Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Kelly-Ramirez.
Isabella, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up surrounded by art. My parents are artists so I had a very colorful upbringing where art making was actively encouraged. Growing up in the creative community of Santa Barbara, California, I had lots of exposure and involvement with community theatre making set and props for different productions, in addition to working with the local Summer Solstice Parade where I was an artist in residence creating floats and costumes. I graduated from UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture with my BA in 2008. As a student at UCLA I took advantage of creative employment opportunities on campus such as working as a seamstress in the costume shop in the theatre department and then later assisting in the Collections department at the Fowler Museum. I am now the full time Collections Manager at UCLA’s Fowler Museum where I manage a collection of 120,000 works of art and artifacts from all around the world which informs and inspires my art practice.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make art in order to translate abstract ideas from my head into a physical, visual format. I am subconsciously inspired by so many things, the most pervasive being people and relics of civilization. I make most of my work via stream of consciousness. Everything from landscapes to portraits of imaginary people and objects are pictured in order to create a visual log of my own imagined world. My imagined people portraits form their own stylized tribe exhibiting specific color and patterning and motifs inspired from my own visual experiences. My work seeks to subvert the commercialized imagery and mainstream motifs of modern society that people are forced to confront every day. I hope people are inspired to think about their own visual experiences in terms of what is possible, instead of what the status quo of what is.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
So this sounds like a cliché, but I really do think that if the work you are doing makes you happy, you probably have already succeeded. If you are constantly challenging yourself to take your work to the next level in order to propel yourself forward, you will always have somewhere to go in order to maintain this satisfaction. For me, being an artist isn’t an occupation or career or something I do to make money from. It is a lifestyle and a state of mind. As long as you can find wonder in the world, you will succeed as an artist.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My website is the most consistent and direct way to see my work online and connect with me. I show sporadically around the LA area. I will be showing new paintings at Laemmle Royale Theatre in Santa Monica, opening this September. Keep checking my website for more details and updates about events that I am involved in! I also post my work process on my Instagram account as well as personal photos and inspiration from my every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: IsabellaKellyRamirez.com
- Phone: (805) 450-2671
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izzymkr/
Image Credit:
Daniel Jacob took my profile picture. The rest are by me.
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