Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Guzman.
Hi Angelica, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Being an artist is not something you “start” to do, it is something you continue to do. Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up”. I grew up scribbling, doodling and coloring in books. My mother always told me I was good at staying “in-between the lines” when I would use a coloring book. Art classes were always my favorite part of school. I used every school agenda as my sketchbook or art book. I remember my sophomore year in high school, I had a parent/counselor meeting. My counselor asked me to show them my agenda to make sure I was writing my class assignments and homework. My Agenda was covered in drawings, graffiti, collages and paintings. All that I cared about was Art. I do believe that my life growing up triggered a big part of my artistic career. Growing up the eldest child of four, I felt pressured to become someone whom my family was going to be proud of. Someone like A doctor, a teacher, or an engineer. I was often compared to a lot of my friends who were pursuing those fields of study. I frequently found myself in low and depressive states of mind. I did not feel the support of my family and felt discouraged. That was just one of many factors.
Although I wasn’t aware at the time, I was definitely depressed. This depression leads to more creative ideas. I used Art as an escape factor from my depression. My senior year in High school, I took an art class that focused on painting in different mediums. It was the first time in my life when I felt the most inspired and motivated about being an artist. My teacher Mrs. Lowe, was awesome. She taught me so much about painting and color. I joined the Urban Sketching club, which she started as an after school program. It was a big group of us students, who walked around the city and painted things from life. It focused primarily on watercolor paintings of urban scenery. I loved it so much! After High school, I attended college and took every single art class they had to offer, from Drawing to painting to sculpture and more! Every class was an incredible experience. I met other artists which only made me more inspired. Seeing other people’s art made me feel like I needed to keep creating. I joined multiple Art workshops, networked with new artists and found new art opportunities arise. At this point in my life, I knew for sure I was going to continue pursuing my career in art. No one could change my mind. Today, I find myself making art every single day. If I’m not drawing, I’m painting. If I’m not painting, I’m making sculptured jewelry. Every now and then, I am working on murals around the city. There is no such thing as a good artist, but I’m a progressing artist. I make progress everyday because I create everyday. That is what being an artist truly is and all that matters.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an Artist is not always the smoothest road to be on. There are days when I definitely struggle to make ends meet. Selling art is not easy. Sometimes, we do not have the proper understanding of how to do it. Many people don’t know how to price their art. Sometimes, we might not have the resources to find the people that are willing to buy art. It all comes down to being confident. Confidence allows us to know what our art is worth, You set a price and that is what it’s worth. Confidence also allows us to venture out of our comfort zones in order to meet other artists or even art collectors that are willing to buy the art. There are times when I find myself doubting my art, feeling like it’s not good enough. I become insecure and think “what if people don’t like it?” or “I’m never going to sell this because it’s too weird”. These are all intrusive thoughts that can happen when you become too hard on yourself. I know that I can be very hard on myself when it comes to my art. In reality, there is no such thing as good and bad art. I have to remind myself of that and stay confident about my work. That is the only way to move forward and be a successful artist.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When it comes to my Artwork, I am proud of how far I’ve come along. I am always trying new materials and methods of painting. I work with many different kinds of mediums and materials. I wouldn’t say that I specialize in one particular medium. I think that is what makes my art so special. I am able to accomplish a portrait that looks realistic but I can also create the coolest abstract painting with heavy texture. I try to master different styles of art because I find there to be more opportunities. I do really enjoy working with Acrylics and water-based products. I usually start a painting with acrylic and then incorporate some oil paint towards the end (If I’m feeling like it). I really enjoy working with heavy texture because it gives one the illusion that the painting is sticking out. It also just makes people want to physically touch it. I think something that really sets me apart from others is my style. I often paint with the same color scheme, which are Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue and green colors. My paintings are vibrant and eye-catching! The color scheme is almost a style of its own. I don’t paint one particular subject. For the most part, it depends on how I am feeling that day. If I feel sad, I will paint with lots of blues in my painting. I’ll paint scribbles and splat paint in a way that creates the movement of my emotions in that painting. On good days I paint with more of the bright and happy colors like orange, yellow and green. It all comes down to how I feel and what I am thinking of that day. That is what will determine what I paint.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I can truly say I love this city so much! I like that we live in a city that is very diverse. You meet all kinds of interesting people everyday! I like that I can live in a city where I can explore different museums, enjoy the sunny weather at the beach and drive even an hour away to camp in the wilderness. It’s really hard not to love this city! The thing I like least about our city is the dreadful traffic. It takes way too long to get from point A to point B on a regular weekday. That is probably one of the biggest downfalls when it comes to Los Angeles.
Contact Info:
- Email: theartofangieb@gmail.com
- Instagram: @theartofangieb
