Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Kupillas.
Hi Anne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Thank you for this opportunity! As a child, I was creative – I loved to paint and draw. I was always making things, and creating collections of things – bugs, feathers, tiny rocks. I gravitated towards art classes in school and in camp, and as I grew up, I started selling my creations. My brother Michael and I would sell tie dye and silkscreened clothing, hand painted jeans and jean jackets, sweatshirts and more. We would also make beaded jewelry and varnished jewelry items (it was the eighties! So much fun). We sold at concerts, at school and at the flea markets. I would literally sell the clothes off my back. I wish I still had some of those pieces now, I think they’re totally back in style!
In college as an art history major, I turned to drawing and sketching and would attend live drawing sessions as much as possible. My first solo show was a series of ink nudes done from live models in 2005. I took up watercolors in 2018 after a few years of playing around with a travel watercolor kit on vacations. I also messed around over the years, experimenting with oil and acrylic, as well as fabric art. So I’ve always been creating!
I also teach art, and I came to teaching through my previous career as well. So that was very helpful experience to have, that I have been fortunate to translate into my art practice.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? No, but I don’t think that’s the way of the artist. We crave challenges! My first challenge actually is what brought me to art full-time. I got sick in 2017 and took up watercolors again after many years – as therapy, really. It helped, and as I got treatment for my Lyme Disease, I realized I had found a silver lining in this. I decided to do art full-time (I had been selling furniture internationally) and never looked back.
Being a full-time, self-employed artist with comes with struggles. You question your skill level, your relevance, your business acumen. It’s a hustle for most of us, and it can be hard to know where to put your time, energy and financial resources, especially when you’re starting out. Do I do what I know will sell or do I create what I want to create? Can I study more and improve my skill level — or do I have to do other things to pay the rent this month? Luckily, I have an ok head for business after years working in the corporate world, and can make a plan and sort of stick to it. It’s helped me when I doubt my approach. I also learned that the ability to pivot can be very valuable. Something’s not working? If my Etsy shop is slow this month, for example, I’ll put a class together and work on that, or try to do a demo or consultation. Spinning those plates can be enjoyable but it’s also stressful at times.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve always loved watercolor the most. Although I have worked in many media, I really enjoy the spontaneity, look and feel of watercolor on paper. There’s nothing else like it! For about six years, I focused on watercolor to the exclusion of almost all other media, with the intention of getting good at it. Now that I feel I’ve cracked the code, I have been playing with acrylic painting again, but in earnest. Last spring, I did a series of twelve landscapes in acrylic, on panel and canvas, and it’s been fun! Maddening, but fun, as it’s still a bit hard for me compared to watercolor. I have done almost 100 acrylic paintings this year, most of them 6×8″ and under. I recently had two microgallery shows here in Long Beach! Microgalleries are the coolest thing right now. You can put on a small show with a huge impact, and it’s public art.
As for specializing, I enjoy most subject matter, and because I teach regularly, I’m pretty much an equal opportunity painter; I want to vary the subject matter to suit a variety of my students’ interests. I most enjoy painting landscapes (both. plein air and studio), animals and pet portraits. I fall in love with every animal I paint, I really do. I love it and am proud when I can achieve not just a likeness but the pet’s personality (tip: most of the time, it’s in the eyes). And I’m most proud when a student tells me that they have learned so much from me — that’s the most rewarding aspect of art for me, helping others find the joy in creating their own art.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Exciting news! I’m currently setting up my new studio in the Zaferia district here in Long Beach. It’s a fantastic private space with room for showcasing my work but also doing all my Zoom classes, private lessons and consultations as well. I can’t wait to open it up and show it off!
People always ask where to see my work. Aside from Etsy and Instagram I have a YouTube channel full of free videos. My artwork is in several galleries around Orange County, including the Shop at Crystal Cove and the Muth Center at the Upper Back Bay in Newport Beach.
My next in-person events are classes at Catalyst (I teach for Art Supply Warehouse in Westminster pretty much every month) and a group plein air show with SOCALPAPA in July at the Back Bay. I’m putting my booth together now!
I also have a solo show coming up at the Alper JCC in Long Beach this August & September. I will be exhibiting acrylic and watercolor landscapes from my artist’s residency at Ghost Ranch and my other recent travels. I hope you will come see my studio and my new showcases.
Lastly, I’ll be teaching this Fall at CSULB’s OLLI program. My class is called Watercolor Mastery and it starts in September.
Pricing:
- Affordable commissions starting at $125
- Consultations and Critique sessions $45/hour
- Private lessons $45/hour
- Group paint parties starting at $300
- Paintings starting at $48 on Etsy
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annekupillasfineart.com
- Instagram: @annekupillasfineart
- Facebook: @anne
- Youtube: @annekupillasfineart
