We recently connected with Conan Zhao and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Conan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My current career as an oil painter started from producing very humble-looking pencil drawings. Back in high school, I made a transition from doing cartoonish Dragon Ball doodles to making an earnest effort at copying photographs, of animals, of celebrities. It was not so different from what we see in dozens of reels everyday on Instagram. I didn’t really know what artistic concept is, but doing lots and lots of photorealistic drawings did give me a technical advantage.

Then during college, I took several art history classes, and that was transformational in where my artistic vision directed towards. I had just shortly started oil painting, and I knew two things then: that I was lacking in technical understanding and aptitude; and that there were many masters before me whom I admired. I went onto a years long journey of doing copies of their paintings, to understand their mind and to improve my technique.

The advice I’d give to my former self is that, at a student of art, in one’s early stage, value quantity over quality. Produce lots and lots of paintings, and don’t grow emotionally attached them. Copy after artists whom you admire, learn from them. That’s the fastest way to learn and get better. Once you understand the masters’ struggles to get to where they got to, you’ll then have a better idea of identifying where it is that you’d like to be, and what you need to do to get there.

It’s most important be at once humble and confident. With art, it’s very true to say that the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. It’s therefore important to keep a humble attitude and to always be ready to learn or change directions. Be confident, assess yourself fairly against other artists, and stand by the quality of your work.

Conan, 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?

I am a Los Angeles contemporary fine artist specializing in oil painting. My experience of well over a decade has enabled me to produce strong paintings of gestural figures and atmospheric landscapes. I can seamlessly and tactfully transition from realistic to stylistic, from tranquil to dynamic, from synthetic to atmospheric. The themes of my work range from depiction to social justice.

My portfolio includes both original concept and many commissioned works, for which I pride myself in providing the highest quality and most prompt line of communication. I prefer to describe my motifs with a more free and intuitive approach, rather than cold imitation of photographic realism. I like my art to communicate an interplay of technical aptitude and compositional awareness, where viewers are encouraged to discover the depth of value, color, shape, and texture, in qualities of their own as well as in relational dialogue to each other.

Many are surprised to learn that I am a career changer. I studied mathematics in college, and went on to have a career as a health actuary for almost 5 years. In 2019 I resolutely left that job to pursue a new one in art, which my passion is.

The current mission of my art ties deeply to my desire to spotlight underserved communities. As an Asian-American artist, I have experienced many forms of racial prejudices first hand, and understand the need for cross-racial support and solidarity. My artistic interest lies in elevating the cultural legacy and awareness of the underserved communities, who are not often afforded the humanity and compassion due to lack of celebratory representation on the cultural and institutional level.

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

Today’s landscape in social media enables many ways for one to support artists, especially emerging ones. If there’s an artist friend whom you appreciate, and you’re financially able, it’s now easier than ever to reach out to them to express interest in purchasing or commissioning them for a piece of art. I think many people are afraid to approach artist because they think art is out of their budget. But many artist will be happy to work out a plan that fits your budget.

The best way that artists get their names out there is via word of mouth. If you are unable to financially support an artist, doing a shoutout in your circles and describe what you like the most about this artist’s works would go a long way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think a lot of people may think that the works that an artist produces just come very naturally, that they have an idea of what they want, they go about it, and voila, the viewers see the final art-piece and the artist goes on with a glamorous existence, like an influencer. What they don’t see however, is that behind every artwork we show to the public, there are countless hours spent on products that didn’t make it, on drafting, planning, sketching, conceptualizing; there are many failures that we have to swallow. Unlike a salaryman who gets paid by side projects, fruitless researches, or second attempts, artists have to absorb all the failures, which vastly overwhelms the success, as resources and time lost.

Coming from a different career where I worked in an office, the contrast is especially stark. An artist’s journey is surrounded by solitude. There’s no structured or timely way to mark achievements, like a raise or a promotion at a job; there’re no coworkers to socialize with everyday, and even less opportunity to discuss artistic struggles with someone who is on the same frequency. There’s not even a sure way to tell how your work will resonate with the public: many times the work that I like the most doesn’t vibe with the public, who often goes for the most cliche and mainstream products that I considered to have the least artistry. And that can be a tremendous hit on confidence and motivation when happening over and over again. The sacrifices and struggles that one has to make in pursuing art, I think, are what most people don’t think about.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allaprimaxyz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conanozhao_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allaprimaxyz