Life & Work with SueMei Mar

Today we’d like to introduce you to SueMei Mar.

Hi SueMei, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
My first art show was a local video-game-themed exhibit in Tucson, AZ in 2014. After that show, I gradually expanded and attended several conventions throughout Arizona and some of the neighboring states. I love to try to paint the things that I grew up with: video games, animations, etc. I primarily attend video games, anime, and Comic-Con events. I also spend time working on commissions and sell some of my art online. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the most challenging things has been learning how to run my own business and taking care of all that it entails, including keeping track of inventory and filing business taxes. I am also trying to figure out how to get my artwork out there for people to see and what they might think of it. Learning how to be on social media has been a challenge. I really have no idea how to do all the editing and prep that I see on those media outlets. Doing conventions has its own challenges, especially if you travel by plane. Trying to figure out what and how much of your stuff to bring and if you can juggle all that at an airport. In the end, though it is really fun to meet so many different people at the events. Being able to share a passion for art and being able to talk about the various subjects such as video games and anime we grew up with is great. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love to paint with watercolor, gouache and inks. I mostly like to focus on figures and animals or anything really that catches my interest. As for my original works, I really like the aspect of organic and inorganic mixed together; it’s been an ongoing interest for over a decade. Growing up on lots of horror films and playing many games with that theme also seems to affect my originals as they tend to be a lot darker than most of my fan art. I think I would be most proud of the fact that people actually enjoy my art and want to support me. They are interested in the line work and my subjects. I have always enjoyed drawing and artwork from when I was a child. I never really liked using pencils and would draw with pens, and I think that naturally is why I love inks and watercolors. I would describe my art as a controlled messyness. I suppose what sets me apart is my own personal experiences in life that gives all creators their voice in what they do. 

What were you like growing up?
I am a first-generation child for my family here and so there were lots of expectations to that growing up. Although I didn’t follow anything of what I was suppose to be i.e. Doctor, lawyer, person that makes a lot of money (haha), I did try to go down other paths. I just kept coming back to creating art. Growing up I loved to draw animals, mammals, birds, insects, and dinosaurs. I would always check out picture books so I could look though and try to draw things from them. I was obsessed with dolphins and whales, so I liked Wyland a lot. As I got older, I was inspired by H.R Giger after I saw Alien. Anime and video games were also fascinating; there is so much wonderful artwork in guidebooks and art concept books. The internet was not a thing till much later, so I created my own forms of entertainment and fun. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MarsArtwork.com marsartwork.etsy.com
• Facebook: marsartwork