He’s ready to put his best foot forward as an artist
“As a kid I was always drawing. And I was a mall rat because my mom worked there at Foley’s. So I would go to Waldenbooks, and one time I saw a Star Wars art book. It was just when the movie prequels were coming out. I thought the designs and concepts were pretty cool. It was amazing to think that you could create an entire world if you wanted. It was escapism for me. I asked for the book for Christmas that year, and I started copying and drawing what they were doing. That’s what I did throughout elementary school and junior high.
“Then in high school I was in advanced art. That’s pretty much what kept my GPA up because it counted for a credit and a half. I always had pressure from the teacher to do something. But by the end of my senior year, I was scrambling to put a portfolio together. Honestly, I was always that procrastinator. That was a moment where I didn’t take advantage of things. I think my entire 20s were pretty much the same way. I had fun, but I didn’t do what I could have done to pursue an art career.
“But I don’t want to dwell on those missed opportunities. That’s not going to help me. It’s just like, what do I do now? How do I move forward now? So that’s what started all this, these paintings and all the other work I’ve been creating this year. In January I started drawing again. I began painting. I’m going to turn 30 in October. I decided that the time has come for me to put my best foot forward with my art. If not now, when?”
— Joshua Villegas
Here are samples of recent work:
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