Artist Statement
As an artist, I want to bring the fantastical worlds that we imagine in our minds into reality through illustrations and concept art. Depicting things that would be impossible to happen or exist in our world is at the core of every piece I create. In order to help bridge the gap between these fantastical worlds and reality, I render in a realistic style so my pieces are easier for the viewer to imagine as “real.” In my work, I prefer to have a serious, dark, or sad undertone because those moods are what I personally tend to gravitate towards when it comes to art, literature, or video games.
My current work is concept art for a fantasy world I am creating, which would theoretical end up as a Triple-A action RPG video game. Video games have always been an important part of my life. Ever since I started play video games at a young age I can remember wanting to design worlds and characters just like the ones I was playing through. But as I got older and the more I started expressing myself as a queer person, the more I noticed the sexism, homophobia, and transphobia that is prevalent in not only video games, but society in general.
My hope is to help push forward the amount of inclusivity, representation, and equality of all people represented in video games. My goal is to create fantastical artwork that bridges the gap between fantasy and reality. As well as creating fantastical worlds full of life, but also create realistic characters that break the molds of societal constraints.
Bio
Ryan Okita is a concept artist and illustrator currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his B.F.A in 2019 from Maryland Institute College of Art, majoring in Illustration. His work ranges from traditional to digital medium focusing on depicting epic and fantastical worlds and characters with a dark and serious undertone. His current work focuses on depicting a dark fantasy world he created via concept art. Though this body of work isn’t based in the real world, he is tackling the sexism, homophobia, and racism that is embedded in video game culture and our society by creating characters that break traditional societal constraints and stereotypes.