Artist Biography
Yvonne Komar is a binational American-Salvadoran artist currently based in Beverly, MA. She primarily focuses on oil painting and digital illustration, while also exploring different materials such as charcoal, ink, and alcohol markers. Her work is deeply rooted in her bicultural upbringing, combining traditional Eurocentric fantasy elements with Latin American folklore.
Yvonne is currently pursuing a BFA at Endicott College, where she has received the Presidential Art Scholarship annually. Her work has been featured in the juried Student Invitational exhibition in 2023 and 2024, and she was awarded first place in 2024. In Fall 2024, Yvonne participated in a study abroad program at the Florence University of the Arts in Italy, where she exhibited photography at the FUA Final Student Exhibition. She also completed a semester-long internship with Beyond Walls, a nonprofit art organization based in Lynn, MA, and will continue working with them through the summer following her expected graduation in May 2026. Looking ahead, she hopes to work in the video game industry as an illustrator and further develop her capstone project into a video game, web comic, or animated series.
Capstone Abstract
This capstone project explores transculturalism, the concept of merging or blending cultures, through visual storytelling, worldbuilding, and the fusion of mythologies, specifically European and Mesoamerican traditions. The rise of globalization has led to an increasing number of people from mixed cultural backgrounds. With the accessibility of the internet, the exchange of cultural knowledge is easier than ever, leading to the emergence of hybrid cultures in the media, especially within the fantasy genre.
This project features three oil portrait paintings and a twenty-page concept art book, aiming to create a distinct fantasy world that combines traditional European fantasy with Mesoamerican iconography and mythology. The paintings introduce the main characters while capturing the overall tone and atmosphere of the fictional world. The concept art book expands the project through digital paintings and illustrations created in Procreate, providing a more in-depth exploration of the narrative.
Overall, this project aims to create a cohesive fantasy world that brings together European and Mesoamerican cultures through detailed worldbuilding and the integration of personal experiences with both. In the future, this project can continue to develop and expand into a high fantasy series across multiple mediums, including oil paintings, digital artwork, video games, and web comics.