Husband, father…. artist.

Art has always been my first love. But life brings you so many other amazing things. And being a successful artist requires one’s life being filled with meaningful experiences. While I knew I would one day be an artist, it’s taken me 40+ years to gain the experiences to pursue it.

My art journey started in 1975 when my family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam. My uncle who was an American service member led us to his home state of Ohio. We were raised in a predominantly white small town in the southwestern part of the state. We came to a foreign land with very little and didn’t know the language. At the time, I had just turned four years old. I was small for my age as I had experienced some health issues so I proceeded in this new world timidly. I didn’t communicate well with the other children and kept to myself for the most part. My only solace was when my older brother would take me to the discount store and we would find the comic book rack and sit there and look at the drawn pictures. After all, you could still get the essence of the story from just the colorfully drawn superheroes. Once I got home I would find pencil and paper and I would just draw from memory the images I saw from the comic books. That became my world and I could get lost drawing for hours at a time. Drawings became my language that everyone could understand, it was how I connected. I continued drawing throughout school and the more I did, the more I was recognized for it. When people appreciated my work, I felt like they were understanding me. Even though I felt ‘different’, creating art was the first time I felt confident and not invisible. I knew then art was important to me.

Even as I entered college, I continued my pursuit of art and excelled in the fine arts program. However, due to the daunting pressures of adulthood, I came to the conclusion that being an artist would be a long and financially difficult proposition or at least that was what I was advised. Fortunately, the urge to create never wavered and I was always compelled to create a series of works every several years. Each time I would tell myself I was ready but then new opportunities would take priority. So after years in a more traditional career path, I’ve come back to my first love and bringing with me all the trials and tribulations life has provided me. And I’m in it for the long haul.

Please contact me directly for projects or to inquire about purchasing my work.

loc_transcend@msn.com
Instagram: loctran.art