High Artist Spotlight: James Aunzo

Jomes Aunzo is a visual artist from the Philippines. With a background in digital illustration, graphics design, and 2D animation, he makes artworks that combine color and symbolic components to express stories in a single glance. Art has always been a part of his life, and it has always inspired him to express his ideas and emotions through the medium of art. His recurrent motif revolves around the themes of nature, growth, and all the sacrifices that come along with it. These motifs are visualized through the use of "plants" and are the driving subject in embodying this message to the audience, serving as his favorite subject to represent in his works. Aside from his passion for the arts, he has an interest in hobbies like music composing and biking, in which he can express his thoughts differently.
We recently caught up with Homes after High Art 2022 to learn more about his most recent inspirations:
Where do you find your creative inspiration?
Based on my personal experiences, the things that happen in our world, and the things that I aspire to be.
Why do you do what you do?
To further achieving my dream goal of establishing a brand and leaving a mark in the world through it.
What art/artist do you most identify with?
In terms of my art style, I identify myself with the works of Joy Ang, the illustrator who works at the Title Cards of the Animated show, Adventure Time. But in general, I do have genuine interest with the dreamlike themes of Salvador Dali and how he incorporates a psychological aspect in his works.
What themes do you pursue the most?
Nature, growth, evolution, Scifi-fantasy, climate change, personal development
What role does an artist have in society?
I always think of artist as a messenger of emotion, memory, and opinion. It is still an important matter that companies exploit its effectiveness in captivating people's hearts through the emotive stories of their brand logo, ads, etc.
What is your artistic outlook on life?
"There's always a creative solution on every thing that we experience, no matter how hard the work would be."
What advice would you give to your younger self?
That he shouldn't worry too much on the future and cherish his life in the moment. To be grateful and present within his peers and to live the best life without regrets and grudges.
Do you listen to music while you are creating? If yes, tell us your favorite song and artist.
Yes. My taste in music has been changing throughout the years, from orchestras to EDMs, today, my favorite song would be Sheppard's "The Best Is Yet To Come" - I have been deeply resonating with this song with its lyrics of longing and hope. For the favorite artist, I would say that it'll be Avicii.
What's the best thing about being an artist?
The best thing is that we have a capability to create and change people's mindset on how they perceive the world. Art can definitely impact a person upon their viewing of it. They can form up a new perspective with a single glance. And with today's advancements and contributions in developing new mediums in art, we are only left through our imagination to make something new.
What is your dream project?
My dream project is to create a brand identity that will be renowned through the character that I made back then - a sentient botanical person that travels the space. Here is a preview of my work on him at my IG account: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCa6jpZBZWD/
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