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

Hi VITA, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

It seems that many creative people view professionally pursuing their craft as nearly impossible, terrifying, and unapproachable. Society, schools, and home-life often beat the idea into us that art is a hobby and that a formal education and “real job” is the only way (a decade ago, this was truer than it is now) – and I certainly internalized this as a teen who was very interested in expressing their vision. I chose to pursue an education in the sciences in San Diego, where I regularly saw people who lived locally and spent their days enjoying themselves as they pleased, breaking the traditional mold of a 9-5.

Upon graduating college and beginning work in my field, I realized that a normal office or lab based occupation, working in restaurants, or whatever, simply didn’t work for me. It drained me, left me resentful, and I decided quickly that this was no way to spend my life.

I’ve always since I was a child maintained an artistic practice of some sort, and in 2017 I decided that the only way forward for me was to begin working to make art “my everything” so that someday I could be my own boss, spend my days in fulfilling ways, and use my talents and creativity in a way that tangibly benefited me in this contemporary capitalist world.

VITA, 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?

As the foundation to my work, I am interested in having a dialogue about energy, matter, time, and the human experience of it. I am fascinated to no end by physical and metaphysical principles, and I hope to visually capture the essence of measured reality alongside visions of the ethereal and intangible. I’m incredibly intrigued by light frequency as it relates to the perceptivity of the human eye and nervous system.

I utilize intricate brushwork, vivid colorways, and a dedication to fine detail to create paintings that are meant to entrance the viewer and capture their attention in a way that brings them into full presence with their visual sense – with their body and the act of seeing.

Additionally, I seek to amplify the remembrance that we are all made of the same stuff that’s been around for eternity.
As a vehicle to this remembrance, I hope the work evokes a visceral feeling of light within the viewer.
Human beings can only perceive ~0.0035% of the electromagnetic spectrum, and I am looking to capture the intrinsic quality of refraction beyond the processing capabilities of the human body, and speak to what that can mean metaphysically.

With an educational background in ecology/geology, I am deeply moved by the current state of environmental concerns, and believe that as we return to our connection with the nature of our own material bodies, we can create lasting shifts in our relationship to the planet. In my current home of Utah, I am immensely inspired by my surroundings, and much of my recent work takes figurative notes from the variety of desert landscapes I have such a blessing to spend time immersed in.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I will die on the hill of “Good things take time.” Good things take concerted effort, direction, and intention. Our dreams don’t usually come into form overnight, and if they do it’s typically a result of the former.

It’s astounding to me how many people give up before they even start, and it breaks my heart how one of the most common regrets of people in their older-age is that they never made space for or chased after their creative dreams.
Fear, insecurity, and many other factors hold us back as a collective from reaching towards the things we want.
It’s scary to take leaps, to do something for a long time without result, and to be questioned by your adjacent community. And yet, I feel so much of the neurosis of today’s age is a consequence of our unwillingness to step into spaces of discomfort in attempt to actualize our desires.

My larger works (24″x36″ and up) take an average of 220-280 hours, and upwards. That’s a lot of time. Often, for a good 60% of the painting, it doesn’t look like much, and it can be discouraging to know how much farther it will be to get to the finish line. I’ve learned to simply trust the process of doing the thing, despite it not looking like anything ~YET~. I spend an immense amount of time painting, refining my techniques and experimenting with slight variations in brush progression, and material consistency, and color/contrast. This leaves me with much less time for travel, socializing, vegging out, etc., and yet it is also worth the sacrifice.

I spent many years making work that didn’t quite hit the mark, until one day I realized I was finally producing art that did – that finally felt strong, and novel, and thorough, and like ~me~.

I think a lot of creative folks, in their efforts to hone their craft and individualize their voice, give in to the pressures of creating something worthwhile, or “great,” and in the process of wanting it to happen quickly, they forget that much of the process of ‘getting there’ is reliant on years of distinguishing our vision day in and day out without expectation of any result at all.

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

In terms of goals/mission, there are a lot of them – some of which are self-serving and very personal – and some of which are outward-facing and in line with what I want to gift to the world.

In many respects, being creative for a living is a huge privilege. I feel very lucky to have the deep compulsion to make art, and that people are interested enough in my work that I can live a life marked by my version of “freedom.” I am grateful everyday that I get to do what I do.

It’s deeply fulfilling to make beautiful things that touch people, and bring energy and intrigue to their spaces – whether it’s their home, or an office, or their RV, or side of their building, etc. A large bit of my work is custom, and it’s so special to create art which represents monumental moments and themes in my collectors’ lives, through the visual lens that I offer. It’s incredibly heartwarming that every day, all over the country/world, people get to enjoy and be moved by things I’ve made with my little human hands. It’s a goal of mine to continue doing this. I hope to always make myself accessible for custom work that holds special meaning to my collectors.

Candidly, I’d love to go down in the canon of art history. I think most artists are lying to themselves and everyone else if they say they don’t. What’s wrong with wanting to be regarded as one of the greats? For forging a path, catching a different drift and running with it? I’m fine with owning that desire, and I’m not attached to the outcome, but it would be cool for that to happen before I die, or after I die … whatever.

Is having Jerry Saltz critique me a goal? I’ll own that one too. He doesn’t even need to be nice about it, although I’d hope he likes my paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vitarising.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitarising/