We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ainsley Dack a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ainsley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

A lot of people assume that I’ve always been a painter, but that isn’t the case. I was mostly into drawing and screen printing, and didn’t touch paints until years after my undergraduate degree. My entry into painting was unconventional. I started out by painting on clothing such as denim jackets and sneakers. At first I just wanted to paint cool things to wear, but then commissions started to follow, and I was painting on all kinds of materials, which gave me a great understanding of the technicalities and limitations of paint. I learned everything online each step of the way, which gave me the confidence to research and implement anything I want I try. I’ve since moved on to painting murals and fine art with oil on wood. Knowing what I know now, I would have dreamed bigger in the beginning and trusted that research and practice would take me anywhere I wanted to go.

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

I’m a contemporary artist based in Victoria, BC, specializing in murals portraying empowered individuals and emotionally charged oil paintings on wood.

I describe my work as existential and spiritual, exploring my personal struggles within the absurdity of this post-modern century, where culture often loses its meaning, becoming synonymous with consumerism. I see this as a shared sentiment due to the ongoing mental health crisis. The subjects in my portraits convey a spectrum of emotions from depression to spiritual peace.

My aim is to foster a community committed to reclaiming autonomy in shaping meaningful lives built from love and virtue, and to offer the art community an alternative to commercialism, hype, and irony. We all co-create the reality we live in, and we have the power to build the lives we want to live. I hope that my portraits allow the viewer to feel their own emotions and reevaluate their relationship with life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For a few years, I had a successful sneaker customization business. It started out when I painted on my own clothes for myself, and then gradually everybody wanted their own custom jacket or sneakers. I was able to increase my prices, create more complex and realistic designs, and I even learned how to customize motorcycle helmets. People would come to me to celebrate their favourite athletes, musician, and loved ones on their clothing. I loved making work directly for people and seeing how my art meant something personal to them.

But in order to break through to the next level to become one of the elite sneaker artists, I knew that it would require me to double down my investment into my business. In the back of my mind, I had always had this expectation that my sneaker art business would gradually lead me back towards my roots, and I would express my own vision rather than fulfilling the client’s orders. I knew that I was at a crossroads and I could either narrow down on custom sneakers and become the best that I could be in that medium, or take what I learned from years of painting for clients and start over on my own path to becoming a traditional artist like I’ve always dreamed of being.

And so, last spring I decided to quit my own business, pick up a day job, and start learning how to paint with oils. I spent a few months developing my own style and preferred techniques, and then began building my portfolio and network. I felt crazy doing this, because I was previously making money as an artist, and that’s not something that’s easy to walk away from. But I was confident in the skills I picked up as a business owner, and I’m proud to say that only less than a year later, I have shown every piece I’ve made thus far in a gallery, sold my first painting, and completed four murals.

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

My goal is to combat the mental health crisis we’re experiencing by helping people understand that their pain is a natural and healthy response to the isolating environment or our modern lifestyles, and to inspire them to create deeper meaning in their lives through community, and connecting with spirituality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ainsleydack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainsleydack