Winnipeg artist finds a flash of inspiration in the darkness of his nightmares

Winnipeg'sRandy Ortiz is glad he made the transition from being a depressed architect to becoming a "depressing" artist.

After graduating from college, Ortiz embarked on a career in architecture, only to discover he didn't enjoy the work.

So he went back to his first love drawing which he took up at a young age as a fan of Batman comics.

And where he once drew on the Dark Knight for inspiration, he now sometimes draws on dark nights nightmares, to be exact.

"A character in my work is the dark figure that everyone sees when they have sleep paralysis," Ortiz explains."I've come to know him almost as a friend I'm not scared of him."

Considering the dark subject matter, he says it always blows his mind when people appreciate it.

"It makes me feel great to have people who will give me their hard-earned cash to put my depressing art on their walls."

Video created by Tyler Funk and CarmenPonto.