Citris is the branding title an extremely fun, fresh and creative design team, fueled by the imagination of two artists. They’ve breathe life into adorable, cheeky characters and dream up bubbly lands of color where your inner-child begs to run and play. Citris is more than meets the eye. Behind the bright color palette and cuteness of each Citris piece is a narrative to get swept away in. Like a photographer captures a moment of life with a camera, so do the artists of Citris with paint markers and acrylic. It’s difficult to not fall head-over-heels for ‘L3mn’ and ‘Lym3′ as they play in puddles, go to the movies or doze off in fluffy blue pillows. And you really do start to wonder about what robots dream of. There’s perpetual charm within each piece of artwork that grows inside you and tugs at your heartstrings. You might ask yourself, “Why can’t I take them all home?”

 ArtVenue couldn’t wait to ask Citris some questions about the lighthearted and whimsical world only such a pairing could build.

“Whenever life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

"lotus in the night time" &"lotus in the daylight"

Superhero name?
Super L3mn & Super Lym3.

“Home is where the heart is” – where is home for you?
The studio which we fondly call “The Orchard”.

"lym3 enjoy's his lolipop"

What are a few things on your artistic “bucket list”?
Spreading our art and story around the world (as a cherry blossom disperses its seeds) and uplifting those who come in contact with our work.    

Where did you learn the skills and gain the knowledge you, as artists, posses today?
With the right amount of fertilizer, soil, water, and sun our artistic skills were able to flourish.

“…like snowflakes, no two [pieces] are the same.”

Describe your art with 3 adjectives, a genre and a metaphor.
3 adjectives: vibrant, tart & zesty.
A genre: kawaii fruit (or 可愛い クン)
Metaphor: “Whenever life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

What is art to you? What is art for you? Why create it?
Super Fun!
Everything.
To allow this world to spring forth, to reach & uplift its viewers.

"l3mn at the movies"

Where do you gather and/or seek your inspiration from?
The world around us. 

Do any psychological factors or traits transpose into your work?
The accumulation of inspiration taken in throughout our lives, reaching the brim, mixing and then spilling over into our work.

“Citris characters and their environment are allowed to emerge from the canvas and share our space with us.” 

What is your creative process, typically?
We create whenever we are inspired, and we’re inspired all the time. every time we begin a new piece or project, it sets its own rhythm and rituals, like snowflakes, no two are the same.

What is the creative process when there is a two-or-more artist collaboration? We tend to share the same thoughts (when it comes to our work), solely trusting in one another’s creative ability and technique, so it generally all works out well.

"lym3's first flight"

When you prepare work for a show, how do you decide what goes up?
Preparing for a show, all is taken into consideration: the venue, audience, space designated, overall theme, solo or group show, lighting…

We like to create an environment with the space provided, so once all preliminary considerations are reviewed, we select works that compliment each other and the over all show itself. 

 A variety of new art in the works, and future Citris shows on the horizon (none that we can share at the moment), but keep a look out. 

"A Robot's Dream"

Pick your personal favorite piece on ArtVenue. What is it of, why is it your favorite and what does it mean to you? 
“A Robot’s Dream.”  It is among the first 3-dimensional paintings we created. This piece begins to bridge the gap between the flat 2-dimensional world and our own. Citris characters and their environment are allowed to emerge from the canvas and share our space with us.  “A Robot’s Dream” is a perfect representation of our inspiration, theme, and ideals of the moment, it gives the viewer a brief glimpse into the Citris world, and a “sweet taste” of what’s to come.

“With the right amount of fertilizer, soil, water, and sun our artistic skills were able to flourish.”

What is some advice you could give to budding artists, hopeful to make a name for themselves or looking to build a portfolio? 
Perseverance.

"l3mn exploring after a rainfall"

View Citris’ complete ArtVenue profile!

ArtVenue would like to thank Citris for allowing us some of their time and thoughts. We are thrilled to have them on ArtVenue – welcome to the family! Be sure to check out their work at the Allston Main Streets Presents: Rock City Art Tour, this upcoming Saturday!