An artist from Colorado and has used art as an outlet to express himself as well as shine light on matters that need awareness. His oeuvre has always been about revealing himself on a deeper level while exploring darker themes. Lavae creates surrealistic drawings/paintings that evoke emotions by illustrating stories and scenarios that are based on his own personal experiences. He draws inspiration from the new things that he learns about himself as there’s so much trauma and experiences that’ve been ignored in his past. Lavae’s goal is to shine light on the darkest parts of himself and hopefully inspire others to do the same. The mediums used in his pieces are charcoal, pastels, color pencils, ink, and acrylic on heavy-weight paper. Lavae is a self-taught artist who has studied the works of many great artists such as: Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Salvador Dali, Vermeer, Van Gogh and Bosch, in order to refine his craft and express himself more freely.

As a judge, Lavae brings a particularly strong understanding of drawing, composition, color, technical execution, and figurative work, along with an appreciation for artwork that communicates a compelling idea or emotion.