novel feeling.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans are to create more art, have a studio. Now that I have more free time, I would like to explore and expand the concept of my artwork. Really been thinking about applying for residencies and participating in more art shows. Hopefully, I am able to show my work in galleries in the future, really looking forward to that.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sediment_andyy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreinna1g
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