We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Faustina. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.
Angela, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned to create my body of work through tons of trial and error. I had to make a lot of bad fruit paintings before making some good ones, and eventually the good ones became better. When I first started out I was so afraid of judgment that it held my painting back. Instead of just going for it and painting all day every day, wherever I could to build up my skill, I obsessed about every little mark I made. If I got out of my head more I would have naturally become a better painter faster. I’m glad I took the time in school to hone the essentials like form, value, and color theory. If I ever find myself stuck on a painting, I will go back to see if I overlooked the basics and if anything like that will help push my painting forward.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My sticky-sweet oil paintings transform glistening fruit into its own unique world. Capturing perfectly ripe, juicy fruit flesh in each brushstroke, my artwork focuses on the beauty and vibrancy of life. These paintings are bright, lively, intimate, and bold as hell. Walking the line between realism and idealism, these are not your traditional still life paintings.
Close-cropped but not confined, my fruit is a complex landscape that serves as a bridge from the universal to the personal. For me, magnifying often overlooked details, textures, and patterns beneath the peel parallels the heightened awareness and attention that my body demands due to my lupus. The dichotomy between vibrant color and delicate intricacies of my fruit paintings echoes the strength and fragility inherent to chronic illness.
Although the fruit is presented in an original way, the common subject matter represents a universally shared experience that spans borders, religion, and culture. Due to my fresh take on the genre and the universal appeal of my subject matter, my artwork has been collected and exhibited for 16 years in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. My mouth-watering murals are on view in America’s vibrant southeastern cities, including Atlanta, St. Petersburg, and Florence, AL. Educators around the world include my artwork in their still life, photorealism, and color curricula. I am represented by Signet Contemporary Art in London, England, and The Loft in Marietta, GA.
I grew up in South Florida but have been proudly calling the Atlanta area home since 2015. I graduated summa cum laude with concentrations in Studio Art and History from New College of Florida in Sarasota, FL, while completing additional coursework at Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota and Parsons: The New School for Design in New York, NY.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
It’s amazing when people find a bit of their past, present, or future selves in my artwork.
Creating something from nothing is also pretty special!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I hope to teach people to slow down and explore the beauty and vibrancy of life in unexpected places.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://angelafaustina.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/angelafaustina
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaFaustina/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/angelafaustina
- Other: https://linktr.ee/AngelaFaustina