Le Fae Artist: Michelle Dinh

Day 6 of Le Fae manifests with a more modern take with FEATURED ARTIST Michelle Dinh!

Michelle Dinh is a Cambodian American artist residing in Southern California. She has a BFA in Illustration from CSULB and merges her formal education with surrealist elements. Her work is driven by color and all things whimsical. You can find her on Instagram @sunflowerhues.

Michelle’s digital illustration “Dream State” for Le Fae depicts a world of whimsy. Purchase the framed 13 inch x 19 inch digital art for $300.

The original is available to purchase through the artist by visiting her at www.instagram.com/sunflowerhues. Please visit their page and message them on how to collect this original work of art.

MEET THE ARTIST

• Start off and tell us your name! Who are you?

Hi! My name is Michelle Dinh but I’m also known as Sunflowerhues on Instagram. I am an illustrator who is in the process in trying to make a living with my art. I graduated with  BFA in Illustration in 2019 from CSULB and currently navigating the art world.

• What kind of art do you create and what medium do you work in?

I primarily do two different types of art, editorial and whimsical illustrations. My main medium is digital because it is flexible and convenient. I feel more liberated to experiment with a digital file compared to a painting.

• When did you know you were an artist?

I have always been drawing for as long as I could remember but didn’t realize I was an artist until I was a junior in high school trying to figure what career path I wanted to go to. Art was the first thing that came to mind and stuck ever since then.

• Le Fae is about all things magical fairy! Tell us about why you applied to the show and what inspired the work you made for the curated collection?

I applied to this show because I always wanted to be a part of a pop culture themed exhibit. Ironically, I ended up making original work for this show. Originally, I wanted to do a Thumbelina and Cornelius piece but as I was making roughs for that piece, I wasn’t feeling it. I started making random thumbnails of random doodles to help fight off the art block and ended up with making an original design. I wanted to make something regal and dreamy and approached it with a small color palette to bring emphasis on the subject matter. I love designing clothes in my art of things I would like to wear.

• Where did you hear about Bubble Pop Gallery and what made you want to be in the show?

I have known about Bubble Pop Gallery for a while to a point I don’t remember how I found out about the gallery to begin with. One of my goals in 2020 was to apply to be part of one the gallery’s shows so I kept an eye on their news updates for any openings.

• Have you ever done a gallery show before? If yes, how many?

Yes! I have been in six galleries and counting!  I really like being part of galleries and collaborative work in general. It has always been a dream of mine since I was seventeen to have my work in exhibits.

• What is your favorite thing about being a creative?

  My favorite thing about being creative are the endless possibilities and seeing what I am able with my own hands.

• What inspires you?

I am inspired by nature, especially flowers. That’s why my Instagram names is Sunflowerhues. The name is a reference of two of my favorite things – sunflowers and color theory. I am obsessed with color theory. Flowers play a prominent in many of my works.

• How does art make the world a better place?

Art takes you places – of places you want to go, of places you can only revisit through art, and places that only exist in the safe space. Art is liberating. Sometimes when words aren’t enough to have your message come across, art is the answer. Art is also healing. I use art to cope when there are bad things in life.

• Where are you located?

 I’m located in Southern California!

• What projects are you working on that you can tell us about?

Currently I am trying to freelance for a living as one of my goals for 2021. Besides this show, I have two other artworks that are going to be exhibited. One will be in Huntington Beach Art Center from late January to March. You can view that virtually. And the other will be announced very soon on my Instagram 🙂

• Where can people find you?

Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/sunflowerhuesart

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sunflowerhues

• Anything else you would like to share?

My main goal is to illustrate children’s books. I hope this will come true very soon.

Le Fae Virtual Art Show

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