My father would let me scribble and draw on the walls, he once drew a giraffe whose body stretched across the kitchen, its neck ran down the corridor, and its face peeked into my bedroom. He'd create all sorts of wild, wacky, things that must have left a lasting impression on me. Pursuing art was never really a conscious decision; drawing has always been an extension of myself since day one.

We were exposed to a ton of American media growing up, which I think anyone visually inclined at the time was influenced by, directly or indirectly. The cartoons and shows of the 90s and 2000s were next-level inspiring. Not being into regular sports, I gravitated toward skateboarding, and the cool, oddball graphics on skateboards were a profound influence.

Studying 3D animation taught me how shapes exist and rotate in space. That understanding became fundamental to how I approach drawing and painting. While I enjoyed working with 3D objects, I found myself more drawn to character development sculpting and the illustration side of it rather than animating.

I try to approach painting like sculpting with light and shadow, pushing and pulling forms to create depth. My process itself is probably what sets my work apart. It's a bit like a Rorschach test—shapes and shadows often evolve from the subconscious in the process of adding volumes to formless blobs, which still trips me out. My style isn't something I try to control; it emerges naturally for the most part.

When I started minting NFTs around 2021, people kept asking me, “Hey, paint a Pepe!” Usually, I'm not into fan art, but this was different. I love Pepe. The character has such universal appeal and a massive, passionate community behind it. I gave it a shot, and the reception was incredible. For this collection, I wanted to stay true to Pepe's classic charm while adding a little of my own sauce.

Every iteration of Pepe is, in a way, a reimagination. He's by nature a cheeky trickster constantly reshaped and redefined by the internet. Through this collection, I wanted to keep Pepe classic while elevating him into a painted form. Fancy pepe. It's less about reinventing him and more about celebrating his role as a canvas for collective creativity. Pepe embodies humor, irony, and the way culture evolves, and this series is a nod to that shared, ongoing transformation.

The humor is key, it's what makes Pepe so endearing. I stay true to that by keeping his expressions playful and compositions lighthearted. At the same time, I elevate him by treating each piece as a fine art portrait, focusing on lighting, texture, and detail.

Digital painting gives me endless freedom to experiment. In Photoshop, I paint on one layer with a hard brush and that makes the process fluid for me allowing pepe to do the emoting.

Good question, I would likk to focus on what I haven't focused on before, landscapes and less figurative stuff. I'm not sure yet.