We were lucky to catch up with Cecilia Anastos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cecilia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’m an award-winning Italian-American painter, when I paint, I get transported into a world of infinite imagination. Multiple colors surround me. I feel like the canvas patiently awaits to discover its own transformation. I hope one day everyone can feel like I do when they discover their purpose.

As wonderful as painting has become for me now, it did not start out that way. Initially I was rebellious against my art teachers because they did not allow me to express my ideas on canvas. I was forced to paint what they wanted, and I did not enjoy painting as much as I do now. Not feeling this was right for me, I walked away from the instructors and became a self-taught painter. But even this did not help and I still felt something was missing. Instead of continuing, I walked away from painting.

In 2008, after a long hiatus, I began painting again. I felt that painting was calling me back. I knew deep down there was something inside me that I needed to express, there was something I was still missing. I still believed I had a lot to say in figurative and abstract composition styles, but I didn’t know what was missing.

In 2016, I open the studio to the public, and create my online gallery at www.ceciliaanastos.com. I organized pop up shows at local San Diego restaurant called Pappalecco showcasing emerging local painters.

In 2020, I had the very good fortune to meet award-winning painter Pablo Macherett whom agreed to mentor me and help me discover the unique voice in painting I have today. After a year, in 2021, I discovered my unique voice in fine art. Now when you look at one of my paintings you will see, and hopefully feel, the unique strokes and the strong desire to be part of the composition. Some of my clients who have purchased my art said they have felt a profound, and uplifting composition that left them mesmerized.

Since 2020, I have received several awards: the 2020 Artist of the Future Award, the 2021 Power of Creativity, the 2021 Certificate of Artistic Excellence, the 2022 Luxembourg Art Prize, and 2022 Artistic Excellence through the Circle Foundation of the Arts (CFA).

I feel that listening to that inner voice telling me to paint as well as the perseverance to paint every week has worked well for me. I also study about color, and participate in as many exhibitions and events as I can.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I create paintings using oil or acrylic on canvas, paper or wood panels. The compositions are colorful, profound and uplifting.

My clients received a ready to hang painting with free advise on which wall the painting will look best. I also provide commissioned paintings. In fact, one of my commissioned paintings titled Seven Kinds of Love now hangs at the San Diego Supreme Court, office of Hon. Judge Lizbet Muñoz.

A Cecilia Anastos painting is not just a decoration but an investment. A good art investment must have two characteristics: 1) Created by an artist who has a unique voice, and 2) an artist who exhibits and participates in competitions. I have both, and this set me apart from other artists.

I am proud that I was able to develop a unique voice and that I can express myself well in differentthemes: landscapes, cityscapes, figurative paintings, and abstract art.

Each Cecilia Anastos painting is one of a kind. I do not sell prints of my work. This gives the Cecilia Anastos brand a higher value because there is only one single composition available, and it is always the original painting.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Best thing society can do it to support the living artists because the dead artists don’t need to eat.
I understand that you might like art movements from the past. I do as well. My favorite periods are Impressionism and post-Impressionism. For the past, we have museums such as the Musée d’Orsai in Paris with an amazing collection of painters from these two movements. In San Diego, I enjoy going to Balboa Park and visit the San Diego Museum of Art.

At home, I have many paintings from living Belgium painter Guy Moreaux, and living Australian painter Cindy Parsley, and of course some of my own. I would never buy a print or reproduction and spend a cent in framing it because I truly believe in supporting the living artist.

Of course you might think that this statement is a self-serving purpose. It would be if I have not bought paintings from other living artists, but I did.

These are some of the reasons why I want to help push this movement of supporting the living artists, besides the fact that the dead ones do not need the money, many did not leave descendants that would enjoy the profit of their posthumous sales, and auction houses are the ones that get the most from the sale of dead painters’ works.

1) Art is an investment – If you buy from an artist that, like myself, participates in juried exhibitions and receives awards, then your painting will increase in value and becomes a commodity not different than real estate.

2) If you buy from a local artist, you are helping the local economy. Artists pay a lot of taxes each time we sell a painting, and those taxes go to support the local library, schools, road projects, etc.

3) When you hang the painting of a living artist on your wall, you can almost feel the story that inspired that painting. All of my paintings come with a Certificate of Authenticity that describes the inspiration or raison d’ être for that particular painting.

4) There are many forgeries being sold in the art markets and even experts sometimes have a difficult time asserting the authenticity of a painting. When you buy from a living artist that provides a certificate of authenticity, you are receiving an indisputable proof for that painting.

5) When you buy a unique and original painting rather than a print or a reproduction, you are hanging something that nobody else has. This is the reason why my paintings are not available in print. I only sell the original so the owners of my paintings feel special because they have one of a kind.

6) When you buy the works from living artists, you are helping advance the future of the art world. I understand if you want to own a Picasso or a Pollock. If you can afford it, go for it (as long as you buy the original). At the same time, I would like to see in your home some paintings from a living artist as well. This way, you balance the scale. You also impact the career of the living artist.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to continue creating affordable paintings so every household can have at least one original painting from a living artist. When you visit my website, you will notice that the size of my compositions are such that fit in most homes and apartments. There are 9 x 12 inches to 36 x 36 inches paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ceciliaanastos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceciliaanastosart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ceciliaanastospaintings
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaanastos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ceciliaanastosart