Alexia Sambrano: Teen Painter
Alexia: My name is Alexia Sambrano.; I’m 19 years old, and I’m an acrylic and oil painter based in L.A. In addition to painting, I also like to write, though I don’t write as much as I used to and now primarily paint. I’m also a student at the University of Southern California. I’m a second year studying Neuroscience and Cognitive Science with a minor in LGBTQ Studies. A lot of my art deals with very personal concepts, but I also try to incorporate a lot of science and anatomy in my art as well, which is heavily influenced by what I’m studying.
Question: When and how did you first get into art?
A: I first got into art about 8 or 9 years ago. I started mainly only using graphite or pastels, occasionally charcoal. I have an older relative who is also an artist and she would buy me my art supplies and donate her things, so she was sort of like a mentor, but I only ever saw her once or twice a year. I just kept practicing, and eventually decided to give painting a try. I hated it at first, and I was horrible at it, but I kept practicing and now I almost strictly use acrylic and oil paints on my pieces. I’ve been painting for 3 and a half years now.
Question: What recognition have you gotten for your work, and how does that motivate you to continue?
A: Sharing my art with others is relatively new to me. I just started my instagram in the summer of 2019, and I started my Etsy that same summer as well, so sharing my art with others is something I’m still learning to do. As far as recognition, I’ve been a vendor at 3 art shows now, two of which were hosted by @raeannvenus on instagram. She’s also an artist and a student at USC, and participating in her art shows, Divine Femininity in August 2019, and Lovestruck in February 2020, I’ve been able to meet amazing artists and learn from others creating art how to run a business and other such techniques and advice. Additionally, I was interviewed by Claire Bishara (artbishh) for her Art Bish Podcast in the summer of 2019, about a month or so after I started selling my art on Etsy. That was the first time I actually had a chance to talk about my art and why I create what I do, what I’m influenced by, what my art represents, how I’ve grown and improved. It was super fun and definitely eye opening for me, especially being first-generation, low income and a queer Latina woman. It’s super empowering.
Question: How has being identified in those areas made you stand out or empowered you?
A: Well, first and for most, it’s empowering because I can do what feels comfortable to me. I’m not being pressured to create something for anyone but myself, and the reason I began to sell my art in the first place was to help alleviate the costs of tuition at USC, and to help pay for general living expenses while I lived on campus. It pays for my food, for my cleaning supplies, for hygiene products, I send money to my parents, to my family in Mexico. It’s empowering to be able to transform this “minority status” into something beneficial for me and my family. It makes me feel proud. It also is empowering to be able to use my identifies as motivators for my art. My queerness and my bisexuality is a common theme in a couple of my painting. My femininity and body image too, my Mexican and Chicanx heritage as well. These are all themed that play a big role in my life and that are then transferred onto my work. It enables me to share a part of me with others, and it also allows me to reflect, to learn to love myself, and to grow.
Question: That’s incredible! Speaking of themes that play into your work, which piece have you created is your favorite and why?
A: My art focuses on the intersectionality of my identities, including my interpretations of my sexuality and my inability to settle on a label), my femininity, my Mexican/Mexican-American heritage, culture, and upbringing, and my struggles with mental health (anxiety, depression, etc). Additionally, my art focuses on highlighting the diversity of bodies, in shape and in color, and self-love and acceptance. My art can be viewed on my Instagram (@alexiasambranoart or @a.lex.i.a) and my Twitter (@alexiajpeg). I’ve shared several pieces, but my personal favorite is “La Ansiedad,” an acrylic painting on a 16x12 canvas panel that I made in 2017. This piece is super important to me because it is inspired by a Loteria card, which is a symbol of my Mexican heritage, and also by my struggles with my mental health at the time. Meant to be a fictionalized version of my face, the piece illustrates my personal battle with anxiety and self-doubt. This piece is personal and true to my emotions as it is meant to symbolize the fear of feeling out of place.
Question: Out of curiosity, how long does each painting take to make? And could you give us a description of the overall process?
