044: Austin Domingo
With many of his public art installations scattered across the island, Austin Domingo, also known as “Austimon,” is a visual artist from Guam who specializes in painting, murals, and digital illustrations.
Austin Domingo
Growing up with a natural affinity for drawing, Austin expanded his creative skills into various forms of visual art, eventually gravitating toward murals and digital work. For him, painting murals is a therapeutic process, while digital illustrations allow limitless possibilities with the bonus of no cleanup. His love for creating art is the core of his work, and it is something he feels compelled to do consistently.
Austin Domingo
For Domingo, art is a way of interpreting love for the world, whether through music, dance, or visual media. His art is influenced by his emotions and life experiences, with a particular connection to the organic and vibrant nature of Guam’s island culture. He draws inspiration from nature and life itself, using his experiences as a catalyst for creation. Some of his favorite artists, including James Jean, Alegria Del Prado, and Kim Jung Gi, inspire him with their unique approaches to the craft.
Austin Domingo
Domingo’s creative process is intuitive. He begins with a subject, like an animal, and then incorporates flowers, plants, or patterns to design the composition. From there, he adds vibrant colors and detailed line work based on what feels right in the moment. Bold lines and intricate patterns have become signature elements in his pieces, creating a style that is both striking and expressive. Although he sometimes struggles with the pressure to create meaningful or lucrative art, he stays true to his passion, remembering that his primary motivation is his love for creating.
Austin Domingo
Artists, for Domingo, are a vital force in society, serving as pioneers of creativity. He believes that creativity is needed in nearly every field, whether math, science, or other industries. The act of creation is, in his view, a natural urge that many people deny due to life's demands. However, when artists embrace this calling, they contribute to the world in ways that allow others to see things from new perspectives.
Austin Domingo
Domingo’s advice to aspiring artists is simple but powerful: keep creating. He believes that through continued practice, artists will uncover answers and refine their craft. He emphasizes doing what you love, as it will eventually lead to good things. For him, the act of creation is an endless journey of self-expression, exploration, and connection with the world around him.
“The more you create, the more answers you will find. ”
Austin Domingo
Please introduce yourself and describe what you do.
My name is Austin Domingo, also known as “Austimon”. I am a visual artist from Guam that focuses on painting, murals and digital illustrations.
How would you define art?
Whether it is through music, dance, writing, drawing, painting, etc, I define art as the way of interpreting our love for the world around us.
Why did you choose your art form?
I’m mainly a visual artist, which started with drawing. Drawing just felt like a natural calling to me as a kid and through drawing, I grew my creativity. From there, I’d find multiple ways to express my imagination and I ended up with painting and digital illustrations. Painting, especially murals, is therapeutic for me so it’s something I have to be doing consistently. Digital illustrations is very fun because it’s a field where I feel limitless with what I can draw (and plus side is that there’s no clean up after).
How does your background (education, culture, etc.) affect the artwork you make today?
Not sure how to answer this. But my artwork is mainly based on my emotions and experiences in life. So in some ways living in Guam and the island culture has influenced my art to have this organic and vibrant style to it.
Who do you idolize?
Idolize is a strong word to use, but if it means who I look up to in the art field, then some artists I like include James Jean, Alegria Del Prado, and Kim Jung Gi, just to name a few.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Nature mainly, but also living life. Whatever experiences I go through and the emotions those experiences invoke, I use it all as a catalyst to create art.
What do you do when you're stuck on an artwork or lacking motivation or inspiration?
I take a break. I reset my mind by refilling the “creative bank” by doing stuff I like such as playing video games, watching animation or going outdoors. Sooner or later, the urge to create comes back.
What do you like incorporating most into your art?
Vibrant colors and detailed line work.
What is something that you add to your art as your signature?
Bold lines or detailed patterns.
Take us through your process for making art.
I pick a subject I want to draw (like an animal) and then I research or find flowers/plants that I want to create as patterns to design the composition of the subject. Then from there it’s normally all intuitive or “in the moment” of creating. Everything from the patterns or line work I add and the colors I use, they are all based on what I feel works.
What do you struggle with the most when making art?
The mental challenge of thinking that I have to create something that has meaning or create something that will make money as my livelihood does also depends on my art. But normally, I resolve this by leaning towards the reason why I make art, and that answer is simply because I love it.
What role do artists have in society?
Artists are essentially pioneers of creativity. And creativity is needed in almost any field such as math, science, etc. Artists are naturally thinking out of the box, which their art can help others see things differently.
What characteristics do you think all artists share?
To some extent, I believe all artists have a strong calling to create. A lot of people deny or fight that urge or feeling to create something, because life doesn’t always allow us the time to create. But that feeling to create is so natural, like a force that needs to be let out, and whenever an artist listens to that feeling and acts upon it, then good art is the result.
What’s your favorite place in Guam?
Any spot you can see the beach.
How has your artwork evolved over time?
It went from drawing dragon ball z and pokemon as a kid, to realism in college and now, to whatever I’m feeling at the moment, which is island-inspired detailed pattern artwork.
Why did you choose to become an artist?
It’s the only field where I can feel free and limitless to express how I feel. There were many times I doubted it as a calling and tried other paths in life, but in the end, I always come back to art.
Is your art geared towards a specific audience?
Not really. I mainly create art for myself. I believe after the art is created, the art has a new life beyond what I initially created it for. So whatever audience the art attracts, it isn’t in my control.
Do you have any tips for aspiring artists?
Keep creating. The more you create, the more answers you will find. Do what you love and good things shall follow.
