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

Hi Ana, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I can’t explain what it is about painting. I grew up drawing, and have tried out so many different materials over the years, but painting is what I love. Maybe it’s because I have a mind that never rests, except while painting, when my mind is clear. I achieve some sort of Zen.

I will always paint, and always create, but I do think from time to time about how things would be easier if I just had a “regular” job. I have yet to have a year where my creative work has fully financially sustained me. I have been lucky to have jobs that are at least related to art and creating, but I have always had to fit my personal artistic work into nights, weekends, and days off. I have structured my day jobs to prioritize time off, so that I can essentially be working my second job of painting my personal work in the cracks of time between shifts.

Having to fit work into every nook and cranny of my time off has at times left me wishing for a “regular” job. Not so much the job, but the schedule. The ability to say “The work day is done, and now I can just relax and enjoy friends and family”. The heavy irony of being an artist who paints moments of leisure with friends and family, but who loses most of the time available to have those moments to my studio time. It does not help that my husband is in the same boat with his music practice. Life becomes work, art becomes work. It takes a conscience effort to not lose your life to your pursuits.

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

My name is Ana Medina. I am originally from Florida, where I grew up drawing on everything, and being taken to local art fairs by my dad. He is Colombian, and a wonderful painter, who had to focus on providing for our family over pursuing his art. I received my BFA from Florida State University, and my MFA from The University of New Mexico, where I lived for 5 years before moving out to Los Angeles.

I have worked in a lot of different materials, but painting is my love. Working in oil paint, I have spent thousands of hours painting to refine my craft. I work in a photorealistic style, working from my own photographs that I have taken spontaneously of moments with family and friends. I like to share moments that feel like they bind us, and I work from spontaneous moments because it feel somehow artificial to make up the scenes that I depict. The process of painting is appropriate for my work because it lets me spend time recreating, and in a sense prolonging, the moments I choose to represent- in stark contrast to how quickly we consume and discard digital memories today.

In the age social media my paintings celebrate how we now constantly share the sentimental mundane of every day. These contemporary genre scenes depict the world around me, my family, and friends as they go about their daily lives. With the current overabundance of access we have to each others digital photo albums, a new generation has been made to feel that they have to make every moment iconic- that their life needs to be bigger, better, and more beautiful than everyone else’s. I hope to remind people through my work that every little simple moment that is spent shared with each other, or in quiet reflection is already perfection- no filter required.

Over the years I have participated in residencies, won awards, shown across the country, had a billboard in central LA, been included in many publications, and most recently had a solo show with Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles. I currently work out of Altadena, California. I teach at Moorpark College, and take on private commissions for a small number of clients while pursuing my own work. More info can be found at www.AnaMedina.net.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When I was in college, an adjunct professor told us that drawing was “creating your own reality on a 2 dimensional surface”. As I’ve gotten older I have realized that being an artist is creating your own reality in all aspects of life. While painting is my main medium, artists like myself just love working with our hands. Making something out of nothing. Over time I have learned how to work with wood, metal, printmaking, weaving, and even delved into construction materials while learning how to renovate my home. As an artist there is no limit to what you can manifest to make your vision of life a reality.
I will also say that sharing that gift with others it also INCREDIBLY rewarding. Whether it is showing someone how to use a new material, or creating an heirloom painting of a treasured family member or moment for them, or using art to raise funds for important causes. As my dad said “Art is the greatest endeavor anyone can pursue to change the lives of the people of the world.”

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It feels weird to think of myself as resilient, because there are so many other people in the world who have overcome more than I can fathom. Personally, becoming a mother was a big challenge to my work as an artist. Not because it had to be that way, but because there is not enough support for artists who choose to be parents. We live at a time where constant content is king, where you need to never take a moment from promoting yourself if you hope for people to take interest in you. Or maybe that’s just how it feels. For me, finding my way back into my studio after becoming a mom was a triumph. And having my first solo show in Los Angeles 2 years later confirmed that I could continue to find time and space to do what I love without sacrificing other personal and family goals.

I find myself back in this place right now, because my family just lost our home, and my painting studio to the wildfires in Altadena. I feel so much support around me, but I guess my resilience to this situation is yet to be seen!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.AnaMedina.net
• Instagram: @ana_paints
• Other: https://vimeo.com/user63792159