17 year old visual artist Abby Oyesam's transcendental creations
Kansas City creative Abby Oyesam dreamlike masterpieces
The first time we saw Abby’s fantastical portraits, we were blown away by her skill and creativity. Fortunately, we had the honor of getting a glimpse of her journey as a self taught artist, and a better understanding of how she blossomed into the creative she is today.
Like many an artist, Oyesam discovered her passion for art at an early age, “I started drawing as a creative outlet when I was very young. I taught myself how to create portraits from viewing hours’ worth of drawing tutorials on YouTube and at least a hundred attempts at replicating the expressions of models in cosmos.”
What separated her from most aspiring artists her age was her dedication and understanding that practice is essential for development, “Drawing was never an easy task, but I always knew in order to get better I needed to keep practicing. I experimented with anime style drawings and vague attempts at photorealism before I developed my own technique.”
“When I started high school, I made it a priority to draw every day. I learned quickly in order to do that, staying awake the whole night, sitting in the same position for hours, and crying over whether my likeness is accurate or if my proportions are off was my new reality. I dedicated my Instagram to posting my artwork trying to get as much likes and comments as possible in order to motivate myself and prove to myself that my work was worth something to someone other than myself.” Which only made her stronger as an artist.
As far as subject matter goes, Abby explained “Portraits in whatever medium I can get my hands on is my niche. It’s very satisfying capturing the beauty of a person in my artwork.”
She also explained the process of coming into her own style, “My work has emerged from mere copies of photographs of celebrities to now listening to what my inner voice is telling me. Creating less of what I used to think people wanted to see and creating more of what I really see.”
“I am passionate about rendering life-like faces with expressions that resonate with the viewer. My subjects are surreal and dreamlike which is enhanced by using unnatural, oversaturated, and eye-catching colors.”
When asked about what and who inspires her, Abby revealed, “Although I am inspired by classical museum portrait artists such as Frida Kahlo and Caravaggio, I am even more inspired by extremely talented young people. As much as I admire classical artwork, the tenacity of young people that are alive now who are willing to dedicate themselves to their craft regardless of the voices saying we’ll never make it is overwhelmingly inspiring.”
“If you’re not willing then this is not your craft. I am willing to keep creating whether or not I get money, recognition, or any of these things because drawing and painting is what I love to do.” Which is an attitude that will only multiply her success!
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