With a swirl of calming hues, this modern illustrator’s artistry is a portal to a dreamy place where worries about the world disappear
When you see the artwork of natural-born artist and Advertising major Ana Camantigue in her Instagram feed, it’s easy to mistake it for something juvenile. They’re the kind of artwork that are childlike, transporting viewers to a fairytale world. However, it’s the quality of light, the shade of colors, the presence of little girls, and the elements of nature that navigate her audience to the art of getting lost—and the idea of sometimes getting lost in the process can be just what people need in the real world.
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From a viewer’s perspective, Ana Camantigue’s dreamy art style sets her apart from a handful of Gen Z creatives. Despite her unique artistry, Ana remains humble and grounded, viewing herself as just one among many contemporary artists with one unified desire—bringing audiences to a peaceful universe. Like many artists in this generation, her works are a response to the world’s troubles. As Ana shares, “I feel like I’m just one of them who reacts in a peaceful and calming manner that, hopefully, helps the [world’s] distress.” Through her art, she invites people into an ideal world where peace is to be found.
A childhood dream come alive
With the eagerness to learn how this rising artist’s passion for art started, the conversation with MEGAStyle began with exploring her childhood dream. Ana Camantigue was very open and she couldn’t help but reminisce about her first mentor. “Tinuturuan ako ng papa ko mag-draw sa papel. Minsan, sa pader ng bahay namin,” she fondly recounts her father’s guidance during her formative years.
Moreover, her love for anime, cartoons, children’s books, and comics like W.I.T.C.H. sparked her passion for art. And as she grew older, Ana pursued her interest in art once she stepped into college. She took up a Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising at one of the known state universities in the Philippines. “I was into landscape photography when I was a student, then ‘yung mga photos ko, ginagawa ko ding collage. Sometimes, I cut out images and mountains from NatGeo magazines. Seeing mountains in real life gives me a different kind of feeling. It’s as if I’m too small and my problems in life don’t matter anymore,” she says.
At present, the rising artist had successfully turned her childhood dream into a purposeful profession. Her decision to take the creative path led her to form a distinct aesthetic that she could truly call her own.
Crafting a dreamscape
What makes Ana’s work so alluring, other than the fact that her passion was founded on her childhood dream, is her composition of nature and places. These aren’t pieces whose sole objective is to interpret landscape art differently. Instead, hers touch the borders of modernity, goodness, calmness, and peace.
Talking about her creation process, Ana shared that she’s doing the sketches on her iPad before transferring them to paper. “My favorite colors are shades of pink, lilac, and blue because [they make] me feel calm. I also use different color palettes depending on which things I will add [to] my artwork.” The presence of subtle hues completing the imagery of whatever artwork she’s making is a collective narrative in itself, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions in prose or poetry.
A dream worth sharing
All the elements seen in Ana’s works were initially her form of escape from the chaos of the world around her. But as she delved deeper into her feelings, she realized that her talent had to comfort others as well. Therefore, she decided to share her dreamy masterpieces with the world, hoping that someone out there would find solace through them just like she did. “Creating this dreamy world full of mountains, flowers, and little girls looking like they’re lost helped me get better and hopefully, through my paintings, [other] people will find calmness and comfort, too,” Ana says.
Apart from sharing her work online, she has also joined group exhibitions at different galleries. “It’s very helpful to work with them because it’s insightful. I also get the chance to meet and be friends with other artists,” she shares. At the moment, this rising artist promotes her works of art through social media to reach a wider audience. She even recalled her turning point as an artist before her works got noticed in the industry, “At first, I was drawing digitally and only posting it online until a gallery owner sent me a dm and asked me to join a group exhibit in Super Duper Gallery.” True enough, this platform opened a lot of opportunities for her as Art Toys PH discovered her through Instagram and invited her to join an exhibition in Art in the Park. Because she joined the exhibition, content creator Mimiyuuuh noticed her art style and even bought one of her pieces.
While specific plans for a solo exhibition haven’t been slated, Ana Camantigue has been enjoying the process of experimenting and trying out different mediums. As more and more people see a glimpse of her art, one thing is certain: Ana is well on her way to rising in the industry even more, making her artwork and her story a reminder that once in a while, getting lost is what we need to eventually find ourselves.
Photos from ANA CAMANTIGUE and ICE CAPTURES