A: It depends on the painting, but lately I’ve been working on larger paintings, so I guess I’ll go with that. Any painting larger than 16x20 takes anywhere between a week to a month for me to complete, especially if school is in session and I don’t have the time to paint during the week. When I sit to paint, I try to spend at least 5 or 6 hours on it in a day. When I start a painting, I try to do a rough sketch of what my plan is, though a lot of the time, I end up changing things as I go. It’s very flexible and loosely done, to account for any changes I might need to make once I start painting. I typically start with the background, but it might depend on how much detail the painting will have. The more detail, the more likely I am to start the background first. Once the painting is finished, I add a layer of varnish to add a glossy sheen and to seal the paint, and then I photograph it!
Question: And then you upload it to Instagram, or to Etsy to sell? Has making art a business made it pressuring in any way?
A: Yeah, I usually upload it to instagram, but if I decide to sell the piece, then I upload it to Etsy. It definitely has. I always feel a strain to provide more for buyers, but ultimately I’ve learned to remind myself that I create for me, and not for money.
Question: How has you managed art, business, and school?
A: I always know when to pull back when I need a break. During the semester, I usually don’t create, but I do sell my art. That gives me more time to focus on my studies and filling orders, and during long breaks, that’s when I take the time to create.
Question: Definitely! Who are your biggest inspirations?
A: I really love @alilpickle, @ladypcassco, and @sincerelyart. they’re all amazing artists!
Question: What is some advice you would give to teens just starting out in art? How would you suggest for them to improve and how should they get their work “out there”?
A: please please please do not give up! push your boundaries, extend your comfort zone. that’s how you grow! you learn new techniques and what works best for you. don’t give up because others tell you or because you think you’re not good enough! always keep going. if you want your art to be seen, share it! get in contact with other artists! we’re always looking to make friends!
Question: Lastly, what advice would you give to teens in general?
A: you belong. you are loved. you are important! you are amazing! never forget that. things get back because life is always changing, and humans are inherently afraid of the unknown, but don’t be afraid of taking chances just because you don’t know what’ll happen. always try to grow!
Alexia’s Biography:
My name is Alexia Sambrano. I’m a Los Angeles local. I was born in East LA and raised in South Gate for the majority of my childhood and adolescence. I identify as queer/bisexual, and I am a first-generation, low-income chicanx artist. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Southern California studying Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, with a minor in LGBTQ Studies. I began selling my art in the summer of 2019, and just recently decreased lots of prices on my Etsy (alexiasambranoart.etsy.com) in hopes of getting more sales to support myself and my family. I also have a depop (depop.com/alexiety) where I sell clothing and other non-art items!
I first started painting in 2017, and have since then grown tremendously over time. I mainly use acrylic and oil paint on traditional canvases, though I am currently experimenting with mediums. I’ve painted on denim jackets and jeans, hydroflasks, and glass frames!
My art focuses on the intersectionality of my identities, including my interpretations of my sexuality and my inability to settle on a label), my femininity, my Mexican/Mexican-American heritage, culture, and upbringing, and my struggles with mental health (anxiety, depression, etc). Additionally, my art focuses on highlighting the diversity of bodies, in shape and in color, and self-love and acceptance. My art can be viewed on my Instagram (@alexiasambranoart or @a.lex.i.a) and my Twitter (@alexiajpeg).
My personal favorite painting is “La Ansiedad,” an acrylic painting on a 16x12 canvas panel that I made in 2017. This piece is super important to me because it is inspired by a Loteria card, which is a symbol of my Mexican heritage, and also by my struggles with my mental health. Meant to be a fictionalized version of my face, the piece illustrates my personal battle with anxiety and self-doubt. This piece is personal and true to my emotions as it is meant to symbolize the fear of feeling out of place.
Though I currently just sell art to help pay for college, especially now, to support my family through the hardships of the COVID-19 outbreak, I hope to keep using art as an outlet for my emotions in the future.