Vega has been interested in art for as long as she can remember. When she was younger, she filled sketchbooks with little cartoon characters and comic strips influenced by her favorite television shows.
“As I grew up, my creative influences did too, including more visually sophisticated animated films. To this day, cartoons and films greatly affect what I draw, with Japanese anime playing a big role in my inspiration,” she says.
Since middle school, she has been a self-taught digital illustrator. She has attended summer programs through Kendall College of Art and Design, as well as several camp sessions at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She also recently had her artwork published in the book The Good Life: A Matter of Choice, by Dr. Jerry Van Leeuwen.
But despite her artistic talents and experience, the mural project proved a challenge.
“I don’t do big canvases, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone,” says Vega. “I’m used to people seeing my work, but working in front of them was a little bit different.“
Her artwork, she says, is intended to illustrate the balance between nature and humanity, and the overall harmony “we can experience when these things come together. I hope to show our community that even small kindnesses can be a big step toward peace.”
