Today we’d like to introduce you to Baret Boisson.
Hi Baret, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Florence, Italy to an artist’s parents and raised in South America, France, and New York. I majored in Political Science and minored in East Asian studies and women’s studies at Barnard College/Columbia University.
After college and my first job at Random House, I moved to Los Angeles. The transition from one coast to the other was difficult and I didn’t know anyone in this new city. The following years were challenging and I tried to make a new life for myself, but one evening, quite by accident, I was invited to a new friend’s home. He had music playing, poured us each a glass of wine, and ushered me to a spot on the floor where he had an assortment of paint and large sheets of thick paper spread out. I was 30 years old and didn’t remember ever having painted before. Right away, I felt I fell in love with the feeling of losing myself in the creative process and started painting regularly. I mostly painted portraits of people who inspired me- Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali and Rosa Parks were among my first subjects. Soon, I was getting commissions- actually selling my work. And while I was entirely self-taught, I had grown up surrounded by art, fashion, and design. My color sensibility and unique style appealed to clients who sought out my paintings for the “person who had everything.”
Besides commissioned portraits, I continued to paint those I admired: ordinary men and women who had risen to address pressing social challenges and made a difference in the world. I called the series “Inspiring Greatness” and the number of portraits grew to include Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, and Greta Thunberg. In 2016 I was invited to have a solo show at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
That same year I moved to a live/work space in Santa Barbara, CA, just steps from the ocean. I count my blessings every day that in spite of my unconventional and belated path to making art, I am today able to do what I love for a living.
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?
While the road hasn’t always been without its challenges, one silver lining has been not having had any expectations that I would make a living making art. But once it clicked that it was more than a passion but a business, making art became my primary focus. I put one foot in front of the other and never looked back. I kept selling my work and getting commissions, and over the past few years have had to work through a waitlist.
Even during the Covid pandemic, when I thought that work would surely slow down, I found the opposite to be true. People were now putting more value on their home environment and were choosing to spend money in more meaningful ways than they might have before. I received a number of commissions for family portraits and sold almost all of the artwork that I had available in the studio. Making a living as an artist isn’t always easy, but the adage is true that if you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.
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 a self-taught artist, I have developed two primary bodies of work, representational and abstract. The representational pieces include the “Inspiring Greatness” series, as well as the commissioned wedding and family portraits. With abstract paintings, I paint with more abandon. I don’t map anything out beforehand, put on some good music, pour myself a glass of wine, and just start playing with paint on canvas. It’s an organic process and will take as long as it takes for me to feel happy with the piece, which could be days or weeks, or months.
I value the non-linear, meditative process and have no desire to create an artificial deadline for any of the abstract pieces. In fact, I often paint over a work in some part or in its entirety and recognize that what has come before is just a part of the journey. I make a concerted effort to never compare myself to what other artists are making or charging, instead focusing on expressing myself authentically through my work. Seeing my pieces celebrated in beautiful homes and collections around the world is the best kind of validation I could wish for.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am enormously grateful to all of the people who have supported me on this journey.
There is a long list! With this gratitude in mind, I try to pay it forward, spending time with young artists who seek guidance and encouraging those exploring their creative side after a lifetime of raising children or long careers behind a desk! It’s never too late to start!
Contact Info:
- Website: baretboisson.com
- Instagram: linktr.ee/baretboissonart
