Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Miguel Anaya.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It all started with a Vincent van Gogh biography that I found in my dad’s library during my last year at university. I grew up being obsessed with playing football (soccer) and the only art I ever did was doodling on the edges of my school books. After I stopped playing football there was a void that was heavy in my heart, and art took its place.
After I graduated, I decided that I want to be a painter no matter how hard it may be. I always look back to when I read that book and how it opened a whole new world to me. What I loved about Van Gogh was his passion, intelligence, and selflessness toward others when he was able to. Being an artist means taking risks. Even when they seem crazy from the outside. It took me to Detroit and now I do my best in Los Angeles.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a rocky road, to say the least. There have been some incredible highs and lows. The easy part is creating for me. I could paint all the time. It is the constant tribulations of trying to prove yourself to gain respect from the so-called “art world” and the general public that is the biggest struggle. It really doesn’t matter what they think, but they have the biggest say in who is recognized with money.
That is when self-doubt and confusion about your abilities creep in. The thing that makes you the happiest becomes turmoil and people who are not true artists do not understand this. I can deal with hardships and criticisms, but it is the internal battle that is the most difficult to deal with. You just have to keep reminding yourself why you started in the first place, and for me, it was because I fell in love with being a painter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an artist who specializes in oil painting. I would consider myself a figurative painter, but I would not put a label on my “style” of painting. I believe every subject deserves to be painted individually and differently as no one person or object is the same. I think what people enjoy about my work is the color and rawness I use to express myself. I am most proud of my development as an artist since I only started painting 4 years ago.
I am also proud of moving to LA and finding people who appreciate my work as much as I do. What sets me apart is my pure passion for painting and its history. I will never stop painting. I would find a way to paint if I had nothing or no one.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My honesty. I know I am not perfect, but I believe in being true to myself and being open to learning. When people meet me I think they can see someone that isn’t putting on a front, but someone who wears their heart on their sleeve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luismiguelanaya.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/luismianaya/
Image Credits
Josh Palma and Taite Hylton
