Australian Based Realistic Acrylic Wildlife Artist Carla Grace - Art, Career Growth And Motherhood

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23 Feb

Carla Grace is a South African born, Australian based wildlife artist. After going full-time in 2016, Carla has won many awards for her realistic acrylic paintings and has been featured in art exhibitions worldwide.

In her interview with us, Carla shares her beliefs and methodology on everything from pricing her art throughout her career to painting techniques and creating online workshop tutorials. Carla also talks about her experience and perspective as a full-time artist raising her very inquisitive and playful young daughter, Emily - Carla has a way of making everything work out with her positive attitude and professionalism!

Carla Grace with Emily and ‘A Mother’s Crown’

“There are so many artists out there doing great things that if you don’t market yourself, no one will. Emotionally distancing yourself from the work you create when you want to put it out there in the world is a way of protecting yourself and remaining professional no matter what feedback you get.”

Hello Carla, thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and give a summary of your history as an artist? How do you personally describe your artistic style?

My name is Carla Grace; I am a wildlife artist based in Adelaide, South Australia. I was born in South Africa and spent the first 23 years of my life moving between Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Zambia and Australia. I started pursuing art as a career in 2016 and am blessed to be able to do it full time. My artistic style would be realistic acrylic painting, focusing on bringing each subject I paint to life on the canvas.

Before we delve deeper into the artistic side of your life, I'd love to talk a little bit about your adorable daughter, Emily. She accompanies you in so many of your social media posts and YouTube videos. How old is Emily currently, and how does your average workday with her in your art studio look? Does she get to spend much time in there with you?

Emily is 17 months old. She loves being part of everything I do in the studio, especially the videos. She also loves being the one operating the camera gear, which can be scary at times and has resulted in a broken filter already. For the first 12 months, she was with me full time, but as she has an incredibly extroverted personality and craves being around lots of people, she goes to daycare four days a week now. She still demands painting time in the studio every day when she gets home though, no matter how tired she is.

You have uploaded videos of Emily painting and playing around in your art studio. Does it take much encouragement from you to get her to play around with paint and her surroundings, or is she a naturally inquisitive toddler? Do you think that there will be advantages for her growing up around art and creativity and being exposed to the wonders of creativity and artistic expression from such an early age?

I have to bribe her to stop painting! Since she watched me paint for so long before she was physically able to do it herself, she is like a kid in a candy store. She chooses the colours, and I have to open the tubs as that part is a bit challenging for her at the moment. I think if her physical abilities matched her passion and imagination, she would be painting all the time. For now, though, I still have a little control over how far the paint is spread throughout the house. I think its incredibly important for her to be set free in the studio. I don’t stop her from painting (unless she is trying to paint the carpet or furniture) and do my best to keep my personal ideas to myself. If she really wants to paint black over the green that she has just smeared all over the canvas, I enable her to do it. It’s like seeing pure and innocent creativity set free. I will not drive her to a life in art if she isn’t going that way naturally. Still, I think there is a lot to be said about the incredible learning, and developmental opportunities painting creates for children.

Running your own successful business as a creative is a commendable feat in itself. Doing it all whilst raising a young daughter is remarkable and a testament to your character! I'm sure there would be so many people struggling to find the right formula when trying to attain a healthy balance between their family life and professional life. What do you believe have been the most important factors in your situation in allowing you to get to the stage you are in regarding your career and family commitments? Is trying to find the right balance with your time management and attention the right way to look at it? Does the support of your friends and family play a big role in allowing you to continue doing what you love?

I think having a supportive network of friends and family is incredibly important. The first 12 months were obviously the hardest for me as Emily was with me full-time. So I can speak from that experience here, and it is with great reluctance that I say ‘balance’ is a mirage that keeps shifting and changing the closer you get to it. It’s something I keep trying to achieve, but as soon as I thought I was getting some form of balance in my life, things would change. The days and weeks in the life of a baby are constantly changing as they grow and develop. As a result, what was working last week, won’t be working this week. I worked as much as I could during Emily’s naps, I worked with her awake and playing in the studio, and I worked when she went to sleep for the night. I believe it is important that children know they are loved but not the centre of their parents’ world. So working while Emily was awake and playing in the studio by herself is something I enforced as much as I could. She just loved being around me, watching me, and being part of my day. This also depends very much on the baby and the family's situation, but the way I saw it was that if I was able to do anything in the studio, no matter how small, it was an accomplishment. It was also important that I was kind to myself and knew when I had to stop pushing myself and sleep.

I also find it quite interesting that you are a self-taught artist. What have been some of the most valuable aspects of your learning curve from beginner to professional over the years, and what resources have you utilised in the learning process? Have you had any mentors or inspirations along the way?

I have had many inspirations along the way, no real mentors, though. I’d say the most valuable thing I have learned would be emotionally distancing myself from my work when it comes to selling it. The most helpful resources I have used along the way would have to be Google and Youtube.

How long does the average painting take you to complete? What are your favourite aspects of the journey from conception and design to sending your art off to an enthusiastic buyer?

On average, my paintings take me 6 weeks to complete since I am not in the studio as freely as I could be before Emily came along. An animal portrait used only to take me 2 weeks to finish! I think the best part of the process is the sale, not because of the financial reward, but because someone out there has loved what I have created enough to invest their hard-earned money into it. That is incredibly humbling, and I never take it for granted.

