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        My name is Solus Thompson (any/all), and I am a computer science student with a strong interest in digital art. I originally started creating art because I was heavily involved with online communities centered around webcomics and online artists. I was inspired by the characters, stories, and stunning visuals I encountered in these communities, and I wanted to experience that level of creation for myself. Since I didn't have any clear idea on how to get into the digital art scene, I simply watched how the artists around me worked, and I emulated them as best I could.

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        I am self-taught, I have been making art for about two years, and I frankly have no idea what I'm doing. However, I'm somewhat at peace with this, since I am trying to learn art simply for the joy of it. However, I still try to pick up new skills when I can. My main focus when creating is to attempt to make an image that I myself would want to find online or as a physical poster for sale. I often think of my work as fan-art for the stories I hold in my head, or that I have written (read "heavily brainstormed at 3 am but never really written down") with my loved ones.

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        For my art and writing alike, I often draw inspiration from the science fiction shows and movies I grew up with, such as Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey (which also admittedly influenced my choice of career path). I enjoy exploring the possibilities that technology holds, both practically through my studies and creatively through my stories. My art helps me conceptualize the kind of world I want to help create... or to visualize the world I hope we can avoid.

 

        I also attempt to bring some horror elements into my work, as I've always been fascinated by the macabre and the uncomfortable. I believe that horror is how we express what we wish was different about the world, but in a language that only other "horror people" can decode. Whether it's a simple ghost story about the fear of death, or a more complex story of a supernatural hotel that symbolizes addiction, horror allows us to view our world through a filter that's somehow more disturbing and yet easier to swallow than reality itself.

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        Finally, I am queer. As a genderfluid individual in engineering and technology, I often feel as though I am out of place. Not necessarily singled out or unwanted, but unique in a way that's difficult to ignore. Through my work, I can tap into a world where I am not so out of place, where the colors are so bright they are blinding, and I am far from the strangest object in the room. I often gravitate towards characters that are more androgynous or GNC, because I enjoy getting to see those faces where I usually don't. Art allows me to communicate my experience in a way that words do not allow. Even if the viewer may not understand, at least there will be no doubt that I, and people like me, exist.

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        Above and below are some examples of my work. It isn't everything, but it is what I was willing to publicly post online at the time of writing this. Most of these pieces were drawn for Art Fight, an annual art-trading game I've actively participated in twice now. In the future, I want to create more art that is shamelessly for myself. I often overshadow what I wish to create with what I could create for others. I want to break that habit.

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