Today we’d like to introduce you to Mimi (Amy) Doyo.
Hi Mimi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a Filipino-American artist who draws inspiration from my cultural identity and family history. My work portrays my journey of finding my place in my community, society, and the world. I was born in California in 1999 and I currently reside in the Los Angeles area. I started my journey as an artist at a young age, finding solace and self-expression through art. Growing up as a quiet and anxious child, art became a means for me to understand and navigate the world around me. Recognizing the significance of creativity in my life, my mother supported my artistic endeavors by enrolling me in art classes and workshops.
It was in high school that I made the decision to pursue a serious career in the arts. Dual enrolling at Rio Hondo Community College during my junior year, I took my first college courses in drawing and painting. Through a professor’s recommendation, I joined Ryman Arts, a non-profit arts organization for high schoolers. Ryman Arts provided me with a community of like-minded individuals who shared a passion for the arts. Concurrently, I continued taking art courses at Rio Hondo, honing my skills and techniques as a painter. In 2019, I graduated from Rio Hondo with an Associate’s degree in Studio Arts and received the Outstanding Student Award in Painting and Drawing for two consecutive years.
Transferring to California State University, Long Beach School of Art, amidst the pandemic was a challenging experience. However, driven by my determination to complete my degree in the arts, I persevered. Throughout this time, I found support and community among my peers and friends. In my last two semesters, I served as the student President for the BFA Drawing and Painting Club, successfully reactivating the club after a five-year hiatus and organizing events for fellow students.
This year, I achieved my goal of completing my Bachelor’s degree in Drawing and Painting.
During my journey, I have also taken on roles as a Teaching Assistant at Ryman Arts and a Student Success Coach at Rio Hondo Community College. These experiences allowed me to share my passion for art with others and provide support to fellow students.
Overall, my path as an artist has been shaped by my early love for art, the unwavering support of my family, the guidance of mentors and professors, and the sense of community I found among fellow artists. Through persistence, dedication, and a commitment to self-expression, I have been able to grow as an artist and find my place in the art world today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not only has my art helped me navigate the world on a personal level, but it has also allowed me to digest information more easily in the academic world. As someone who has always suffered from dyslexia, I often find comfort in making sketches in my notes at school to help me decode and retain information.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My paintings are introspective visions of my family home that reflect on its renovation while exploring culture, poetry, and music. By painting familiar domestic settings, everyday objects, and aspects of my cultural heritage, such as lyrics from Filipino folk songs, I explore memories and the rich history that is a part of my cultural identity.
My sharp, rendered focal points are in contrast with the painterly world that I construct to reflect how memory can be visually articulated with fragments. In my painting process, I embrace technical mishaps and the nature of the paint through gestural mark-making and the use of a palette knife. I often leave parts of the painting undefined to let the layers and textures of the paint show through.
I began my painting process with sketches of how I imagined my house used to look before my father remodeled it in 2002. My sketches are then translated into paint, beginning with a monochromatic blue palette. Throughout the process, I continue to explore colors that have meaning or connection to my own personal memory or emotions. As I recall lingering memories from places that are often safe havens for my family, I analyze experiences of sadness, trauma, loss, and recovering and adapting to new changes from a pandemic and family loss. I ask myself how one moves forward in the world experiencing loss and what does that look like? In a moment of grief, does everything turn blue?
When viewers experience my work, I hope they find relatable connections through the hidden symbols and imagery scattered throughout my work that evoke the feeling of looking back on one’s memories.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
After experiencing a continuous wave of conflicting background voices throughout my academic years, my priority is to stay true to who I am in all aspects of my life and my artistic journey, no matter how difficult the challenges may be and regardless of others’ opinions and expectations.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimidoyo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mimi.doyo.14/
Image Credits
James Doyo
