Ashley Villaseñor, a recent graduate of OSU with a Kinesiology major, was interviewed as a part of a larger interview series, focusing on highlighting student artists in Corvallis. Villaseñor draws inspiration from her science background, creating colorful, dreamy paintings often featuring skeletons and other anatomical imagery.

“The fine details and intricacies of human bodies, especially bones and musculature are very interesting to me. My science background and love for anatomy both influences my artwork and grows my curiosity and knowledge of the human body structures and functions as a future healthcare professional,” said Villaseñor.  

Villaseñor recently completed a skeleton series, depicting a love affair between a skeleton and octopus through bright, whimsical illustrations. 

“I also enjoy surrealism. I have always enjoyed the idea of letting my imagination run wild and creating a far fetched or unrealistic concept that I could picture only in my head. These factors influence my work in some of my series pieces as well as allowing me to push my boundaries and think creatively,” Villaseñor stated.

“I am also very inspired by my Mexican culture and traditions. I guess I could say that the things that have shaped me as a person tend to inspire me the most,” she continued.

Villaseñor works in many mediums including oil paint, acrylic and watercolor along with other mixed media. However, her favorite medium to use is oil paint because of how easy it is to blend and its soft, glossy finish. 

Though Villaseñor will be attending nursing school this upcoming Fall 2021, she hopes to continue creating art and evolving as an artist.

“My only hope is to continue to create things that make me happy and things that I want to see. In the future, I would like to create more artwork related to social justice because I think that art is a very powerful form of resistance and activism,” Villaseñor said.

Follow @ashleyvillasenor_art on Instagram to see more of Villaseñor’s work!

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