Se'Belle Bronson

I grew up in swampy Central Florida, and am now based in Los Angeles, CA. The radical shift from a dense humid climate to a dry, arid desert has naturally affected my personality and my work.

Illustration, for me, has become an experimental and amorphous practice. I plan to continue giving myself the permission to explore where I can take what I’ve learned into new directions. The characters I have developed are advocates for my creative changes. They’ve opened my eyes to a sense of movement and expression that I believe will lead me to joy and success. Constructing puppets from my characters and animating them through stop motion has become a huge part of my process. I am interested in how I can make things move—how I can bring work beyond paper and give it life in new ways.

In this way, my analogue work can interact with our digital world, and where I see the future of experimental creative practices heading toward.

Also, as a writer, I explore how my words can interact in a similar fashion. Writing has, is, and will always be my most natural form of expression. It is the foundation of my creative process, and the first step toward understanding myself and the world. With all of its opportunity, as well as its limitations, language directs and inspires every aspect of my visual work.

In the spirit of change and exploring new paths, my painting practice has evolved significantly. I have come to view painting with a broader, more conceptual perspective. I have given myself the space to redefine what painting can be for me.

There is so much possibility to where experimentation can lead us, and I like to think of myself as someone who will try what seems different or strange, in the hopes of creating something special.