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

Charity, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Growing up in a small town in Alabama didn’t expose me to a lot of art, but luckily my grandmother was the art and math teacher at the high school and my mom would take me to her college art classes when I was young. I also had a high school teacher ask me to compete with my art for Beta Club. All of this plus living in a historic town brought me to the college major of art history where I could interact with artists in museums and galleries. While I was working on a graduate degree in art history at Syracuse University, I attended an art opening that changed my life. The art works were cubist deconstructions and the gallery brought a violin player who composed snippets of music for select paintings. The audience had the pleasure of watching visual art inspire sound that night. I came home and was inspired to start making my own art again. I had only brought chalk pastels to school with me, but that night was when I began to believe I could be an artist. Before then, I just didn’t think I was creative enough. This music and art experience inspired me and taught me that I could be an artist.

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

I am a two-dimensional painter interested in the visualization of emotions, tapping into the hidden knowledge of the subconscious, and relinquishing control to mine forgotten memories. The primary question when approaching a painting is how to portray emotions. Tuning into emotions is reaching the inner core of a person and placing these feelings on canvas for others to witness is a true sharing of who you are with the world. I see feelings as the pure form of a person and as the catalyst for what people remember.

Our conscious minds can only process a finite amount of information but digging into the subconscious can reveal unnoticed insights. Through intuitive art making, I drag up forgotten memories, that often include blips of other memories all entwined to make one work of art. Scenes from nature appear from long ago hikes to conjure emotions of forgiveness, belonging, and grounding. Deep memories of moss patterns, tree shapes, and rock texture inform the brushstrokes. These paintings hold the sum of the artist’s conscious and subconscious mind, years of learning in one work of art.

Feelings are also inescapable. No matter who you are or where you go everyone has feelings. My art aims to tear down all barriers erected around raw emotions and the goal is to reach the heart of a feeling. Each painting is a moment, an attempt to channel emotions, and to capture them on canvas in the hopes they will resonate with someone going through the same feelings. They are also a blip of we are not alone and a cathartic release of turning emotions into the power of beauty; a reassurance of being connected and loved and seen.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have had to unlearn is holding on too tightly. By this I mean most visual artists start with an image in their head, an inspiration, or even a photograph or scene they want to translate into art. What holds back a lot of people from creating art is this vision in their head and the worry they will not do it justice. Many people who have never created are afraid to start because they believe they will be bad, as if there is just one way to create. But the image in their head is just that a thought, an idea. It isn’t real, not yet. You have to actually take action and begin creating to bring that image from your mind out into the world. This is where you learn and where the process can teach you if you just let go a little. This is where creatives take what they see, hear, and experience and turn it into something new, inspiring, and relatable. The process of creation is where your own style comes in to play and where you learn. If you are holding on to that imaginary perfection in your head, you’ll never create anything you like. But when you learn to trust yourself and the process that moment is where the magic happens. My best art is when I let go and then my art teaches me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I have written a lot of words about my art and my art practice, but simply I am on a search for beauty and truth. I want more beauty in the world. We need it now more than ever. We need the light to illuminate the dark. And art is the easiest way to do this.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://charitytroyart.square.site/
• Instagram: Charitytroy
• Facebook: Charity Troy
• Linkedin: Charity Troy

Image Credits
All by me, Charity Troy