For Thiago Porraz, it began in school with art classes, then turned into a hobby at home, which grew into a true passion.
In high school, Porraz honed his drawing skills by creating “countless charcoal and graphite portraits of band members from bands that I liked,” finding he had a natural ability to draw realistically.
After taking a painting class sophomore year, Porraz fell in love with painting as well, and it’s been his favorite thing to do ever since. Although his artistic practice fell on the back burner for several years after high school, about two years ago he was able to get back into it and rediscovered his passion for acrylic painting.
“Since then, painting and other forms of creating have become a necessary and regular part of my life and I have no plans of stopping!”
What imagery and themes inspire you?
The natural world is a significant source of inspiration for me. Insects, plants, and fungi inspire a great deal of my work; our planet hosts so many diverse and beautiful species and one way I love to show my appreciation for them is through colored pencil illustrations. I am also endlessly inspired by human and animal anatomy, especially skeletal structures. I find bones and other internal organs to be fascinating to look at and learn about. I enjoy learning about how these parts of our bodies function as well as showcasing the hidden beauty and meaning they can hold when integrated into my artwork. In general, I have found that in my work, I am drawn to imagery that many people find unsettling or unpleasant. I like to find the beauty in these things and, through my work, try to get others to see it too.
When it comes to your art, what do you hope the viewer comes away with?
While many of my artworks have deeply personal experiences and feelings behind them, when it comes to what the viewer takes away, I don’t always aim for my specific story to come across. My hope is that the viewer can look at my work and reflect their own experiences onto it. I greatly enjoy hearing peoples’ opinions about what they think an artwork of mine means because it almost never has anything to do with the real reason I created the piece or the personal experience I was expressing in it. I love creating art that others can relate their own individual stories to; connecting with my work not because of what it’s “supposed” to mean, but because of what it means to them. This subjectivity is one of the things I love the most about art.
Can you describe a bit of your process?
My process is a mix of planning and going with the flow. I’m someone that loves to plan things, so the vast majority of my artworks start out with a start-to-finish plan broken down step-by-step. It mostly serves as a starting point that helps me to put the first brushstrokes or lines down because, as I think many artists would agree, the hardest part is always just the act of starting. As I move through the framework of my plan, however, my artistic instincts tend to take control and I just follow and trust that my hands know what to do with their tools. Sometimes this flows in line with the plan I had set, and sometimes it steers off in a different direction. At that point in the process, I just do what feels right at every turn until I reach a point where the piece feels finished.
What are you working on now that you’re proud of?
I’m currently working on a design for a mural I’ll be painting as part of the Return to the River and Pleasant Peninsula festivals at the end of August. I’m very proud and excited to be getting into more public art work this year, as this is something I haven’t done very much of yet in my career. It always invigorates me to learn new skills and face new artistic challenges, and I love the accessibility of public art.
Do you feel like Grand Rapids is a good place to be an artist?
I think Grand Rapids is a great place to be an artist and it makes me very proud to call GR my home and birthplace. Not only do we have ArtPrize every fall, of course, but all over the city year-round there is free and accessible art on display for all to enjoy in murals, art installations, free art museum days, art classes, etc. Additionally, I have found that this city has an incredibly welcoming and wonderful community of local artists who are all excited to work together, support each other, and collaborate to bring more beautiful art to this city that we love and belong to.
Where can people see your art?
This fall, people can see my ArtPrize entry, Dysphoria, displayed at Kendall College of Art and Design through November 2nd. My work can also be found on Instagram @thiagoporraz, where I regularly post updates about exhibitions my work is included in, as well as festivals and markets I travel to where people can buy original art from me as well as prints of my work!
