Creativity with Art

Analog artwork done by Teryn Sampaga. Teryn Sampaga/Courtesy 

Artists have been able to take advantage of staying at home during this global pandemic. Although they have a love for art, many before the pandemic weren’t able to fully invest in their work due to school, jobs and kids. Stephanie Vazquez is one of the artists who has been able to excel in her work of art thanks to the coronavirus. 

Oil on canvas painting done by Stephanie Vazquez. Stephanie Vazquez/Courtesy 

Vazquez has been painting for over 20 years. She started when she was just eight years old. Although she did not pursue painting as a career she makes time for it whenever she can and at this very moment, she has lots of time to spare. 

“The very first thing I did after being laid off of work was paint,” Vasquez said. “I had not touched a paintbrush in a couple of months and it was a feeling of relief when I sat down with my paint and brush. I’ve been able to use this time to practice on my craft and simply have fun.”

Oil on canvas painting done by Stephanie Vasquez. Stephanie Vasquez/Courtesy 

Not only has she been practicing, but she has been finishing full-on canvases. Since quarantine has started, Vasquez has been able to finish about a dozen paintings. She relentlessly tries to improve whatever she deems her weak spots. 

“By far the most difficult thing for me to draw are humans,” Vasquez said. “I’ve been trying to improve with that but I like drawing animals and other things so much more. Although I’m just happy to use this time to draw and I’m going to take advantage of this for as long as I can.”

Digital artwork done by Teryn Sampaga. Teryn Sampaga/Courtesy 

This time has also been useful for Teryn Sampaga, a self-taught artist and graduate of the University of Southern California. She has also done work for the film company West 36 Productions and won the 2019 Circle of Excellence Award for her work on the University of California San Francisco Stewardship Poster. The poster was created for Sammy Hagar, ‘The Red Rocker,’ (vocalist for Van Halen) who has been putting on the Acoustic4TheCure benefit concert for the last five years. 

“Painting and drawing have always been something that makes me happy,” Sampaga said. “So even though things are crazy right now, art is just what I need to stay motivated through it all. It feels great knowing I can draw from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep.” 

Sampaga has also been busy finishing up on the many commissions she’s been hired to do. Having much more demand than usual.

“A couple of months after quarantine started I got more people asking me to make really cool things for them,” Sampaga said. “It’s always fun and rewarding to do commissions for friends and strangers. I got so many that at the moment I had to close my books cause I have so much to do and I don’t like to make clients wait too long.”

Analog artwork done by Teryn Sampaga. Teryn Sampaga/Courtesy

Both Sampaga and Vazquez continue to work on their craft as the days of quarantine lengthen. Many of Sampagas works can be found on her website.

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