Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Vargas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Patricia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have my mom to thank for inspiring my beginnings in art. She’s an artist too, she might not call herself that, but she is. She paints beautiful landscapes and is an incredible drawer.
Growing up, I wanted to be like her, and, at the age of ten, I asked if she could take me to the store to buy me my first set of art supplies.
She got me a simple acrylic Sirius paint set and some inexpensive canvas boards to practice. As soon as I got home, I uncapped all of the paint tubes and started painting my first masterpiece. It had a plain butter yellow background with several red flowers that only had four petals each. All of the flowers interconnected with a green vine and leaves. My parents confirmed my masterpiece and encouraged me to keep going 🙂 .
That was enough motivation for me to spend the next 20 years continuing to paint, study, and grow as an artist.
Simultaneously another creative interest was brewing for me, and that was creating things digitally. Now, this might sound like an odd story, but I promise it will all make sense at the end.
That same ten year old me who was starting to learn how to paint was obsessed with Harry Potter. I spent hours pouring over the books, movies, and fan sites. There was one particular fansite called Mugglenet (still around today!). Back then, they would host monthly movie poster contests. Fans would collage together images from the previous movies to create their own “movie posters” based on whatever theme they had chosen that month. Month after month, I amazed by the submissions and wondered how they were doing it. How were they adding and blending the different images together?
Through a Yahoo search, I was able to find that they were most likely using a program called Photoshop. I started teaching myself how to manipulate images and create my own fan-made movie posters. And just the same way I fell in love with painting, I fell in love with creating digitally.
Eventually, I made my way into the art program and their independent graphic and web design program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There I practiced both sides of the creative spectrum. In my junior year, I was introduced to abstract art and instantly connected with this form of painting.
During and after college, I worked as a web designer. However, after four years in the field, I decided that it wasn’t filling my creative needs as I once thought it would. In 2013 I decided to go after my childhood dreams of becoming a painter and opened Parima Studio. I sold both acrylic paintings and digital paintings in the form of prints. Eventually, I transitioned entirely to digital because I felt that it more accurately reflected my passion for design and technology.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve found that running a business is a constant set of problems and struggles that I have to overcome daily. In addition to the creative struggles, I face when developing the advancement of my art.
Though aside from typical business issues, I’d have to say my hardest struggle is my internal dialogue with myself when facing the deep treacherous valleys of my business. As Marie Forleo has stated, “There are no greater words in the universe than the words you say to yourself.”
For many years now, I’ve been learning how to shift my mindset and reframe my thoughts. Essentially learning how to get out of my own way and take “responsibility” of the issue at hand, regardless if it was my fault or not. Stephen Covey stresses this idea in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. By taking ownership, I can come out of victim mode and into one of proactivity. Suddenly seeing past the fog and finding alternative paths for resolution.
Some of my favorite sources on the topic of mindset are Derek Rydall, James Wedmore’s podcast Mind Your Business, Brooke Castillo, and Tim Ferris’s book Tribe of Mentors.
This cupeled with my support system composed of my husband, parents, and my sister (who also has her own business and understands the unique struggles) has been truly invaluable to me. Their words of encouragement and thoughtful questions have helped me navigate these valleys and reach new mountains.
Please tell us about Parima Studio.
I’m an abstract painter working in the digital medium. I specialize in lively large scale art prints and sell them under my business name, Parima Studio.
My artwork focuses on the theme of self-reflection through the use of color and space. Utilizing the digital medium, I aim to create pieces that mimic the natural textures and effects of real-life paint — blurring the line between traditional painting and technology. The inspiration for my vibrant color palettes stems from images of contemporary interior design, landscape, and architecture.
Aside from developing my own line of work, I also enjoy creating custom pieces for private homes and commercial spaces, including hotels. The creative challenge of translating a client’s idea into a real-life piece is truly satisfying. It helps me discover new techniques and continue to push the boundaries of digital painting.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with brands like Anthropologie and sell my art through retailers such as West Elm and Pottery Barn. Along with a greeting card at Target in partnership with Minted.
I’ve also had my art included in commercials, various television series for network tv and streaming services, and the big screen.
All of these opportunities have been equally amazing. So I’d have to say that I’m most proud of the overall reach my art has achieved. It still feels surreal to me to see my art in all of these different spaces and media outlets. It goes far beyond what my younger self could have ever imagined.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up, we didn’t have a whole lot so when we wanted to play, we had to use our imaginations to their fullest extent. To entertain ourselves, we would come up with different games that would usually involve us running around the house, or we’d use simple things like a stack of books to build a house for our Barbie dolls.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://parimastudio.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/parimastudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParimaStudio
Image Credit:
Jackie Lindfors, Everydayness Photography
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