We recently connected with Chelsea Boxwell and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

For me, success isn’t about selling a piece or racking up accolades—it’s about those electric moments when I’m pouring my heart into something I genuinely believe in. I’ve come to understand that my “masterpiece” isn’t finished yet, and the best is still ahead of me. Recognizing that my journey is ongoing eases the pressure to achieve “success” immediately—it’s a reminder that both my work and my life are constantly evolving. This perspective frees me to keep experimenting and exploring, without feeling tied to any arbitrary finish line.

I used my passion and talent to build a life for myself in Los Angeles, which was a dream all on its own—especially for a little girl growing up in Texas. Just getting here was a major success in my eyes. It might sound simple, but embracing that accomplishment reminds me that success can take countless forms. Each milestone, no matter how small it may seem, contributes to a bigger picture of growth and fulfillment.

At the end of the day, I know I’m on the right path as long as I still love to create. That’s how I measure success—by the excitement I feel whenever I step into the studio, ready to push the boundaries of my art one brushstroke (or glitter toss) at a time. The gallery shows and recognition are great, of course, but the real triumph lies in waking up each day eager to paint something new, share a new idea, and keep expanding what I thought was possible.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Chelsea Boxwell is a painter and installation artist who reinvents painting by transforming it into immersive, site-specific experiences. She creates “multi-dimensional paintings”—large-scale environments of layered paintings and fabrics that challenge traditional ideas of painting. Chelsea says she’s “interested in painting, not Painting—the verb, not the noun.” Her work is suspended, draped, or stretched across architectural spaces, adapting to each location. Each installation is a fleeting, site-specific experience that can never be exactly replicated.

Originally from Texas, Chelsea is now based in Los Angeles. She earned a BFA from the University of North Texas in 2013 and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 2017. She served as MFA Chair on the Alumni Board for six years, working to connect and engage fellow alumni.

Her work has been exhibited throughout Los Angeles at PØST, Charlie James Gallery, MASH Gallery, and Royale Projects Contemporary Art. She was a featured artist at BoldPas 2019: A Day of Art & Play in Old Pasadena, where she created an 800-square-foot suspended painting over a street as part of the festival.

Chelsea’s love for color began in childhood and deepened in graduate school. Later, she discovered she has tetrachromacy and an astigmatism, which greatly shape her perception of color. Her astigmatism causes her to see glitter and lights as starbursts, fueling her love for reflective and dynamic surfaces. This sensitivity draws her to bright colors, glitter, and sequins that shift with light and movement. She incorporates fabrics because they evoke the same emotional connection she feels toward paint. Their draped forms extend the painting beyond the canvas, enhancing the multidimensional experience.

Chelsea insists her work remains painting rather than sculpture. She paints first, then adapts the piece to the space it will inhabit, creating a dynamic interaction between painting and environment.

In addition to large-scale works, Chelsea creates smaller pieces that incorporate the same materials and techniques. Her “Candy Paintings” are 12×12-inch canvases exploring her signature aesthetic on a more intimate scale. These smaller works are often created on top of the large canvases, reinforcing the idea that paintings generate more paintings. Candy Paintings are available for purchase, and commissions are welcome—contact for availability.

Chelsea’s work explores the joy and impact of color, materiality, and space. Through immersive large-scale installations and intimate Candy Paintings, she seeks to create dynamic, enveloping experiences that transform perception and invite deeper engagement with color and form.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

A part of me paints, draws, and creates out of compulsion—I have to. I’m driven to put pen, pencil, marker, or paintbrush to paper or canvas. It’s not just about making art; it’s about something deeper, something almost instinctual. I think non-creatives might struggle to understand that it’s truly not just a hobby or a career path—it’s a way of processing the world, of existing in it. Creating is how I release emotions, make sense of things, and feel connected to something bigger than myself. I always say, I’ll always be an artist, no matter what else I may be doing at the time. When I go too long without creating something, I feel restless, off, like there’s something unsettled inside me.

It’s also hard to explain how deeply personal and emotional color is for me. The way color moves me is something I didn’t even fully understand until later in life. It’s not just visual—it’s emotional, physical, and immersive. That’s why my work became what it is—why it spills beyond the canvas, why I use layers, glitter, sequins, and fabric. I want other people to feel color the way I do, to experience it, not just look at it.

So if there’s any insight I can offer, it’s that creativity isn’t just about making something—it’s about needing to. It’s messy, obsessive, emotional, sometimes exhausting, but it’s who I am. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’ve always believed I could do whatever I set my mind to, thanks to a strong support system that encouraged my talents and kept my dreams alive. Growing up with that mindset helped me bounce back whenever people told me I couldn’t do something.

In high school, for example, I was bullied but in college, I made a conscious choice to own every part of who I was—flaws included—and focus on building real confidence. By the time I got to grad school as a colorful, abstract painter, I was thriving. Another student in my MFA program, a male abstract artist who worked mainly in black, white, and an occasional red, and I used to have long conversations about our work. I’d even mentioned to him that I just couldn’t stand green or orange in my paintings—something about those colors just never worked.

Then one day, I walked into my beautifully bright and safe studio and found gallons of green and orange paint thrown all over my safe space; paintings, walls, and pretty much everything else. The paint was still wet. It turned out the same person I thought I’d been sharing ideas with had gone on a drunken rampage in my studio—and apparently actually saw me as a threat. He ended up expelled, leaving me to deal with the literal mess.

I had to decide if I was going to be defeated by the situation or transform it. I chose resilience. I took that ruined canvas and covered it with green glitter to reclaim the damage, added more of my own colors, and then displayed it in two connected rooms so that viewers could only see half at a time. One side showed my bright hues, labeled “She Said,” and the other was the glittered-over mess titled “He Said.” Flipping the usual phrase “He said, she said” was my way of taking back my voice—and my power—on my terms.

Ultimately, this experience reminded me that resilience isn’t about never facing obstacles; it’s about deciding to keep pushing forward even when someone literally tries to destroy years of accumulated work. It’s about turning what was meant to hurt you into the very thing that propels you forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.chelseaboxwell.com
• Instagram: Chelseabox_art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-boxwell/