Today we’d like to introduce you to Candy Yu Yen Kuo.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have had my hands in the arts in one way or another since I was child. I started drawing in Taiwan before we moved to the states, so I was probably about 4 or 5. I grew up drawing fashion illustrations with the intention of becoming a fashion designer, but when I was studying it in college, I realized that my true passion was in the drawing and designing aspect and not necessarily the fashion. I still work with textiles, though my main focus in the last five years has been mural work. I created my whole life until right out of college, then stopped for probably five years. It never occurred to me that I could make a real career out of painting. However, since last year, I’ve returned to being a freelance artist for the second time and have gone all-in on pursuing this dream as far as it’ll take me. I still work on canvas pieces and like to play with a range of materials, but I’ve definitely fallen in love with spraypainting and hope to grow more in that direction.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a pretty wild ride. Things are going well now, but that wasn’t always the case. At the beginning, I battled constant doubts about myself and living in the age of social media, I often found myself comparing my work to others’. I struggled with feeling like I wasn’t able to produce at a comparable rate. I had stretches of time where I would have trouble thinking of ideas or finding a voice to express something worthwhile. There were even periods of time where making art was no longer enjoyable once the responsibilities of deadlines and expectations came to a head.
After having my daughter, I found myself taking some time away and just letting go of all that. Coming back to painting afterwards was a breath of fresh air. With my limited time as a mother now, I decided to set boundaries on which projects to take and which ones would make me happy. And since then, a lot of really cool opportunities have presented themselves so things have definitely been looking up! Another challenge that I still find myself facing is the general idea pushed on me my whole life that being an artist isn’t a real job. In fact, that idea kept me from pursuing this career path sooner, but I’m so glad I did; I’m happy that my daughter will grow up seeing me going after my goals and continuing to live on my own terms.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been spraypainting for the last five years, but I started off working in more traditional mediums. As a kid, I painted a lot of landscapes in watercolor and pastels, then moved to acrylics later in life. I’ve also worked with oils and just recently started creating some digital art, though not as much as I would like. However, nothing really holds a candle to using spray. The ability to create such a large work in half the amount of time at a large scale really makes an impact that’s hard to recreate on canvas. I have always focused a lot on the female form, often entangled with elements of nature, and my style ranges from graphic to realism. I feel pretty proud to be at a point where I have finally carved a little place for myself in this awesome community of artists, it feels good to have peers with similar interests and ideals and to be a part of this growing movement of mural artists in Texas.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My main go-to for inspiration is honestly Instagram. There is an infinite wealth of information out there and it’s really amazing to have these outlets that are specially tailored to your interests, to show you a world of artists at your fingertips. I also follow a lot of plant blogs, I picked up gardening at the start of the pandemic and just went head-first into learning about all the different plants and how to care for them. As I’ve always thought I had a black thumb, it was very therapeutic to watch this little things grow.
Contact Info:
- Email: candystatuskuo@gmail.com
- Website: www.thewildonesart.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/candy_statuskuo
Image Credits
Wade Thompson, Brittany Johnson
