Josh Garcia/ Oil Paintings

I'm not from an artistic family, but I found it was something I was drawn to in my early years at school. Family, friends and teachers were always commenting on how good my drawings were and this encouraged me to keep going. I grew up watching anime and more traditional 20th century cartoons and liked all the different looks, styles and designs. I was particularly inspired by the story narrative, and the creativity put into it by lots of people, and all the joy the works brought me. From my upper school years I began to visit museums and was fascinated by the stories behind the paintings. Art is a life-long hobby and I want to use my skills to combine classic renaissance and modern day technology. I am always looking to improve my technique by researching light and shadows, shading and highlights. I am able to observe the improvement slowly between every new painting. It is important to me to paint. To be creative is a fundamental part of being human, from painting on caves to painting on canvas. Painting has a huge impact on the human story. It has helped bring the past alive. Fictional or non-fictional, paintings tell a story that makes people feel they are immortal, even 'unknown' artists are important.