When we first saw Vesela Baker’s abstract florals at the Anne Neilson Fine Art Gallery, I instantly recognized that her work was different from abstract florals we had seen in the past. Vesela uses a combination of light and dark, watercolor and acrylic paint giving her a signature style all her own. Her work brings an air of serenity and calmness to the gallery, and I instantly knew that I wanted to know more about this artist whose work I felt such a connection to.
Vesela lives with her husband, Curt, and their son in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and works together with her husband, who not only makes her canvases but is also the one who reignited Vesela’s passion for painting.
When did you first discover your love for art?
I think I was born with it. I actually don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t painting. I know from my mom when I was a kid even before I was walking I was drawing… obsessively drawing. Finding whatever I could find to paint on. All of our walls and furniture had drawings on them! I always remember sitting, sketching, and imagining something. Once something gets going in my mind, I have to create it.
You work with both acrylic and watercolor. What drew you to these particular mediums?
When I went to school I worked with so many different materials. For many years watercolor was my favorite medium to work with because there are so many ways to work with it. As the years went by, I kind of started mixing up things because I wanted a more diverse feeling in my work. I wanted a contrast and strong feeling in my paintings.
Imagine if you lived in a world where everything is orange, but if you bring in another color (green) into that world, that color will stand out. It’s always about figuring out what color to put beside another color. I like to put a watercolor beside an acrylic. A light texture beside a heavy texture. That’s what brings the intensity out and brings my feelings out as well.
I went through different stages with my art, I went between light texture at one time but as the years went by I wanted a heavier texture with a more diverse feeling to it.
I want people to look at my art and see my soul. — Vesela Baker
I think as we get older we gain wisdom. We learn there is no right or wrong and you can work with all these mediums and techniques together. That’s how my art is. There are so many techniques and approaches in one painting and the challenge is bringing it all together. It’s a bit like putting together a puzzle.
How have your travels inspired you as an artist?
The diversity, seeing that there is no one way to do things. It makes me think I can do anything I want with my art and I don’t have to fit into one genre (watercolor or acrylic artist, realism or abstract) I want to create something beautiful and make people feel good when they look at my art. People are so much the same wherever you travel to, and beauty is the same everywhere.
There is something universal about beautiful things and people crave that. Sometimes you think people don’t need art, but people will always need beauty. The world survived because of art. I believe every country reflects their culture and way of thinking through their art.
When you add meaning to something it becomes more beautiful when people can really relate to the painting. There is a piece of me and who I am in every painting I create. Perhaps it’s not the typical type of beauty but because of these unexpected elements in my work, I think this is what makes people connect to it. It’s very similar to how people connect to other people.
In your artist bio, you mention that you like to switch between wood/paper, watercolor/acrylics, do you let what piece you are working on dictating what medium you use?
Not really. I’m not the type of artist who makes a plan of what to paint. I don’t know how a painting will go when I start. I don’t have a plan for it. The reason I switch between canvas (wood/paper) or between different mediums is to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. I feel like if I do the same thing over and over I get stuck and I will never feel challenged to create something new. I have tried to find some other way of working other than the traditional way. I learn new things by switching between the mediums. I feel like this makes a painting rich, diverse, and more intense.
I love how you call your art ‘our art’ referencing the fact that you plan out everything with your husband, Curt. Tell me a bit about the process you go through when creating a new piece.
It’s very simple. We figure out the size. In the beginning, I was working on canvas, but then we realized that my technique was changing so he started making a wood canvas that’s very different from what you can buy. His shop is right beside mine and we communicate all day every day. He orders my paint, I use a natural organic painting, he also does all of the deliveries and the business side of things. He kind of keeps things organized for me and helps me. So, he’s kind of like a manager.
After high school and college, there was a long time where I thought I couldn’t make any money with my art. After I met my husband and we got married we were both doing different things that weren’t in the art field, but one day he brought me art supplies and asked me to paint something for our new home and I painted a few paintings. Every time someone visited our home the conversation would often turn to the paintings.
So one day he took a photo and he put it on eBay and the painting sold immediately and so we tried again. It wasn’t long before we had sold all three paintings we had on our wall. That’s how we started. That’s how it became a business, before it was always about creating art for myself, and through that experience, I realized I could make money from my paintings.
When the recession hit, there were 15 paintings left that weren’t selling. So we came up with the idea to take them to the antique market in Memphis. We borrowed a friend’s car and went to Memphis. It was very early in the morning when we arrived, and it was so cold out. At first, I began to think that we’d made a mistake and we should just pack up and go home because there weren’t many people there, but then a lady came by she asks me what we were doing there, and I told her that we were there to sell my paintings. They were big paintings and I didn’t have enough storage so I wanted to sell them. She asked me how much it would be for all the paintings and she bought all of them.
After 2 weeks went by she called me and I found out that she was the manager of one of the local antique places in Memphis where new artists would show their work. She asked me to bring more paintings, and from that time on galleries started calling me and little by little things started changing for us until we were able to focus on being artists full time. We’ve been working as full-time artists for 10 years now.
While you draw inspiration from urban colors, scents, noises, and the culture of the city around you, what do you enjoy the most about taking these sights & sounds, and translating them into a work of art?
The desire to translate my feelings and whatever is going on around me and what is influencing me. I enjoy interpreting them. With my art, I never think about what I can paint. There’s no enough time to paint everything I want to. There’s always something that affects me as an artist. When I go into the city it reminds me of home. The noise of the children playing in the noise of my childhood. The feelings that I get from seeing those things bring back memories and all of these experiences make me want to paint.
Are there pieces that have meant the most to you as an artist?
I don’t have a favorite. For me paintings, I’m not very sentimental about them. I paint very fast, I just want to get the painting out of my head and onto the paper (canvas). I can never wait to finish the next piece because I want to see the finished work. This process gives me satisfaction. I like to see something beautiful. I just have to paint non-stop. It makes me feel good. It’s my type of meditation and keeps me going. I don’t dwell on a one-piece after I’ve finished it. I do treasure them, but they are just part of my expression.
What do you enjoy the most about working with the team at the ANFA Gallery?
They are very easygoing. They are kind of like a family. There is no drama, no demands and I like people like that. When working with a gallery, the most important factor for me is the people.
Are there any words of advice you have for artists who are just starting their careers?
Art means different things to different artists. For some it’s the process, the control, being able to prove that they do a hard technique. I guess everyone is looking for something different. What I’ve learned is not to try and please anyone. I have to be happy with what I do. I have to enjoy the process because life goes by and this moment when I’m creating is the most important moment. I don’t want to stress about pleasing anyone.
There is no right or wrong way of doing a painting. If it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, you just have to move on and try to improve yourself with your next painting. It’s about little steps and you shouldn’t beat yourself up if everything doesn’t turn out. Just make it better each day. That’s my advice.
Website: https://veselaart.com // Instagram: @veselabakerart
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