Ali Cavanaugh

 Ali Cavanaugh

"In addition to being a painter, 

I am a wife and mother of four, 

born and raised in the rural Midwest.

I began doing art in high school and was encouraged to go to art school.

I bounced around in several different majors before settling into painting.

I painted in oils for about 10 years after art school, and then picked up watercolor and taught myself that medium in 2006.

I studied art in Grand Rapids, Michigan and New York City, and I lived in Santa Fe for many years where I developed my "modern fresco" process.

It was during my time in the southwest that my art gained

 momentum and was established with collectors and galleries.

I currently live in the Midwest with my family. 

I paint every day and enjoy a quiet life

 in the small rural town of Ste Genevieve, Missouri.

Fun for me is being with my family. 

I have four children and a granddaughter.

My time with them is everything to me."

"My love for the inner beauty in people is what draws me to them.

 It's the unseen presence in the depth of a soul that I'm inspired by.

Painting is the vehicle that I use to capture that beauty that I see.

 So what I'm saying is that it's not the paint 

that I'm in love with, it's the person.

 That's what drives me to the easel everyday. "

   

"There are a few things that I value in my artistic process.

The fun in playing and exploring art materials, the challenge in capturing the unique person, and also to see the joy in other's as they are touched by my paintings.

The best part of being an artist is getting paid to do what I love.

The worst part is that it is not an easy job. 

To succeed in the art world it takes many long years of building up

 one's technique and style and artistic voice.

I would say an average of 10 years, 

working full time -for not even minimum wage- to get a footing in the art world.

This job requires so much self reliance and discipline in spite of continual rejection.

It is an isolating job.

An artist spends a majority of the time alone in the studio.

In the end, if one has the passion to propel them,

it can be done, and can be quite rewarding.

Even when an artist is established though, the artist's life can still be quite difficult."

"Do more paintings, not less paintings that are more precious. 

 It's in the daily grind of exhausting a process that magic is discovered. "

 

 

"Don't wish for it, work for it. 

Long hours of hard work are the only thing that guarantees success."

(Interviewed by Carli Vogel)