Valuing one’s art can be a daunting process, especially in the beginning, when you are trying to turn a passion into a sustainable career. What is your take on art valuations? How do you land at a price point at which you feel is fair for both yourself and your prospective buyers?

Pricing art is such a tricky thing because it not only depends on the type of art but also how it is presented, the quality and then ultimately, what a buyer is willing to spend on it. In the beginning, being able to charge minimum wage per hour, taxes, and material cost of the artwork is great. When the artist's brand starts to get somebody behind it, and a reputation starts to form, the artist can add value to their brand in a variety of different ways to increase the overall value of their art. Valuations, as done by art consultants in galleries and museums, rely on the artist's academic and recorded history, such as their exhibits, awards, education, and gallery representation. Sometimes notable collectors form part of an artists resume too, which adds value to their work. Ultimately, the buying market will determine the value because people will only pay what they believe the artwork is worth.

You have also chosen to diversify your income portfolio by offering tutorials in the form of e-books and video tutorials, which can be purchased via your website. Could you summarise what you are currently offering in these tutorials and what your aim was when creating them for your artistic clients? Your customers' feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so you must be doing a fantastic job with the tutorials!

I currently have three tutorials available that teach artists how I paint realistic fur, feathers and expressive eyes with acrylic paint. When I create these tutorials, I think about everything I have learned along the way that I wish I had been able to find in one lesson when I was starting out. I don’t want to teach people how to copy what I do - that seems limiting. The whole purpose of these tutorials is to teach artists the thinking and principles behind my process so that they can take what they learn in the tutorial and apply it in every area of their practice. That is why I am not doing tutorials on how to paint a specific animal; rather, how to paint a certain aspect of an animal, like fur or feathers. So far, the tutorials have been really well received, and I am thrilled because I have no experience in teaching at all!

A close-up of ‘An Invitation’ by Carla Grace

Another part of your success has come from getting noticed in the upper echelons of the art world. This has partly come through being featured in art exhibitions and various articles and magazines, winning awards and accepting commission work from galleries and art collectors, which we have previously touched on briefly.

In light of this success, could I bring up three points and ask for you to offer your thoughts on each briefly? The first is regarding the importance of putting yourself and your work out there and reaching out to people?

This is one of the most confronting things artists have to face at some stage in their career because it confronts the fear of rejection. It’s safe behind closed doors, hoping that someone will discover and represent you someday, but the reality is that it never happens anymore. There are so many artists out there doing great things that if you don’t market yourself, no one will. Emotionally distancing yourself from the work you create when you want to put it out there in the world is a way of protecting yourself and remaining professional no matter what feedback you get.

The second is remaining confident in yourself and your ability to succeed and consistently do your best. Has self-doubt or a lack of motivation ever hindered you on your journey? If so - how was that overcome?

Whenever I face doubt or a lack of motivation, I look at my statistics. I look at where I started and where I am now. I also usually just make myself work. Since this is the only job I have, I am fully aware that nothing will happen if I don’t sit down and do it. In the past 12 months, the market has changed a lot, and it is constantly changing. Being able to adapt along with the way the world is changing is incredibly important, so being open to experimenting with different business ideas helps a lot. This also means I need to be willing to let something go that isn’t working or that is taking away from the core of who I am as an artist. Sometimes I find myself saying that perhaps I should go get a part-time job just to take the pressure off myself, and my husband always replies with the same answer “Are you crazy? You’re too good at what you do to give up, it might be quiet now, but remember the last time this happened?”. The business of being an artist is an ever-changing, fluctuating cycle that is unpredictable and devastating. But it is also the best job I have ever had in my life, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. If I have to change what I’m doing to tap into another market, then I am willing to do that.

The third and final point I would love for you to address is your professionalism. From communication to packaging, what’s your outlook on customer experience and presenting both yourself and your work to prospective buyers and aspiring artists?

Customer experience is everything. The experience starts with what they see online, so the way I photograph and video my work is the first thing that has to be incredible. Then, the one-on-one experience a collector has with me deepens their connection to both the work and my brand. They must have my undivided and genuine attention. They not only get a painting, but they get a friendship. Then the packaging is another thing. Not only does the painting need to be delivered undamaged, but when they open it, they need to see care and diligence in the way their investment is packaged. The extra things like authenticity packages, thank you notes, protective covering, signage and quality of the actual artwork itself all add up. I ship my work framed and ready to hang because I imagine that it would be awesome to open a painting and put it straight on the wall. Basically, I put myself into my collector’s shoes, and I treat them with the utmost respect, regardless of how much they have spent on my work. There is no room for compromise here.

Once again, Carla, thank you so very much for doing this interview with us here at Culture of Creatives! We look forward to following your artistic journey and wish you and your lovely family the very best that life has to offer! Where can people go to find out more about you and your art pieces and tutorials? And of course, where can we all go to follow you and your journey on social media?

Thank you so much! These were really great questions, and I could have spent much longer on each one. You can find everything on my Instagram, Facebook or website.

Instagram: @carla_grace_art

Website: www.carlagraceart.com

Facebook: Carla Grace Art

Youtube: Carla Grace