We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ariana Hoch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ariana below.

Ariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I love being an artist. I have the creative freedom to pursue what I am passionate about and evolve myself and my practice. I think now more than ever we are seeing a shift away from the traditional 9-5 “regular jobs” and we are questioning how we want to spend our time. As an artist I want to create more opportunities outside my studio and push myself each year to see where my art can take me.

Something I didn’t learn in school is that being an artist/creative can be as expansive as you make it. The life of the artist is often visualized as being solitary- for me it is the opposite. Aside from painting in my studio on my own projects and commissions for clients I am very passionate about collaborations. As an artist I have worked for television sets, clothing brands, and been able to travel because of my art. One of my favorite projects this past summer was working up in Steamboat Springs, CO for a performing arts camp in the mountains. I spent two weeks collaborating with the head costume designer to design beautiful pieces for six dance performances at the camp. I loved creating in a new setting, working with an extremely talented team and seeing my artwork on dancers as the final product. Being an artist I am constantly reimagining where my art can take me and I love knowing that the answer is infinite.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an abstract and watercolor painter currently based in Boulder, CO. My work explores vibrant color palettes and thick textures through various mediums on linen and paper. I love painting outdoors in nature when possible and working with clients to develop commissioned pieces that are uniquely personal and bring joy and a sense of peace to their homes.

This past summer I created a “Lazy Cowgirl” watercolor series inspired by my hikes on the front range and the nature here in Boulder. These works on paper of ink drawn cowgirls in various natural settings combined original quotes about surrounding yourself with people and places that nurture your soul and wish to see you thrive. I found this series to be very grounding for my own practice and loved connecting with clients who also resonated with these pieces.

I am currently working on a framing my large abstract series titled “Orange is My Favorite Color.” These paintings are color driven with warm vibrant palettes and painted with massive brushstrokes on large raw linen canvas. My process in the studio was very playful and expressive and I loved using large brushes and thick oil pastels.

I also love collaborating with creatives to expand my practice and curating my work to elevate public spaces for the community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson is to keep evolving your work. It can be very hard in the beginning when you are still developing your style as an artist to keep exploring and evolving your work. It is easy is stay in one lane, one medium, one scale when your work is doing well. As a creative there is no finish line to reach- we are constantly evolving, learning, and becoming inspired and that must translate to our work as artists.

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

I love the opportunities my artwork has given me. I love seeing my work in beautiful spaces, working with talented creatives to make a vision come to life, and connecting with others through my work. The process is very rewarding from inception to exhibition.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arianajhoch.com/
• Instagram: @fikkachica

Image Credits
gabby poux