Meet Artevaggio’s Featured Artist: Sarah Perez

When did you first realize you were an artist?
I realized I loved making art at an early age. I always had coloring books when I was a child but I didn’t want to color inside of the books, I wanted to make my own drawings. I remember always drawing mermaids and princesses.

Could you tell us about your work?
At one point I was painting lots of bananas, but I lost my interest in that. However, painting all of those bananas did help me improve on my painting skills. I am very passionate about painting portraits and figures. I tend to paint myself a lot the paintings I paint of myself center around how I feel about certain things in my life. When I can’t express how I feel in words it’s best for me to simply paint it.

What artists have influenced your work?
Throughout my college education I was constantly looking at Sargent’s work, I am also a huge admirer of Lucian Freud.

What is your creative inspiration?
My life. I want to paint to be able to connect with people. My work is personal, but not too personal where it shuts everyone out. That is why I stopped painting the bananas, I was getting bored with them. My work is a statement about myself, it’s how I view the world and how the world will view me.

What other interests do you have besides creating art?
Do you really want to know? Since you asked… Xbox360.

What advice would you give to a new artist?
I would tell all new artists who are truly passionate about art to never quit. There will be hurdles and there will plenty of times that you feel like quitting. It may take hundreds of horrible ugly paintings in order to make that one extraordinary painting, but that’s what an artist has to deal with, and it can be very rewarding.

Could you give some advice about the business side of being an artist?
Always try to expose your work.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
I want to teach art. I always imagined owning a house and teaching the neighborhood kids art lessons in my garage/studio. Whatever it is I end up doing in ten years I know art will be involved.