Interview
Sabrina Ross
Sabrina Ross has always been drawn to design, it’s how she expresses herself and see the world. Her background in auto body repair and paint gave her a deep appreciation for color, texture, and craftsmanship. Over the years, she’s explored her creativity through many forms, from tattooing to custom metalwork. Eventually, Sabrina found a way to merge all her technical skills, her artistic eye, and her love of bold design into one-of-a-kind metal art pieces. Living on the Big Island fuels her imagination every day. The land, the light, the ocean all finds its way into Sabrina’s work and keeps her inspired to keep creating.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My background is in autobody, and paint helping my dad work and restore old cars. My dad has always been artistic at night so we would sit at the table and just draw. I got my degree in autobody while in college I worked on becoming a tattoo artist. After college, I opened a tattoo shop where I got to express my art every day.”
What inspires you?
“Living in Hawaii, everything is an inspiration! From the amazing outdoors, animals and ocean life.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The themes that I like to pursue the most are nature, imagination and culture.”
How would you describe your work?
“My art is different, unique and industrial.”
Which artists influence you most?
“The two artists that influenced me most throughout my art joinery is Von Dutch and Kat Von D.”
“My art is different, unique and industrial.”
What is your creative process like?
“I get an idea and then I draw my concept on my computer. Once I have it drawn; I convert it to DXF file so that my CNC table can read and cut it out. Then, I clean up the metal and prepare it for painting. Once ready, I paint every piece by hand, so everyone is one of a kind.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I feel like the role I have is to brighten people’s days with my artwork. I love the joy I bring to people when they fall in love with my art. I can definitely see this evolving by sharing with more people and showing them how to get inspired.”
Website: www.bigislandmetaldesign.com
Instagram: @bigislandmetaldesign
