We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christina Ramos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christina, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I think to be an accomplished artist, you have to be resilient. Surviving in the art world boils down to being able to be rejected on a regular basis and not giving up. In the beginning, when we start to take chances with our art, whether that means applying to a gallery, show or exhibition, we are going to experience rejection. At first that rejection stings, bruises our egos as well as make us doubt our work. You can do two things with that. Either you can give up, or you can take the attitude of “Ill show them”. Its all about pulling up your big girl pants and continuing to do what you love. As you mature, these rejections hurt less and less. You are also begin to receive a “Yes” here and there. You have to use those Yes’s to fuel your fire and keep you motivated.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I always admired realism. I would go to the museums when I was young and just stare at the beautiful portraits created by the old masters. When I started painting I was mother with four young children. I picked up what cost the least and needed the least amount of supplies. This ended up being acrylics. I would paint while my children were at school, and learned by trial and error. There was very few, if any, examples of representational art using acrylics back then. If you wanted smooth blends you were told you had to use oils. After many years, I created my own process of application which mimics the look and feel of oils without the use of mediums or retarders.
I am currently the only acrylic painting instructor at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art as well as a Working Artist for the Golden Paints Company.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I always tell my beginning students “if you don’t like how your painting is looking because you have Good Taste”. Now because of your good taste, you know what you want your painting to look like. You are unhappy right now because its not looking the way you want it to. Now that can do one of two things to you as an artist. Either its going to make you quit, with that inner voice telling you “you’re not good enough” Or, its going to make you keep trying until you get it right. If you truly want to be good at your craft, you have to choose the latter. People always say “Oh, you are very talented”. In reality, talent has very little to do with being a good artist. Passion and the ability continue to work through the challenges are what’s going to make you a good artist. Figure out what’s wrong and learn how to fix it. That’s what is eventually make your painting successful
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Malcolm Gladwell “The Outliers”. Now this book has nothing really to do with art. What is does teach you is the different paths to becoming successful. One of the chapters is called the 10,000 hour rule. It explains how anything you put 10,000 hours into, you’re going to be good at. That has been my path. Work at you art like it is a job. A wonderful, beautiful, passionate job, but a job never the less. Be disciplined and put in the hours.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christinaramosart.com
- Instagram: @christinaramosart
- Facebook: Christina Ramos Art
