About Me
Autobiography
My name is Rebecca Garcia and I come from the not well known town of Lodi, CA. Being born in the year 2000 made figuring out how old I was turning each year very easy, but my mom would tell you how much pain I caused her when I was born. For one, I was born by C-section due to the fact that my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. I was actually purple when they got me out (my mom has pictures to prove it), so I was very close to not being here today. Aside from that, I would say that I lived a pretty "normal" childhood. I mean with my Mexican heritage I still had an insane family, but most people would say that their family was crazy.
​
While I was born in Lodi, I was actually raised in an even smaller town known as Escalon. It was so tiny in fact that even when some lived out in the middle of nowhere, people in town still knew each other as if they were neighbors. Having been there for most of my life, 14 years to be exact, my family eventually moved back to Lodi, meaning I had to leave all my old friends behind. Sure I was sad by the move, but after some years, I feel like it was a good thing to happen because now I'm pursuing a dream I thought was not possible: honing my skills as an artist.
My Resume
Business Card
Artist Statement
If you were to tell my younger self that she would be pursuing art as a career, mini me would probably tell you that you were being delusional. Yet here I am attending the University of the Pacific, going for my Studio Art degree. When I moved away from the only town I ever really remember living in, I was depressed. However, when I took an art class at Lodi High, it really helped me get out of that state. My art teacher at the time was always encouraging me to try new methods and materials with each assignment she gave me. Although it may seem that she was holding my hand through it all, she still was very critical towards my art. It was harsh, but ultimately her criticism helped me want to further my skills in order to show that I was improving. At the end of my junior year at Lodi High, I did the one thing I didn’t think was going to happen: I decided to take a chance and pursue a career in the art industry. Now I probably won’t be going into any big museums, but that doesn’t really matter to me. I owe it to the teacher that helped me get out of a rough patch, and I honestly hope I am able to do that for someone else.
Artist Influence
My artist influence is the great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. While I may not be capable to create animation, much less a digital drawing, Miyazaki inspires me to create a world that can let just about anyone escape to when times are rough. His illustrations have so much life in them, so much so that I get lost in them. Although the majority of the content Miyazaki that have affected me have been through his directing and writing, it still has given me inspiration to go out and create something “magical” with my hands.
While almost all of his stories have themes that are considered to be on thin ice, such as Princess Mononoke, his reasoning is always to be that he wants to express the difficult topics in a way that allows everyone to understand. I want to create pieces that reflect examples of topics that should be talked about, be it a minor or a major concern. For more information about Hayao Miyazaki, click the video down below.