Check Out Xyleina Abano’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Xyleina Abano.

Hi Xyleina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been creating art since I was a child, writing silly stories accompanied by illustrations my imagination made up. I never went to “art school” except for a semester in high school. This was when I realized my art was different. Not that being different was bad, but at the time, I never realized how good it was to be unique. Everyone else was so good and I saw my art as garbage.

Fast forward 22ish years later and we have a pandemic, everyone has to quarantine, toilet paper is in high demand, etc. What better way to escape this madness than to tap back into my mind and spew a shitload of anger, sadness, happiness, and whatever I was feeling onto paper. Well, I did and I surprised everyone and most importantly, I surprised myself. Why did I ever let my self-hatred and insecurities silence my skills? Never again, and this time I vow to be heard loud through my artwork.

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?
This journey certainly hasn’t been easy. Over time I’ve developed arthritis on my dominant hand up to my elbow so when I create, I am in pain. It’s definitely a nuisance more than anything however my major challenge is to work on my self-confidence and detaching from thinking that my art is not “good enough”. Just because business may be slow, it doesn’t mean that you’re not a great artist. You create art because it’s your passion, it’s the doorway to your soul. They don’t call us “starving artists” for nothing!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When I was a child, I used to write fantasy stories accompanied with illustrations. Peter Pan was a big inspiration to me at that age. Escaping from reality and entering a world of adventure, magic and mythological characters. I still carry this love with me today except it’s gotten darker. I like to describe my art as dark and quirky, whimsical and fun. I create my own original characters but I also like taking pop icons and drawing them with a twist of the macabre using mixed media of acrylic paint, colored pencils, oil pastels, graphite, ink and gel pens. I’ll use anything to create a piece.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I never thought I’d be a visual artist. I spent a lot of my life as a dancer and entertainer. I used to compete in ballroom and Latin dancing and I used to help my family run their dance studio where I’d assist in teaching. At one point, I was even a “costumed character” dancing on stage, performing kid’s shows and parades at a well-known amusement park. I wish I could still perform as a character, it was one of my favorite jobs but I have bad knees now and it’s quite embarrassing.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: xyleina13.redbubble.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/xyleina
• Facebook: facebook.com/xyleina1
• Twitter: twitter.com/xyleinaa
• Youtube: youtube.com/user/underkaos