Art Spotlight: Ash DiCristofalo
A junior at OHS, Ash DiCristofalo has a passion for all arts. Contributor Geeta Shankar learns more.
Pixel Journal: When did you start art?
Ash DiCristofalo: I think my grubby paws first clumsily clenched a crayon when I was two. However, I didn’t start to get decent at art until a few years ago. When I was little, I tried learning to draw, but I’ll admit I fell into the trap of giving up too easily and also not using pencils. I expected to be a Renaissance painter with only vibrant gel pens and a ferocious resistance to drawing with proper technique and setup. I thought I had it right and all the how-to-draw books for kids were ineffective and frustrating, so once I finally started taking art books seriously, some talent appeared.
PJ: What are some of your works that you are most proud of?
AD: This is “Dave and her Blue Plaid Jacket”; it was the very first portrait I drew. I was 13. (Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a self-portrait.)
“Dave and her Blue Plaid Jacket"
Another I like is called “Where Freedom Died,” but all while drawing it, I only called it the "Grand Beastly Annoyance," since it took 200 hours spread out over nine months.
“Where Freedom Died" (a.k.a "Grand Beastly Annoyance")
PJ: Do you do any sort of art during your spare time?
AD: I doodle all day long. Not good doodles, but rather multitudes upon multitudes of absolutely horrendous doodles of odd animals. Mostly tiger-like felines and dogs: happy dogs, silly dogs, angry dogs, and scary dogs. These doodles are so bad they don’t even look like dogs, but rather like tree shrews or bears.
Of course, I also try to make good art when I have the time.
PJ: What is your favorite type of art?
AD: Lately, I’ve been big on ink and I’m learning to paint, but I’m considering a return to the pencil. Pencil drawing is classic, and because it’s so difficult (I would say that, because it relies so much on control and extreme precision, it might be the most difficult type of art to master in some ways) I have a lot of respect for people who can use a pencil well. I love ink (all sorts—sumi-e, Indian ink, even Sharpies) and enjoy painting. Digital art is like a bucket of white cheddar popcorn: it seems quick and cheap, and it often is, but it’s actually magical.
PJ: Who is your favorite artist?
AD: This is tough, but I’d have to say Ciruelo Cabral. Ever since I was young—about eight or so—I’ve been a huge fan of his paintings, especially those of dragons. When I was eight, my parents bought me a little 365-day calendar with a piece of artwork for almost every day of the year, with only a limited number of duplicates, and I would pore over that for hours on end, not even studying the art as a work of art but as a story, a moment within a tale that I wish I knew. I would create stories in my head about those paintings. Ever since I became an artist, I’ve been working towards an overall goal of being an artist like Ciruelo, of being able to draw people in and make them lose themselves—if only for a brief, blissful moment—in a miniature 2D world.
PJ: What is the role of art in your life?
AD: Art is my savior, punching bag, eccentric aunt, cranky child, chill pal, and embodiment of myself.
PJ: Do you see art as a medium for connecting with other people or helping others? If yes, how so?
AD: Absolutely. Art, no matter what type, helps us convey ideas and feelings that we can’t convey otherwise. We can connect with people more intimately through art. All visual art, from graffiti to expensive sculptures, helps us better understand the human experience and learn to understand that which is not human.
PJ: Do you have any advice for young, budding artists?
AD: There’s a huge misconception that I’ve seen amongst both non-artists and artists, and that is that art is something that either you’re “just good at” or you’re not. In truth, almost no one is born with art skills (I certainly wasn’t—my only claim to talent was that I excelled at representing emotions well.) Art is like any other activity: you can become good at it by practicing, studying, and continuing to set goals for yourself. You’ve got to go with the flow. Chill out on the negative self-talk. Be like a flower and bend in the wind. Really, no one starts making art well (except for Akiane, but she’s so good she’s almost on a whole different level of reality, so for the sake of our own egos, let’s try to forget Akiane), so let yourself progress as a child begins to walk: without judging yourself or giving up because you fall down a few times.