Today we have the interview for Angela of Little Black Fences. She loves the color black (appropriate shop name then :) ). On weekends you can find her painting while sipping her breakfast – a cup of coffee. If she could have her dream vacation, she would be on a plane to Berlin!
Here’s what she had to say about her shop:
What started you in your art/craft?
I don’t know… I’ve always made drawings and little things like that for as long as I can remember. Both my parents are artistic people so maybe it’s in the genes?
I made the concious decision to follow art as a way of life when I was about 17. I had attended CSSSA at Cal Arts for Creative Writing the previous summer and was floored by the work being done in the Visual Arts Department. Since then, I’ve become more and more dedicated to painting and image making in all its forms. Going to art-school really solidified my determination to translate what I love in to a way a life, not just a career. It allowed me to expand my definition of what art is and can be.
What are your favorite materials/tools?
Oil paint has been my absolute favorite since the very first time I used it. I love its ability to dance back and forth between being translucent and completely opaque. The longer I work with oil, the more abundant a resource/material it seems. It’s a medium with tons of hidden secrets and tricks. And I love the smell.
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Can I pick two? Kiki Smith and Sylvia Plath. If I can be as fearless in my work as they have been in theirs, I’ll be on the right path.
How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I’ve been painting for 12 years now but didn’t start showing my work professionally until about 4 years ago. In November 2007, I gained representation at a San Francisco art gallery that I’d had my eye on for quite some time. I worked on my portfolio for a year and a half before I finally felt somewhat confident in my submission. That year and a half of work paid off and I gained gallery representation at HANG Gallery in San Francisco.
I built my etsy shop, black fence, a little over a year ago. In this time, the response the etsy community has had to my work has been so heart warming. I’ve received so many personal letters from people telling me that the work has touched their heart. It makes the trials of the art-business entirely worth it.
Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
This next year, I plan to follow the art where it leads me. I’ve been putting together a body of work which I hope to turn in to an exhibition here in San Francisco. I also plan to begin a very intense plan for my etsy shop: re-curating it every three months to keep it full of fresh work.
Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
For as idealistic (and possibly annoying) as it sounds, I want people to walk away with the knowledge that they aren’t alone in the world.
What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
I would say to trust the work. Don’t worry about sales and things of that nature so much in the beginning. Concern yourself with what you like, what you want to see in the world, and learn to trust yourself and your process.
There’s a lot of bumps in this road. Having a healthy art-practice, free of outside pressures and other people’s definition of what it means to be a success, make the hurdles so much easier to get over. Keep working. No matter what.
