Rachel Romano, Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory member provides some fascinating insights into her practice and experience as figurative painter, as she responds to the questions below:
- How did you find and develop your personal aesthetic?
- How has social media changed your practice? Do you include less nudity in your work now to fit their censorship standards?
- What obstacles have you encountered as an artist, and how did you overcome them?
- How do you market yourself and your art to gain recognition from galleries and collectors?
How did you find and develop your personal aesthetic?
I am a very late bloomer, and didn’t know what, or who I was as a painter, but always believed I was an artist. It was just a matter of when. At 56 I took a workshop with Tim Hawkesworth to discover who I was as an artist. The workshop wasn’t about how to create art, as much as why and what one wants to express. I really didn’t have any idea that I was a figurative artist. The story teller just exploded out of me!
Everything I create is based on emotions and human experiences. I choose not to use models, because I get caught up in the mechanics, wanting to make it perfect. Instead, I paint what I feel. I was tentative at first, especially with color. Now I am looking how I can be more visceral in my work, stretching my limits. I really love the discovery process, not knowing where the final painting will end up.
How has social media changed your practice? Do you include less nudity in your work now to fit their censorship standards?
Oh social media… I have to spend way too much time on social media. It gets more challenging daily, especially since humans aren’t looking at the art, and AI determinations are so arbitrary.
I don’t really limit my nudity, but on a few occasions I will put stars over the breasts. What I question is how the decisions are made to restrict? Great museums and galleries show all forms of explicit art, are they restricted too? The conundrum. I do have one restriction they have put on my account, no one under 18 sees my work. Trying to get this lifted has been fruitless, C’est la vie!
What obstacles have you encountered as an artist, and how did you overcome them?
Like most artists, if you have children, or in my case the last 7 years caring for a parent, forces you to make time to create, or conversely having to take a step back. Life is messy. The more challenging obstacles are self doubt, pushing through when things aren’t working. Not looking at too much social media; which is not just a time suck, but a brain clogger. I am so guilty of going down this rabbit hole. Pulling myself up and out of a difficult place just takes grit, fearlessness, getting out of your safe place, and a lot of inner conversations. The best way is to have artist friends with whom you can let loose with, and hammer out the struggles. You just have to keep faith, and trust the process.
How do you market yourself and your art to gain recognition from galleries and collectors?
This is where social media can be a huge benefit. I do market regularly and consitently on these platforms. I find that posts with an actual human or pet [laughs] get more attraction than just showing the art. People want to feel connected to what you are posting. That’s one of the more challenging aspects of creating content and getting seen. And you must connect with other accounts, not just liking, but commenting.
Social media is a two-way street. All of my galleries have picked me up from these platforms. I go to a lot of shows to meet other artists and gallerists. Don’t discount the in-person connection. I also do interviews on-line, and in hard copy magazines. It’s not about how many followers, but who is watching you. All you need is the one right person to see you.
It always surprises me when someone reaches out, who I am completely unaware of. My collectors come from galleries, shows, online, and email. I do need to get better at the email list thing, I have fallen off a bit with this.
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