Features

I'm going to get right to it... IPSUM FACTUM: we create our own truth - the title of your exhibition.  This gripped me straight away because I have always thought that we all share different opinions on what we feel is 'normal' and create a truth that we find, shall we say, works for us.  Where did the inspiration for this title come from?

I had a bit of an epiphany last year when someone I was becoming close with slowly started pushing me away. He spiraled into a negativity which I could no longer understand. We are expected to easily connect with one another, yet we all have different outlooks. So I started thinking about truths, and in argument placed on opposite teams, you may never get a winner when each feels their truth is the right one. I was fascinated, being the observer that I am, I really started to take notice in people more intently, their mannerisms, their actions and reactions…and I wanted to say, ‘Hey! I notice you! Living in Los Angeles, it's not hard to go down the street and have people yelling at you, I'm always in YOUR way. But it's only your opinion and sense of entitlement, because you are the one who made and gave yourself the trophy as most valuable entity on the street. I began to notice truths became more prevalent in difficult negative moments. The basis for the show is not to acknowledge that we are different, but to show how we can be similar at heart, and helpful, and in the end we need to begin forming unity. The world depends on it.

I know you say that you find verbal expression difficult, yet your work at first glance is wonderful to look at but so obviously conveys a message - is that why you started painting?

NO, I started painting to relieve my inner turmoil. My parent’s relationship became brutal after my sister was born. All of the sudden, life got really tough for me mentally. Being the oldest, they tended to take out their aggressions on me. I was continuously locked in my room with an actual lock. I was very sad, and very alone. I lived miles away from school friends, and was locked away from the neighborhood kids as much as they could because they were all boys (Not that it stopped me from escaping out my window). Anyhow, art had always been very prevalent in my life since my Dad dabbled in comics. My Grandma got me started on paints, and kept supplying me with all the paraphernalia that I needed to keep it going. It was my upbringing which inhibited my confidence and verbal expression is still something which is a work in progress, it's very hard to take years of trauma, and readjust your way of being. I now have good relationships with my parents, although my mom and I will always be a work in progress. Now I work very hard to let people know that no matter what you go through, you can be amazing. It’s been a long journey and I would hate to think anyone ever felt like I did.

A word that best describes your art really is 'magical'.  It's enchanting and almost fairytale like - has this always been the case?

I think so. To me the term ‘magical’ insinuates a bit of mystery to the setting, and has a way of lighting up the viewer eyes. Whether we talk about the work that I am currently driven by or the work from my past, it was always important to have the observer feel "something" just from merely taking a look. I was always so inspired by artists like Ted Geisel, Tim Burton, Walt Disney, and Hayao Miyazaki etc, and loved the feel of the ‘story’ so much that all my paintings have taken on this element. These days I've expanded my inspirations to the likes of masterful artists Jan Van Eyck, Andrej Dugin, Jan Vermeer just to name a few, as to never having been exposed. Living a sheltered life, and lacking art history, research has really had a wonderful effect on me.

How do you work?  Do you work on a few pieces at the same time? Do you complete a painting from start to finish in just a few sessions? Does it need to be silent? Must you have music playing?  Do you prefer working in the morning or night?

I work a Lot! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it at all. I have a strong work ethic, mostly because I'm passionate, but it also lends to my obsessive need to be doing something. At this moment in my career, I spend an entire year producing one body of work. As I become further educated on art and myself, I plan to space out exhibits longer, so as to expand my ideas into the visual realm they wish to be in.  I wake up every morning, make some tea, check emails, and then onto the paintings. Usually a good hour to spend time looking at them, plotting the next move. When working on a show, it's best for me to have multiple paintings going on at once, each idea sparks a new one and this way they can all remain consistent. My schedule is very flexible, it's important not to force creation, so even though I mostly work from morning to night, I allow good days of decompression and separation from my studio/home. Too much solidarity and one is liable to feel a little nutty. And yes, music is certainly an important part of the process!!

How sentimental are you about the pieces in this exhibition? Is there anything you want to keep for yourself?

I would keep them all if I could! Every last one! Initially I wanted something to give and share upon the epiphany I had experienced, but what I see now is that the deep routed therapy that I get from focusing and fighting forward is more tuned to my growth as a person and artist alike. A message can also be for the messenger.

Do you always have the end result in mind before you start or does it just come to you as you go?

Essentially yes, but every day expands and contracts ideas until the moment I finish. That's what I like most about the process of taking time to let the paintings grow on its own. I use ideas which we can all relate to, and go through myself. Each new day presents a new set of obstacles, and challenges,

So, LA eh?  What keeps you there? What inspires you there?

Friends, art exhibits, the food, the feeling. I technically live in the valley now, so it's peaceful, serene and only 10 minutes away from anything. I sit in front of a large window staring out to the trees and squirrels and a big glorious swimming pool. A lot of my friends are artists and musicians, so I can enjoy the fruits of their labor and break the monotony of working long hours. As much as I dream of leaving the city and settling in to a great spacious hillside chateau and living amongst the forest creatures, I am satisfied here. It takes every last penny to maintain the roof over my head, but it feels like home and it's good for creating art.

Do your children like to paint?

They do, but they are much more consumed with video games and making home movies.

So you were going to be a tattoo artist?  What made you decide otherwise?  I can see certain tattoo elements in your work, such as the anchor and nautical accents here and there. You yourself have some; do they have any particular significance do you have an artist in particular that you like to work with?

I tattooed for a few years and then Maya was born. At that time, I was early into a bad marriage and essentially raising her on my own which left me no time to get back to work.  I desperately wanted to get back, mostly because I wanted to earn a living. I was down, and had this little person who depended on me. So, like I had learned through the struggling years with my parents, I put all those emotions into painting. I always loved painting more, and often painted while I was in the shop. There's just something about that tattoo smell, the green soapy, finely medicated ointment smell that I miss. The pure elation your customer would get after the piece was finished. I do miss that. It's quite an invisible exchange between you the artist and the client that is unlike any other…you are changing someone's life forever! It's powerful. I do have tattoos, only a few were planned, and others were simply for learning. I don't have a particular artist, but over the summer I had a session with Corey Miller at High Voltage that has me hands down in love with his gentle hand and perfect aesthetic. He is brilliant!

What are your plans after this?  Perhaps another exhibition?  Maybe a break? Are those creative wheels turning already?

First, I am planning a little break for a big travel to London to visit friends and attend an art show that I am apart of which will be held in the Bristol City Museum, I am very much looking forward to that. I have plans to finally produce a book. The time has come! There are many things beyond that which are in talks, so it's safe to say that I am only just beginning…

For more on the work of Lola visit Lolafineart.com