embracing an unrestricted life with Ashley Arakas

Our Drive-by interviews continue with artist Ashley Arakas--one of 39 amazing artists in our current Still Life exhibition.

Pause a moment and dip into her world.

What does creating art provide for you?

Creating and producing my art is a crucial outlet for me. It provides me with a sense of self worth, an ability to express myself and a way to communicate and interact with those around me without my physical presence. It’s so funny, this question provides me with a copious amount of answers and I feel as though there is not enough archival space to place it all. Although sometimes the overall process can be stressful, demanding, frustrating and often daunting, I find myself always coming back to it and enduring it because I am enraptured by it. I am not a slave to it. I enjoy it. It helps me grow not only as a person, but as an artist as well. Each creation is a journey, an adventure into the unknown, a spiritual epiphany, a crude expression to connecting to those around me, an explanation of me without words. I could honestly go on forever. To sum it all it provides me with purpose and the will to move forward. I learn something new from each piece I create, they teach me, they allow me to be visible without any sort of restraints. They empower me. They ground me. Creating provides me with comfort when I feel apprehensive for something I want to physically say.

What about yourself challenges you the most?

The biggest challenge I face with myself is staying on topic. With ANYTHING. Especially my art though. I find myself working on a series, finally getting into it, then a new idea comes across my path and immediately I lose all interest in current series and want to move on to the new. I have always had this problem growing up. When I was younger I had a series of different paintings all around my art room and what was funny was none of them were ever completed. There would be a portrait of a woman with everything done except the eyelashes and hair, flower pots with no flowers, and some paintings without backgrounds at all! SO, through out the years I have become more serious about my works and have made it a point to write down and document any new ideas while working on a series and to just come back to the other ones AFTER I had completed them. Or even work on multiple at a time.

Do you encounter misconceptions about being an artist?

Oh all the time. I am a young recent graduate from CCU and I have people ask me all the time what I majored in in school, and I reply, “Art Studio”. Often times their demeanor completely changes, their mouths suddenly agape, their eyes faintly slanted and this dubious look is plastered all over their face. Like they are judging me. I almost feel embarrassed. I feel like I am being ridiculed for allowing myself to follow a career path that I am fervent about. I often hear the reply, “Well I hope you enjoy your life of poverty” or (and very skeptically put) “sooooo . . . what are you going to do with that?” It really frustrates me sometimes but then I realize, people are often incredulous about things that they do not really understand. My reply to all of them when they ask me is “It doesn’t matter what you do in life, as long as you have the ambition and passion to drive you to succeed, then you will be successful”. Getting angry and frustrated doesn’t stop ignorance, proving them wrong does.

What are you presently inspired by?

My most recent and active oil series are my Modernized Vanitas paintings. Being a young and upcoming artist, I am somewhat new to the art realm and am trying to learn everything I can about it almost everyday. Right now I am trying to focus on not necessarily what’s ‘in’ right now, but what I personally like and want to see. I came across vanitas paintings in my art history class during my undergrad and I loved the idea behind it! Also it helps that my dad is a big game hunter so I have a plethora of animal bones to choose from and incorporate into my compositions! So right now I am inspired by taking something authentic and translating it with the use of my own personal twist to it! Being able to physically set up these still life’s and manipulate them how I would like to and being able to personalize my work how I’d like to. That’s always nice.

Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting?

I am currently working on three larger pieces for my Modernized Vanitas series. I am excited about working on these pieces in particular, because there are certain elements in each piece that are new to me and are challenging because I have never painted them before. The lurid color palette is also stimulating and exciting to say the least. I love bright colors; they provide a sense of humor for these pieces I feel. Considering the initial theme of ‘vanitias’ is to focus on the idea of mortality and is typically devised as a morose subject matter, I like to keep my sardonic personality present by “Livening” up the mood with a vivacious color scheme.

Words to live by . . . a favorite quote or motto?

I know this may seem super cheesy, but my dad had this magnet on the refrigerator growing up that said, Live, like there is no tomorrow, Laugh, as if no one can hear you, Dance, as if no one is watching. This quote has stuck with me every since I was young. I know it seems clique, but every time I hear this or read it, it reignites something in me. It makes me rethink my life and realize that there are no restrictions, only the ones we make for ourselves. It reminds me to be myself, regardless of my inhibitions and societal protocol. I believe everyone deserves to live an unrestricted life, whether it being art related or anything else. We only have one, so enjoy it.

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