Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominic Anaya.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Sure. I was born and raised in the projects of Bronx N.Y, to a wonderful single mother, I was always a shy but creative kid, so shy that my grandmother offered to put me in martial arts classes to help my confidence. So, most of my youth was divided between creating art and martial arts. Growing up in the Bronx in the 80’s and early 90’s meant you had two choices; either getting in trouble, or staying busy with a hobby, I chose to stay out of trouble.
The Bronx became so dangerous with drugs and violence that my mother made the decision to relocate to south east Pennsylvania taking my grandmother with us. Moving to Pennsylvania was definitely a culture shock, I was a bi-racial kid from a neighborhood consisting primarily of Puerto Ricans and African Americans and then being thrown into Lancaster P.A which is Amish country. I graduated from J.P McCaskey High in 1998 and worked odd jobs while also working on my art until 2004 when I decided to join the U.S Navy.
I was stationed in San Diego during my enlistment in the Navy, starting off undesignated and eventually becoming an Aviation ordnance man. I participated in two deployments during my service and did everything from humanitarian aid to building bombs, something I refer to as the kind hand vs the sword. Despite having little time to myself I still managed to draw and paint when I could. I would actually leave my ship on my down time and attend live model art sessions in the San Diego area.
When my term of service ended in 2008 I decided to attend college here in San Diego studying; art, graphic design, and physical education, I eventually acquired a degree in digital graphic design and have been freelancing ever since.
Please tell us about your art.
I have gone through many artistic fazes since childhood. I have always been creative but didn’t really start to seriously draw until a friend in the fifth grade shoved a Jim Lee X-Men comic in my face and said something to the tune of “you are nothing unless you can draw like this”. That started the creative ball rolling when it came to comic style drawing and creating comic art with friends up until graduating high school, after high school my taste started to expand, I still drew in a comic book style but wanted to paint my own illustrations in the tune of Boris Vallejo and Alex Ross. so, I drew and painted in a sci-fi comic book style through most of my 20’s, when my term in the military ended I decided to study art and digital graphic design as a way to broaden my skill set.
Now I create illustrations and designs for multiple small projects, from logos for small businesses, to sports illustrations for a senior Naval Officer developing his own clothing line. When I’m not working on commissions I’m usually creating images for fun that are fueled by my love for; comics, sci-fi, and horror. These images can be either traditionally rendered using ink and paint or digital. I also participate in group art shows throughout San Diego, having already participated in over fifteen group art shows of different subject matter.
My goal as an artist is to help the viewer envision a reality similar to our own but more fantastic, sometimes this imagined world can be positive, or even dark and horrific, it is my personal outlet, and I want the viewer for a brief moment to say to them self “what if?”.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Get out there and mingle, this can be hard for introverts and people with forms of anxiety…trust me I know. Also join organizations such as the Society of Illustrators or AIGA, there is an organization for any and all types of art and design you can think of, if not then create one. I also suggest entering contests and group shows, if you are not yet confident enough to enter a show then just attend them and talk to people. There are many classes and workshops available to the public as well.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I’m pretty active on social media; Face Book (Illustrations of D.G Anaya), and Instagram (@dom11618), you can also find me on Bedance (DGAnaya116).
I also regularly participate in group art shows, with the most recent shows being hosted by Thumbprint Gallery and FX Dojo at Liberty Station.
If you see my work and like it but can’t afford an original, then just share my images on social media with my info.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behance.net/DGAnaya116
- Email: dganaya116@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dom11618/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DomsDoodles/
Image Credit:
Photo by: Dave Downs.
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