We recently connected with Christina Conway and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had pursued my creative career sooner. In my younger years I spent far too much time being afraid of criticism and watching others create. Throw your self doubt out the window and get to work!

Christina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I am an artist working and living in Los Angeles. Being immersed in the intense swirl of this city’s urban landscape and natural wonders, the ocean, the mountains, and all the wild humans that make up our community is my greatest inspiration. The sounds, the history, the people, the beauty, the tragedy, it all pours into my art. My second greatest influence is music. If there is magick in this world then songs are spells. The music I listen to casts a spell over my work, and I hope my work then casts a spell over the viewer.

Working with resin has given me the opportunity to layer my pieces in a unique and sculptural way that reaches out to the viewer and pulls them into the depths of the work luring them to be touched. The slick glossy feel of the surface gives some pieces a slick sexy quality, while in others, the resin forms a hard shell encasing images forever inside. The way the resin creates different moods inside each piece mirrors the contradictory experiences of LA. Typically I tint the resin with acrylic or inks, and occasionally there are found objects trapped inside, or more recently, transparency prints sealed into the works. My dream is for these works to become a part of this city’s history, while reflecting its resiliency.

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

I had to unlearn that creative pursuits should be secondary to monetary pursuits. Make whatever you are compelled to create a primary concern in your life. I was made to believe it was frivolous and potentially dangerous to pursue creative practice. Without a safety net, it can feel terrifying to leap into an artistic life, but the folks I’ve seen who have been brave and made that leap are typically happier and more fulfilled than the folks who practiced caution rather than faith.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The idea of the starving artist needs to be eradicated. Financial struggles to not make artists create better work, access to healthy living, materials and a supportive community help artists create better work. We need affordable housing, free university, universal health care, and more grants created by art collectors avoiding taxes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.christinaconway.com/
• Instagram: christinaconwayart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUFHLW0osK8

Image Credits
Christina Conway