21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2016 | Lia Bardin Bomar

Arizona

Lia Bardin Bomar, Watchful Companions, oil, 24 x 20.

Art Education: I studied privately with William Ahrendt for about six years. I also studied for a summer at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy as well as in a classical atelier with Matt Dickson for a year.

Style: Classical realism.

Creative Spark: Dramatic, interesting light and looking at works by other artists I admire always inspire me to want to get working.

Second-Choice Career: Probably a singer.

Other Passions: Classical piano, singing, my husband, my family, and Jesus.

One Thing People Don’t Know About You: I have trouble saying no, can be overly sensitive, and don’t like arguing.

Biggest Fear: Going blind. Losing people I love.

Pet Peeve: Spending hours painting only to come back and realize I have made very little progress or I have to go over the same section all over again. Also, people chewing with their mouths open drives me crazy.

Quirkiest Trait: I find that I am always singing or humming to myself. It is usually just a section of a song that I sing or hum over and over again. It can be rather annoying for those around me, particularly my husband.

Favorite Studio Music: I usually have my Pandora radio stations on shuffle with mainly classical, soundtracks, jazz, and big band.

Favorite Work by Another Artist: Works by my teacher and mentor William Ahrendt, Vermeer, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Rembrandt, and recently, portraits by David Jon Kassan.

Future Goals: Finding good gallery representation, and getting more consistent commissions and sales.

Price Range: $200 to $3,000.

Representation: Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ.

Featured in the September 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.