Check Out Andres Salazar’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andres Salazar

Hi Andres, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been interested in the visual arts, my mother was an artist and very supportive. I formally studied in high school and some in college, but my degree was in another field and I chose to follow a different path, one that I assumed would have more stability and security. While working in the corporate world, I was still very dissatisfied, as I did not have an outlet for my creative expression and I felt very unfulfilled. My plan was to in my spare time work on creative projects. Living in Los Angeles and then Ventura, I worked on small films, graphic novels and later in studio art. I still have many interests and have used my background in illustration and comics in my studio art, which is primarily oil painting. One thing I am learning is that you must find that passion, that thing that you love and find the time to do it. That may require a lot of experimentation and many years, but once you find something that resonates with you it will be worth the effort.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t believe in smooth roads. Constant struggles of the finances of being a creative. Trying to make and sell graphic novels full time was near impossible, and there is a point that you have to make a shift. There’s also the challenge of finding our audience and those mentors and people that will champion your work. That is still a struggle, to find the people in positions of influence who can help get your work into the right hands. I don’t have the answers, but I know that making the art is only part of the equation, you also need to get your work seen.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think in the independent comics world, some may know me, but I have shifted from that world to more fine art and studio work. Those technical and artist skills of rendering, drawing, composition have been very helpful in my painting, even the abstract work. My current work that I am most proud of are a new series of oil paintings that I am working on. I enjoy painting landscapes, abstracts and figurative work. I am working with brush, palette knife, fingers, whatever that I can make marks with.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Unfortunately I know very few people in the arts that have not taken risks. Unless you come from money, the major risks are financial risks early in life and then time risks when time becomes the most valuable asset. It is necessary to take these risks of doing art vs working in the office for a company. There is a significant lifestyle difference, due to the availability of funds. Making art is also a big gamble on time, it takes a long time to obtain skills and there is no guarantee that your work will be sold. For for instance, you can work at a “real” job and make $200 that day, or you can paint for 8 hours, but no one may ever buy that painting. How long can you do that for?

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.andressalazarart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andresjsalazar/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndresSalazararthub