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B I O G R A P H Y

Ayala is a painter who critically reimagines traditional portraiture as an act of transcendence. A contemporary descendant of the Andean diaspora (Quechua and Aymara) and a first-generation experience, she creates ethereal realms that honor oral traditions and ancestral memory.

Her practice engages authentic narratives to restore dignity to the community. Blending vibrant oil and airbrush palettes, her deliberate use of mediums reflects the dualities within her subject matter. Oil evokes classical and religious references, while the airbrush functions as a personal, culturally recognized tool of remembrance.

Ayala’s process combines research with meditative imagery, where the sacred and surreal converge into spaces of sanctuary. Figures adorned with intuitive patterns are humanized, glorified as radiant embodiments that carry forward collective healing, and self-reclamation.

Vanessa Ayala (b. 1987) earned a BFA from California College of the Arts, San Francisco (2010). She has exhibited widely across the United States, including Women in Nature: Taking Up Space at the Evanston Art Center, IL, and made her museum debut in Living Indigenously at the Delaware Art Museum. A recipient of a Grammy Certificate in Graphic Art, her work has been featured in publications and recognized by global brands and cultural figures. Ayala works full-time as an Artist and currently lives in New York, NY.

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S H O R T ᛫ B I O

Ayala (b. 1987) is a New York–based painter who reimagines traditional portraiture as an act of transcendence. A descendant of the Andean diaspora (Quechua and Aymara), she creates ethereal realms that honor oral traditions and ancestral memory. Blending vibrant oil and airbrush, her work explores dualities while figures adorned with intuitive patterns serve as metaphors for resilience and the human soul. Ayala holds a BFA from California College of the Arts, has exhibited nationally, including her museum debut at the Delaware Art Museum, and has been recognized by global brands and cultural figures.

P O R T F O L I O

A R T ᛫ S T O R Y

Hi Soul Family,

I’m Vanessa, Ayala is my last name, artist signature, and the heart of my brand. I'm first-generation American con raíces Indígenas. My parents are from the Andean town Ipiales in southern Colombia on the border of Ecuador. I come from a family of strong women, five sisters who all share a creative spirit. Our father, a skilled woodcarver and carpenter, pretty much built much of our home with his own hands.

As a kid, I was constantly drawing. I’d get in trouble at school for being too wrapped up in my imagination. Other students would ask if I was an artist, but back then, I wasn’t sure what that meant. Everything changed when my sister helped me find a spot at a performing arts high school in Kansas City. That moment shaped my life. I studied painting, sculpture, and drawing by day, and worked airbrushing clothes at the mall by night. One incredible teacher believed in me and helped me apply to college. Thanks to that support, I earned a scholarship to California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Living in a big city on my own was difficult. I was a full-time student, juggling 3 jobs to support myself. Over time, I began to feel disconnected. I left my college painting program because I didn't realize that I could create a space for myself in the art world. I shifted paths and explored animation and graphic design. That led me to an internship at "Got Milk?" Goodby Silverstein & Partners, while grateful for every tool I picked up, my heart always belonged to painting.

After reading The Power of Positive Thinking, I moved to New York with just two suitcases and a curiosity about what I was capable of. I rented a room in the Bronx where my art began to circulate on social media through influencers, celebrities and entrepreneurs. Years later, I've become the very representation I longed to see. I had a full circle moment where I gave an artist lecture for an art college. Afterwards a student from Guatemala told me how much it meant to her. She said that it was the first time she truly felt seen in that space.

This is why I do it. I got emotional thinking about teen me, searching for community. To now offer that experience to another young artist is an honor and I am so GRATEFUL to have found a sense of purpose. I am a proud daughter of immigrants, using my God given gifts to shine a light on the faces and voices being silenced. It's both a responsibility and a blessing to tell stories, take up space and inspire a sense of empowerment in others.

Thank you so much for your support in the continuation of this mission.

B I O G R A P H Y

S H O R T ᛫ B I O

A R T ᛫ S T O R Y

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