Bio

My name is Mario or Mar. I am a painter, digital illustrator, and concept artist focused on creating and designing fantastical environments and characters through my art. From a young age, I have always loved all things fantasy and natural, facilitated by playing with my imagination in the garden and by games like Minecraft and Skyrim. I used these worlds for escapism and became enthralled by the freedom and depth they curated. Specifically from Skyrim, I fell in love with world-building and creating an immersive and believable experience where the audience can get lost.

My work builds off replicating these experiences and creating an aura of mystique. When creating, I always focus on a satisfying experience that attracts audiences to look deeper into the work. The style of my works varies from painterly styles with an emphasis on value to more graphic styles that use line and color to define forms. My work focuses on building a narrative while remaining aesthetically appealing.

Artist Statement

Through my work I try to captivate and spark curiosity through my pieces. In my work I like to allow some mystery and space for interpretation while providing subtle clues for the most part. The goal of my art is creating a captivating environment that the audience could get lost in. I love depicting the human form as well and how it interacts with its environment. Overall my art tends to gravitate towards a more naturalist look, but I do enjoy trying to incorporate more fantastical elements in a believable way. 

I blend my themes and subjects by keeping a more painterly style with visible brush strokes and texture being used to describe forms even in digital paintings. I think the rougher and semi-abstract look lends itself better to more nuanced interpretations. I want my work to feel like it has a life of its own. I want it to seem like the scene depicted would have occurred with or without the viewer.