I’m fascinated by Time, Space, and Line

As an artist navigating through life, the external journey has always been a reflection of the internal journey, with me being the one who translates the in-between, the artist who is the conduit, the interpreter. Time is memory, space is the landscape of our projections, and the driving force that binds the two through trajectory is an infinite set of points forming this line, my line. 

My name is T. Jay Santa Ana and I’m an expressionist and a surrealist experimenting in a framework of abstractions. I paint and I draw from a place that is emotional at its core, colored by symbolism, and intrigued by the subconscious. Within my work there are faces reflecting upon temporary humanity and fingers pointing to Self, to other realities, potential moments existing together side by side simultaneously. 

My art is the culmination of who I used to be, who I am now, and where I’ve been, punctuated by these very moments shared with both strangers and familiar faces, which are just as important as the places in which they are anchored. Place is vital to my practice –my studio, the Imperial Beach pier, my childhood home. Moving from the Philippines has had intricate effects on my art-making. This constant movement only reminds me that in the end, we are just traveling side by side with each other, creating points of impact upon others along the way. Inevitably we pick up remnants of this journey to keep as souvenirs. So far these are mine.

Biography

T. Jay Santa Ana is a self-taught, multi-media artist and graphic designer. He was born in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines and soon left on the heels of the People Power Revolution. He and his family immigrated to the United States when he was one and a half years old, first settling in San Diego, California, then moving to Long Beach, and finally to Buena Park where he spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence. Upon graduating from high school in 2003, he returned to San Diego for university. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in English at San Diego State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of California.

Having a career in the creative industry inspired him to return to his art in order to better express his own ideas and interpretations of life. He changed course from a graphic design position at a financing and technology company to pursue a career as an artist. Since then he has presented and participated in shows at various local San Diego venues, designed and hand-painted a handful of public art pieces, and co-curated an art exhibition in celebration of the release of his first sticker book, To the Ones That Stick. He is also the co-founder of Residencia Ranchito Aurora, an art residency in Tecate, B.C., Mexico. Currently his studio practice is in Barrio Logan, San Diego at the Art Hub.