The new Young Artist in the Corner Gallery uses her passion for art as a medium for personal exploration. Sim.mah is interested in psychology, reading, travel, dance and fashion, in addition to art, but right now, she says, “I‘m in hermit mode… discovering what I even want my future to look like.”

 

This 23-year-old Ukiah resident explains more about her current focus. “I usually gravitate towards art that evokes thoughts about human nature and how we navigate the relationships with ourselves and others,” she explains. “Other than the fact that I have a lot of artists in my family, I decided to pursue art to try to make sense of my world. A lot of my art that I make right now is female focused because I’m really into doing portraits and am really interested in anatomy. I am currently building my own style, hoping to get to a place where I can portray the female experience through my pieces.”

 

Two of Sim.mah’s major artistic influences come from women who portray the human figure. As a teenager she was influenced by the work of Japanese artist Toshiba Saeki. As she got older Sim.mah says she started to gravitate towards Marlene Dumas, whose paintings are seen as portraits, but have been described as representations of an emotional state rather than actual people.

 

Sim.mah’s favorite medium is currently acrylic paint because, she says, “It’s easy to work with.” But she says that an art medium that she would like to explore more is collage. Sim.mah is also channeling her interest in travel and dance to try to be more spontaneous in her art.