ECHOES
Echoes is a piece meant to highlight the nature of transformation and change by focusing on the catalysts of change and its consequences. The visuals of the town depicted in Echoes is greatly inspired by the architecture of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and villages of Nakasendo, Japan. Puerto Rico was chosen as a place of inspiration due to my Puerto Rican heritage, and Japan was chosen due to my admiration for their art and desire to learn more about Japanese art and culture. I decided to render my piece to invoke the visuals of a watercolor painting, since I feel that watercolor is one of the most unique and beautiful mediums present in visual art. This is my first time rendering a scene in a very stylized fashion. The themes of Echoes is greatly inspired by works like WALL E and Adventure Time, whose stories take place in post-apocalyptic worlds that successfully recover and reinvent themselves after facing great trauma and tragedy. “Echoes” is also inspired by a personal loss I faced last year, when my close friend and fellow DMD student unexpectedly passed away. I wanted this piece to highlight the pain and horror that sudden tragedy can erupt in our lives, but also how tragedy can push us to grow in new, beautiful, and unexpected ways.
About the artist
Tatyana Massa is a Digital Media & Design student with a concentration in 3D animation. From a young age, she was captivated by animation and illustration, a passion that only deepened over time. As a child, she spent countless hours drawing, but as she grew older, external pressures and a strong focus on academics caused her to drift away from her artistic passions. However, with the encouragement of a high school art teacher, she rediscovered her love for the arts once again, pushing her to pursue the arts as a career. Tatyana’s college experience has been challenging, filled with academic struggles, tragic loss, burnout, and isolation. But despite those challenges, Tatyana has demonstrated profound resilience and determination to overcome any hardships that may come her way. Tatyana’s work is shaped by politics, animation, video games, manga, TV, film, and personal life experiences. She currently creates illustrations for UConn Athletics and designs graphics and illustrations for UConn Men’s Basketball. Through her work, she strives to continue developing her artistic voice and create projects that leave a lasting impact.