Age first discovered love of art: I’ve been drawing for as far back as I can remember. I guess my first memory would be in kindergarten, drawing a horse and carriage or daggers and cutting them out for play-fights. I don’t know if that qualifies, but I’ve been drawing ever since.



Influence of physical environment: My work has always been about trying to combine what my actual physical surrounding is with memories of a place past and the world I live in, in my mind. I believe the opportunities to have lived in all these great places [Indonesia, Toronto, Los Angeles] have contributed a lot to my memory and subconscious. The experiences I have had in these different places become a resource of not only aesthetic, but expressive elements in all I do.



With a photographer father, was art always a part of your home-life? Art has always been around my family. My sister is now a photographer also, but we grew up drawing and being immersed in creative activities all the time. Though my mom isn’t an artist by trade, she too has always encouraged me to think beyond the norm and to have the courage to try new things.



Training: Like any child of this generation, I grew up basically trying to copy all the cool comic book characters and cartoons you see in the media. For a short period of time, I was enrolled in a Chinese brush painting course at the age of 7 or 8. It wasn’t until high school, (I went to an art academy) where I was exposed to Western art history extensively and taught how to “properly” paint. I had the fortune of continuing my art training into college and having amazing teachers all along the way.



Inspiration from other art forms: Without trying to discount the visual arts, I have always found myself to be much more inspired by the other arts. I think it may have to do with the fact that I have no other artistic inclination than the visual arts. Literature, dance, drama, music have a special mystery and distance that allows for an unlimited amount of imagination. I see so much more reading and listening to music than I do even when I paint my own work. I can say that what I am doing with my painting is often a result of the challenge I’ve placed upon myself to level with the other, more abstract forms of art.



Influences: I have had a great admiration for every artist in history, despite the fact that I sometimes don’t really like the work. Their conviction to do something that is important and different, despite the odds/trends of the time is what pushes me forward. I also as much as I can, look to children’s and beginner artists’ works. They are the most raw of anything you will ever see out there.



Daily routine: I try and maintain a routine where I work every day. I like to think that I do enough different things that each day can’t be the same. Admittedly, there are some days where things just don’t come together, but for the most part, I do all my work starting in the spurts throughout the day into the evening to typically somewhere between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.



Favorite medium: Though I’m trying to zone in on manipulating acrylic paints to the best of my ability, I have always used a plethora of mediums; asking me which is my favorite is like asking a parent who their favorite child is. They’re all special in their own way and the relationships are different, but you love and need them all.



Medium you have yet to work with: I have been dying to get into something kinetic. I can’t figure out if I want to do that through sculpture, installation of some sort, film or animation; but the idea of something alive is very seductive.



Proudest accomplishments: The thing that makes me happiest is when people let me know that my work has affected them one way or another. It can be minute or very grand, but I believe that what I do is only justified insofar as the amount it affects another being.



Concept behind Junk in the Trunk (Now-Sept. 16 at Giant Robot2, 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles): I think the concept had something to do with knick-knacks, everyday disposables and transient material. It felt very appropriate for me to be doing work for this show because I am really trying to come to terms with my own impermanence and my works’ general growth and passing. I am never really fully satisfied with the things I just finish. I think it’s only while I’m painting or drawing that I am excited about the work.

It’s just an interesting concept altogether, our tendency to just tire of things and move along. It’s quite profound, a commentary on relationships and our world’s typical attitude toward the material.

I did two new pieces for the show.



Future plans: My hope is that I can keep creating work. My plan toward doing that is to try to become the best visual artist I can be.



View Lo’s work at Junk in the Trunk through Sept. 16. For more information, visit tessarlo.com.