Know your Value: Exploring Art through Anime. An Interview with Kehasuk
Popular convention artist, Kris Kehasukjaren — also known as Kehasuk — is often seen at major conventions and night markets around Southern California. Much of his work is inspired by Japanese anime from his childhood.
The first time I saw Kehasuk’s work was at the Orange County Night Market three years ago. I was fascinated by his artwork and immediately drawn because of the complexity in showcasing the storyline of his subject. Although his work looks incredibly abstract, it is easy for viewers to follow if they understand the storyline of his subject — which is often a reinterpretation of his favorite anime or cartoon. For instance, his Naruto piece showcases the whole storyline from beginning to end of the story and includes a few Easter eggs. His works have featured classic anime such as Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Avatar the Last Airbender, and many more, making it a lot more relatable for people who grew up around the 1990s and 2000s. Kris may be incredibly popular now, but his success didn’t happen overnight. He took a couple of turns and hit a few bumps before building up his reputation.
Kris is originally from Monterey, California — 2 hours south of San Francisco — and attended California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration. Graduating at 21, Kris worked in the film industry as a Production Assistant (PA) for one year, but then realized that he was not quite passionate about it. At 25, Kris realized that he wanted to do art but there was just one limitation; he felt that his skills were the same from when he was 13 because he had stopped drawing consistently from the time when he was 16 to 23 years old. Seeking to improve, Kris would do free sketches at coffee shops and conventions as a way to observe his environment and understand his subjects. A major breakthrough was when he was at Starbucks doing photo studies and a guy next to him noticed that Kris was drawing him. The man began a conversation with Kris leading to discussions about their ambitions and works. It turned out to be that this man was an author who was attending San Diego Comic-Con to promote his book and invited Kris to attend the convention with him. This turning point allowed Kris to share his artwork with a larger audience and build his profile.
“Art was what I was good at and could provide value for other people so that’s what I did”
Kris’s passion stemmed from being let go from his bakery job which let him have the free time to devote to art. In re-evaluating his life, Kris recalls asking himself what he was good at. He understood that there was a vast selection of opportunities in the world, but he should ultimately choose one that fit his own desires and what could add value to others. In describing his experiences, Kris said, “I could clean your house, but I wouldn’t be very good at it. Art was what I was good at and could provide value for other people so that’s what I did.” In asking him to explain further what he meant by “provide value,” Kris asked me “well you’ve seen my work before, what value do you think it has?” which I responded with relatability and immersing yourself in fandoms. Kris explained that he interpreted “value” to be what people make of it (his work) and some people wouldn’t find his work valuable if they could not relate to it, but others would if they had interacted with the anime worlds he was interpreting. Kris encourages prospective artists to ask themselves how they can provide value to others with the work that they publish and to stick with what they are good at. With Kris, there was no back-up plan if his art had not succeeded. Looking back, from being a Production Assistant to working at a bakery, were all small steps he had taken in order to be where he is at right now.
With the growing recognition of including more Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry, I asked Kris for his perspective on it and how that has impacted his art. Kris said that it didn’t really matter what race you are in the art field and it’s great that there are more people realizing and pursuing what they love. Kris sees that Asian-American representation matters more in the film industry than it does in the art industry because, in the art industry, it matters what you put out. With his own parents, they were supportive of what he was doing because he has been drawing since he was 3 years old so they weren’t surprised when they heard that he wanted to pursue art. Kris thinks that a lot of parents, regardless of whether or not they are Asian, have the right intentions when they give advice to their children, but they may not just understand. He emphasized the point that a lot of parents can only give advice from what they have experienced in life, so they don’t understand what steps are necessary to pursue this. There is a lot of fear in parents when things don’t work out for their children, so they want to avoid that if possible. Perhaps that is the generational gap between parents and children in this day and age. Kris’ own advice to people thinking about pursuing art is to pursue what you love, and everything will eventually work out.
Nowadays, Kris is a full-time artist and spends most of the year at conventions selling and promoting his work. Around this time of the year, Kris would have been attending conventions to meet fans and promote his work, but with COVID-19 ravaging small businesses and canceling conventions, Kris’ shop is open online now and you purchase his prints here or follow him on Instagram @kehasuk.
