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

Calla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

There was never a time before I knew that I wanted to be an artist. My friends from when I was 5 years old tell me that even then, I would always talk about how I was going to be an artist.  And my family says I was always making things from the beginning. I had always assumed I would be doing it professionally as an adult.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Calla, and I am a fine artist based in Los Angeles. Although I have worked in many mediums over the years, these days I am a figurative realist oil painter. I was a collage artist around 2010 and had the opportunity to create album artwork for several musicians in the Witch House music scene. Since then I received my BFA from CalArts and have exhibited in various places across the US and worldwide, including The Tate Modern, The Salmagundi Club of New York and California Art Club. I create original works of art – oil paintings, drawings on paper, watercolors and prints – selling them online or through galleries, and occasionally do commission work. I think that what sets me apart is the unique style of my work, having an intuitive sense for aesthetics, and being able to create paintings that combine both contemporary concepts and old master techniques.

What I am most proud of is being able to look back on the last 14 years that I have had a serious art practice and seeing my body of work growing as a whole. It can be easy for artists to get fixated on what we are currently working on and think that’s all that matters or defines us. But really each individual piece we do makes up just one part of our life’s work, which is what’s most important in the end.

And what I want people to know about my work is that it’s something I’m very passionate about – to the level of obsession – and I hope they are excited about it too, because there is much more to come!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I took drawing classes in and outside of school since I was about 7 years old. And it taught me some basics but I assumed that once I got to art school I could finally learn to draw and paint like a master. However once I went to art school, I found that their conceptual art program did not offer courses on traditional drawing or painting. It wasn’t until years later in 2019 that I decided I would try oil painting for the first time and begin teaching myself. I was amazed to find how much free information is available online! On youtube, artist blogs, forums, as well as instagram videos by painters whose skill I admired. And from these sources I also sometimes found recommendations for books, which were easy to purchase pre owned on ebay or amazon.
At first I felt that being self taught would be a hindrance, but I know that sometimes if an artist learns under a teacher it can be difficult to break away from that particular teacher’s working methods and opinions to do your own thing. In the end I was able to learn about and compare many different approaches and sources of information and find what suited me best.
Having all of these free resources out there is a huge help for young artists today. But in the end, the only way to truly learn is through years of practice.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is when someone tells me they were inspired by something I made. If it has moved them enough to want to own the piece, even better! But when someone tells me that my art excited them, made them happy, offered them a new perspective, or gave them the courage to do something brave creatively, it makes me very happy.
I realized that the goal of my artistic practice is to be in a constant state of inspiration. In this state, an ecstatic energy propels me forward and from here ideas come, art becomes inevitable, and other people begin to follow along. If I can transfer some of this energy through my work into another person, and make them feel the way that I feel, that’s incredibly rewarding.  That’s what makes life worth living.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.calladonofrio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/calladonofrio
• Facebook: facebook.com/calladonofrio
• Email: [email protected]