Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alley Auchter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been live wedding painting. Not only is it so special to paint a couple on the happiest day of their lives, but the aspect of being there live, feeling the love firsthand and participating in their special day is such a meaningful and emotional experience. I love witnessing love, and witnessing a couple’s friends and families celebrate their love, and painting live allows me to capture more of that pure emotion in the painting than I would be able to from photos. Knowing that my painting can forever bring a couple back to such a special, fleeting moment is so rewarding.

Alley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been creating as long as I can remember. I grew up in a family of artists – my mom used to design board games and my dad used to be a potter – so I was very lucky that art was already a staple in my household. While I’ve always been an artist, I really started getting serious about selling my work a little while after graduating college. I started offering commissions, participating in local craft fairs, and selling work in local shops and galleries. Live wedding painting is my most recent new service.

I also love painting on location out in nature. Painting live gives me a stronger sense of connection to my subject, and I believe that connection shows through in the painting! The fresh air, elements, and changing natural light all effect the painting process and the results feel so genuine and raw to me, like the painting was a part of nature itself.

I paint using both oils and acrylics and my subjects range from landscapes, to florals, to still lifes, to portraits and pets. I love vivid color and bold brushstrokes. For me painting is a very instinctual process which allows me to slow down and appreciate little details in my subject like the color of a shadow or the angles of a dog’s nose. I hope that my paintings inspire viewers to notice and appreciate little things as well.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The community can support artists in so many ways! Shopping small and paying a fair price for creative work is an obvious one, but even just interacting with the arts and artists is huge! Liking, commenting on, or sharing social media posts is so appreciated. Sharing posts is the best because word of mouth is so important to artists and you never know what new opportunities could come from that. I guarantee if you share an artist’s post you make their day! Tell your friends and family about artists you like, and attend community events like craft fairs or gallery shows. I also recommend learning more about creative work by following artists on social media or visiting local galleries or gift shops. Learning how much time, training, and effort goes into handmade work helps give creatives the recognition and appreciation they deserve. And surrounding yourself with beautiful artwork is always a wonderful thing!

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

As a painter, I’m personally not a fan of NFT’s. People are spending all this money on NFTs while physical, original, beautiful pieces are out there unsold. Painting is a physical process, and I believe artwork should be something to physically surround yourself with in your home. You should be able to look at it daily and feel warmth and emotion and maybe a memory it reminds you of. I just don’t understand the benefit someone gets from owning an NFT.

There’s also a lot of scams going around right now where scammers message artists asking to buy their work as NFT’s, so if you’re an artist watch out for that!

Contact Info:

• Website: alleyauchterartist.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/alley_auchter_artist
• Facebook: facebook.com/alleyauchtercreative