Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarisse Abelarde.
Hi Clarisse, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never thought I would be an artist, although I always drew as a kid. As an immigrant from the Philippines, moving to LA as a teenager, I was discouraged from pursuing a creative endeavor. I went to UC Riverside, majoring in Sociology, dropped out, and worked in accounting for a few years. Something within me knew this was not my path, so I took some art classes at LACC. Seeing this as a career possibility pushed me to get four art-related associate’s Transfer degrees and my bachelor’s in fine arts in Drawing and painting at Cal State Long Beach. During my time there, I developed a sense of community and founded, directed and managed projects for Nous-Ance, an online platform for artist interviews, blogs, and annual exhibitions in Los Angeles. Last year’s exhibition was made possible through the curation of artists Amy Doyo and Johnny Castillo. Before graduating in the fall of 2022, I was accepted to the Quinn Emanuel Artist in Residence Program in Downtown LA and featured at numerous galleries locally.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Putting together exhibitions and the act of painting is never a smooth road. There are always twists, turns, and obstacles, much like the nature of life itself. During the residency, I was going through a divorce, which was incredibly difficult to balance with my studio practice and ambitious lifestyle. Still, I could take on the struggles because I was driven to a single purpose and goal. I now work two accounting jobs and paint in the studio at night. During my breaks, I plan out exhibitions. On the weekends, I try to attend openings and support other artists through walkthroughs, talks, or studio visits. Adapting and pivoting to life’s changes is extremely important for a creative individual. My profound need to express myself and share other people’s work pushes me to keep going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As an oil painter, I enjoy creating on a large scale the most. I’m known for using fragmentation as a metaphor for being in multiple places simultaneously. I get inspired by the digital age, social media, and our divided attention as a society. My subject matter commonly expresses outrageous behavior for attention on the internet. Some of it is drawn from daily life – I want them to read as open and authentic, depicting the multifaceted world we live in and our complex lives — something so impossible to explain in words. Still, we all know it as the human experience and the idea of consciousness. Painting is a way to slow down from being immersed in technological modernity, urging the audience to question and analyze the imagery. This contradiction is necessary to show the antithetical relationship between the fast-paced digital world and the human need to reflect and ponder.
I’m most proud of the 12 ft x 5 ft oil painting, “Alternate Simulacra,” from 2022. I think this piece depicts the ideas and feelings I aim to express.
Some significant influences on my work as a Filipina immigrant are adaptation and the changes when assimilating to a culture foreign to my upbringing. Displacement and disorientation are prominent themes in the work, attempting to pinpoint my place in society and dealing with issues of identity and representation.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as seeing an idea through its full completion. Becoming a painter, all started from a seed idea that kept growing- something I decided to do because of a deep need to express myself, which led to pursuing higher education and eventually showing and selling work in galleries. Nous-Ance started with me having meetings with artist and educator Molly Champlin, who entertained the idea of putting together an exhibition. I had a vision that I kept imagining – bringing my friends together, honoring their talent, and recognizing their excellence in the best way possible. To me, following an idea and fully realizing and executing it is a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clartista.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clartist.a/
- Other: https://nous-ance.com/
Image Credits
Clarisse Abelarde
