Elisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
The first painting I sold was so essential to launching my art career. The year I graduated from my MFA program coincided with a show called Supersonic that included all graduating MFA students in Southern California. It was an incredible opportunity and I was very fortunate that the curator picked a large 8×10 ft painting. The show received a lot of press and my painting happened to catch the eye of a major Los Angeles collector. The curator put me in contact with her. I attempted to negotiate a price but the collector ultimately decided what my painting worth. Being in her collection was the most valuable part of the transaction. I rented a truck and delivered the painting myself. When I arrived, she gave me a tour of her collection which included a Nancy Rubins Airplane Parts sculpture in the backyard and two incredible galleries with several amazing Cecily Brown and Peter Doig paintings. The entire experience was a very surreal introduction the the Los Angeles art world. That sale jump started my career. Within the year I had been included in several important group shows and had my first solo show.
Read the full interview at canvasrebel.com.
