Meet Cosmicloak

Where are you from and does that affect your work?

I'm a first generation Puerto Rican, my parents moved from the island to mainland America. I recall late nights of my father playing Bomba with his friends when we would visit my grandparents. He even showed me how to play the barril de bomba. Bomba is music and dance developed by West African enslaved ancestors as a form of self expression and resistance against plantation oppression on the island. This is why music overall is a large part of my process of creation, it takes charge of what colors or energy I put into my pieces. My Great Grandmother always had cats visiting the back of her home, so it felt magical seeing them come and go- the scene still sticks with me. Lots of large leafed plants in the back and cats peeking in to see if food is served. I think this is partly why I'm obsessed with combining cats with floral motifs. Along with my father taking me to see El Yunque National Forest, one of my favorite plants I encountered there was the Mimosa Pudica. It's a cute plant that curls in itself when touched! Since then, I've had a deep fascination with nature and mishmash that with my love of color and nighttime vibes.

What is your biggest artistic influence?
Impressionism, Puerto Rico (specifically at night, and nature themes), Retro Anime (Sailor Moon, city pop themes etc), Surreal Horror (Middens, Ib etc), Vapor Wave, decora, collage, reliquaries, folklore, superstitions, Astronomy/Biology

Your inspiration seems to be everywhere! I love it! How do you define success as an artist?

I'm not sure. I'm still learning as an artist and there's so many forms of "success.” I don't think I've reached that point for myself.

What would you say is the hardest part of your creation process?

I hate the sketching process. It's my least favorite stage of art creation. I try to jot down the idea quickly, focus on shape and mood in mind- then go in with color as soon as I can.

How has your style changed over time?

My work used to be more focused on reality and background heavy, now it's far more surreal with aspects of reality injected in. I'm a little happier with the process of how I make art now. It's become more enjoyable with how I think about a piece and how I arrange the composition.

What is your favorite piece that you have created and why?

The "Dreams.exe" sketchbook! I love huge, fluffy clouds ( The clouds in Puerto Rico and East Coast are glorious! I miss them after moving to the West Coast).
And I like using colors you can see on those cool NASA photos of nebula, so I combined those for the sketchbook cover. The "Dreame.exe" cause I want it to remind anyone using the sketchbook to have fun engaging with creativity and imagination.

“Dreams.exe” sketchbook

That is so cool! What do you love most about Pasadena?

I love how green it is here! There's a lot of variety in vegetation, great diversity of people (I don't feel out of place), and there's a lot of excellent local food joints!
I'm incredibly happy to be in a place that cares for small business.

Definitely one of our favorite parts too! Anything special you would like to share?

I'm a huge fan of pokemon! I collect pokemon cards and make my own themed decks as a hobby!

Find Cosmicloak at Pasadena ARTWalk on September 21st & 22nd.
Website | www.cosmicloak.com

Instagram | www.instagram.com/cosmicloak