How Lorenka Campos Creates Her Amazing Mobile Art

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Lorenka Campos is an extremely talented mobile artist from Wichita Falls, Texas. Her art is a beautiful collage of photographic imagery, painting and layering which does an excellent job of challenging people’s ideas about what can be achieved by using a mobile device.

Lorenka’s work has been featured in many exhibitions around the world. Of which Lorenka told us, “My first mobile exhibit was in Gainesville, Florida, at the Hippodrome Gallery in 2011. Since then, I have exhibited in many venues locally and worldwide, including the Mobile Pixation Unit 24 exhibit in London. I have also been featured in the Mobile Camera Club’s Avatars exhibit in Paris and Brittany, France, Florence International Photo Awards (New Era Museum) in Italy, the Studio B Light Impressions in Miami, the Elevated Selfie-Beyond the Bathroom Mirror at both the Lightbox Photographic Gallery and the Griffin Museum of Photography. Through the Mobile Camera Club of Paris, I also had the wonderful opportunity to be included in the French documentary, Me, Myselfie and I. ”

Lorenka’s work has also received recognition is some very prestigious awards including the Mobile Photography Awards and the New Era Museum “Most Wanted Visionary Award”. Her work has also been featured in many online publications, such as the weekly AppWhisperer Flickr Showcase, iPhoneographyCentral Apps Uncovered, New Era Museum, and others.

I caught up with Lorenka to find out more about her approach to her art, the inspirations and the apps she uses.

Firstly, do you have a background in the arts?

Since childhood, I have been drawn to the arts, spending much time alone drawing and daydreaming. An Art Appreciation class in the 6th grade introduced me to Van Gogh, Modigliani, Dali and other artists that continue to inspire me. As an adult I attended Florida School of the Arts where I fell in love with Fine Art photography and the magic of the darkroom. It was during this time I was also introduced to Photoshop and the endless possibility of graphic design.

How were you first introduced to the idea of creating art with your iPhone?

My husband gave me his old iPhone I think in 2010. I was doing a 365 project with my DSLR and was looking for a place to post and I stumbled upon Instagram and a couple of photo apps. It was on Instagram where I found a small, but growing mobile art community. It wasn’t long before I was using the iPhone exclusively. It provided everything right at my fingertips. It was total freedom from lugging around the big camera and uploading to photoshop to edit. I could do everything on my phone. And within a year, I had my first iphoneography exhibit at a local gallery.

How would you describe your style and what has influenced you and this style?

I love portraits and most of my art includes parts of the human face or anatomy. With my art, I am very interested in conveying emotion and telling a human story. I am influenced by all the art that came before me, all the art that tells a story about this awful, beautiful life.

What inspires you to create mobile art?

Everything inspires me, the natural world, love, hate, pain, music, other artists, but mostly my need to create and express myself.

How do you approach the creation of an image? What apps do you use and is there a process or methodology that you apply to the images you create?

I just start and see where it leads me. I may have an idea of where I’m going, but I try to let things happen and leave my mind open for various possibilities. I layer and blend with the apps Image Blender and Superimpose. I use Art Studio to draw by hand and Snapseed and Stackables to finish things off.

Do you use any equipment for shooting your portraits? For example, do you use a tripod and remote shutter?

When shooting a self portrait, I sometimes set the timer, but in general don’t use any special equipment.

Do you have a particular vision for your portraits before you start, or do you just try out different poses and ideas to see what works?

I usually have a vision, but sometimes the results of a photo shoot take me into an altogether different direction. So, I guess the answer is a little of both.

Are there any photographers or artists that have been a big influence or inspiration to you?

So many, but some of my all time favorites are Modigliani, Rauschenberg, Annie Leibowitz, and Maggie Taylor. I am also inspired daily with the work of my lesser known contemporaries. There’s a lot of really good serious work out there.

Do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline that you want to talk about?

I recently have been afforded the opportunity to work full time as an artist, and with this time, I have plans to write and illustrate (using apps) a children’s book. I have been thinking about this for a while and really hope I can get this going sometime soon. I also would like to put together an exhibit focusing on grief and loss. Its just a thought for right now, but something I plan to give more thought to in the future.