Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nino Cao. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nino, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
I rarely use words like right or wrong with my family to describe what they do for me because the origins of what they do for me are rooted in love. So I prefer to elaborate on what positive impact they do has on me. Take my mother, for example, who has given so much to me since I was a child and has been incredibly supportive and accommodating in the pursuit of my interests. When I first learned to walk, I used to scribble on the walls at home with a paintbrush, which now seems to be a very annoying behavior because I made the walls under one meter dirty. My mother’s initial reaction was, of course, unhappy, and she blamed me to stop painting. But she said the next day she found me drawing on the wall again and asked me why I was disobeying again. I pointed to the wall and said, “I just want to add a fish to this duck’s mouth”. She said at that time she looked at the wall carefully and felt that my drawing was very vivid, and at that moment she decided to send me to a professional studio to learn to draw. When I grew up, I liked to buy comic books in junior high school, paint my favorite pictures, and sit on my bed for hours without moving. My mother never blamed me for not taking all the time to study like other kids, instead, she would make copies of my drawings and put them in her office. I was inspired by everything she did, and even as a young child, I could feel that she appreciated my work from the bottom of her heart. If I had to define what she did for me in terms of right or wrong, she did the right thing by supporting me in my painting career. I really thank her and love her.
Nino, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Painting seems to me like an inborn part of my life. Until now, what can make me focus on doing and feel happy is painting. I like to receive people’s feedback on my paintings and listen to other people’s views on art, so painting is also a very important way of communication for me. Humans and animals have always been the main subject of my painting. I like painting people because I wish to communicate with people, and I love painting animals because I have natural awe for them. I enjoy depicting the facial details and features of characters, so my portrait works always aim at likeness and detail. For animal-related illustrations, I used to depict their smart and lovely shapes. But after I read some articles on the inhumane treatment of animals, my animal-themed paintings took another direction, and that was the expression of the concept. I think what sets me apart is that I have an interest in different areas of illustration, so my work presents a wide variety of styles. Whether it’s book, advertising or editorial illustration, I have experience in all of them. At the same time I am good at using both traditional painting materials and digital materials. I usually choose the painting method according to the time arrangement and the purpose of the work. If it is a commissioned work, I will choose the most efficient and convenient digital painting software. When I want to create or experiment with some personal projects, I tend to choose traditional materials. Digital painting has always been my first choice because it is efficient and flexible. At the same time, I also use some traditional tools, such as watercolor and pastel, because I enjoy the uncertainty and randomness of hand drawing.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the recognition and attention I have received from many people. Because my art career began with my mother’s encouragement and support, I have grown in confidence and hope that my work will be recognized by more people. I am a creator who looks forward to receiving feedback, and perhaps many artists create art for themselves. But my motivation to create art comes from connecting with more people. That’s why the subjects of my paintings revolve around people and animals because these are so relevant to our lives. To be quite honest, my vanity is greatly satisfied when I receive feedback from others. And at the same time, the praise and support push me to keep creating to get more recognition, which is what pushes me to work hard. The same old thing always makes the creator and the audience tired. I try to break out of my comfort zone and explore more possibilities for myself in order to bring freshness to the audience.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I rarely set a very detailed goal or task for myself, but I usually set a general direction to work towards at each stage of my life. For example, when I was in junior high school, the future I had planned for myself was to become an artist. Because I liked to draw and I liked to be recognized by others. So at that time, I just knew that I first had to go to an art school to receive professional education in order to become an artist. For me, everything has to be advanced step by step, so that I can feel safe inside. After graduating from high school I went to college and studied jewelry design because I loved shiny jewelry. But after I got into this field, I found that just liking jewelry itself was not enough to support me to dedicate myself to this industry in the future. Then I finally discovered that the only thing I could sink my teeth into was painting. After coming to the US to study illustration, I felt my mind was opened up because I met a lot of great students and professors, and talking with them and taking classes together made me change the direction I want to work in again. At the moment I want to work hard in the art education industry because I am a person who likes to share my painting experience. I hope to receive feedback from others on my work, and I hope my creative experience can influence more people. I can say that the subconscious goal I set for myself over these twenty years has always been to persist in painting, and it is still the same now. No matter which career I plan to pursue afterward, painting is the task I want to persist in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ninocao.com/
- Instagram: @blanknk5521
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nino-cao-434b28230/