Anh “Alice” Quach Indulges in Graphic Design and Animation
By: Connor O’Boyle
Staff Writer
Published January 23, 2019
Anh “Alice” Quach is an artist from Vietnam studying abroad at Green River to explore her passion for illustration and design.
“I love art, I love everything about it… but in my country… they don’t teach it.” said Quach, 21 year-old Vietnamese Green River student determined to pursue illustration and graphic design.
It is not often that people come across an artist who can drop everything and move thousands of miles away from their home country all in the name of their passion. Quach’s passion let nothing stop her from putting her pencil to paper; her brush to the canvas; her imagination to the world around her.
But her love of art came with a price as her high school in Vietnam did not offer the art classes that could benefit her creative and technical ability as an artist and student. Her plan was then to study abroad. While her sister decided to study in France, Quach didn’t wish to follow in her footsteps. She had already known quite a bit about America from her older cousin, who used to study psychology there. Quach was very close with her, as they were the only two in their entire family who took up art.
“We spent a lot of time together. We would draw together in her room. There would be a door and we’d just draw on it,” said Quach.
From this relationship, Quach not only shared her passion but heard vivid and fascinating descriptions of what it was like to live and study in the United States.
An agency in Vietnam told her to consider Green River College. Quach recollected when she saw the picture of the campus for the first time, something about the trees — the secluded and ambient atmosphere–all made her feel welcome. The next thing she knew, she found herself boarding a plane to Washington, located approximately 7,421 miles away from her home and family.
Quach moved to Auburn, Washington from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2015, and has been studying at Green River College to finish her High School Diploma and Associate’s Degree ever since. She has studied and practiced in a variety of visual arts, including, but not limited to: illustration, game design, animation, photography, and graphic design.
Her style can vary from the dainty aesthetics of Japanese manga to the cold, clear, and beautiful atmosphere of outer space. She said that these things are an expression of her personality, which is characterized both as spontaneous and introspective.
After working in multiple different styles and subjects of her field, Quach said her ability as an artist and a student has significantly grown since her first quarter here.
Jessie Brugger, the art and animation teacher at Green River, described Quach’s growth as a student.
“Alice put a lot of herself into her animations. The work she made was personal, and yet had a universal message,” Brugger said. “There are challenging times when animating a character or short story, but it never discouraged Alice.”
Brown’s Adventure, a short animation made by Quach during her first animation class, tells the story based on a teddy bear that was given to her by a close friend. The piece, as simple as it may seem, expresses the universal feeling of child-like innocence people have when they are young. As a result of her hard work, she was able to accomplish in a very short period.
While Quach did find a lot of improvement in her art while studying here, there was a time in which she hit a wall. Quach faced a struggle that every artist faces in their career–she began comparing her art to someone else’s. “I looked up to someone in my class, their art was so cool,” Quach said. “I began to look down on myself.”
However, Quach was one of the few who was strong enough to overcome it. In her struggle, she realized that she still loved art and saw that she needed to improve.
“That’s what got me through… It’s never left me, it is my passion,” Quach said.
With that, Quach continues to draw, animate, and create to this day. She wishes to transfer to The San Francisco Academy of Art University following the completion of her associate’s degree.
