With art in the park right around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to get a little personal with Lynn Mayugba, the artist behind Blood Orange Anything Art. Lucky for us, Lynn and her darling family live in The Bridge District and have a long history here in both Sacramento and West Sacramento. Upon meeting Lynn, you will immediately be drawn in by her genuine kindness, enthusiasm, creative spirit, and all-around positive energy. We asked Lynn a few questions and now we are even more excited about her upcoming art show in Garden Park Sunday, September 20!
TBD: Tell us a little bit about Blood Orange Anything Art.
LM: Blood Orange anything is the name of my working studio downtown. The name was based on a brainstorming session with my dear friend Ruben (Ruben Briseno Reveles-amazing artist). We were reviewing everything I love…….music, art, animals, etc and I mentioned I love blood orange anything……..we decided that would be the name of my studio at that moment. 🙂 My downtown studio came about because one of my best friends has her ceramics studio ten feet away from mine. She was there for several months before me and told me about it. She’s amazing, and it’s incredible seeing her almost every day. (Gitti-Cinder Ceramics-her work is really, really beautiful.)
TBD: At what age did you get into painting?
LM: I’ve always loved it. I really started in my 20’s and then took a hiatus for a while and am now back full time. I painted a lot with my daughter when she was little too. She loved it.
TBD: Do you explore any other mediums?
LM: I did a little bit of found object art and then was making my own frames in my 20’s but I am in love with encaustic wax and acrylic, with added mediums like concrete and pumice.
TBD: You are also a musician, correct? Did one inform the other? Any other creative outlets?
LM: I feel like my entire life is based on music. Everything I do usually revolves around music. It’s what makes me happy on a cellular level. Songwriting has always been a great creative outlet for me.
TBD: Your work is so beautiful. Can you share a little about your process? Do you have a vision of the final product as you are beginning, or does it come alive and take a life of its own as you work through it?
LM: Thank you. That’s so nice. I do have somewhat of a vision, but the canvas seems to have a mind of its own. I work in layers a lot so that lends itself to covering things I want to push back. So usually the only concept I start with is color and an idea of the texture I want, and then go from there. I use a ton of different tools to create the texture I want as well. That is a really fun aspect when working with concrete.
TBD: Talk to us about color? There is such a lovely color story happening in your work. Do you tend to stick with the same colors or do you explore and switch it up.
LM: I love color! However, I have a HUGE affinity for black, gray, cream, and baby pink. You will see a theme I can’t seem to kick. I really love muted tones. I try to explore with more color but find myself covering it with gray or a more familiar color once I get it out of my system.
TBD: How do you know when you are really done with a piece?
LM: It’s funny. I just kind of know. 😉 That’s not a very good answer, but each piece takes a long time to make, so I’m constantly looking at it from every angle. It just tells me when I’m done. And after seeing my paintings, that might sound strange with the number of marks and texture in it.
TBD: What inspires you?
LM: Music, abstract art, graffiti art, nature, modern design, daydreaming, people, colors.
TBD: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far with your art/career?
LM: Well, I think for me, not letting other people tell me what I need to create to be “viable”. I’m not trying to compete with anyone, but always looking to learn from people. I’m just trying to do my own thing and keep growing. It’s so important for me to stay on my own path of positivity. I’m of course open to people not caring for my art, but it will never stop me from creating. I learned that from being in a band too. I just have endless respect for people that put themselves out there and follow their passions.
Also, from a business standpoint, I realize I need to really work hard to capture the texture in my paintings in photos. I’ve had to pivot from selling all of my paintings in person to also selling online. It took a while to learn how to translate the texture and color properly in a photo.
TBD: It’s so wonderful having you be a part of our community. Can you share what your favorite thing about living here is?
LM: Thank you! We love it here so much. We love the beautiful, modern architecture, the walkability to downtown, the riverwalk, the outdoor art, Drakes, our neighbors, the farm across the street, the RBC (River Beautification Crew) and we can’t wait to see what retail goes in at The Block. Very exciting watching this community grow.
Thank you Lynn for spending time with us answering these questions. You can find more of Lynn’s work here + here.
