Artist Survey #9: Corey West

Corey is a local artist who’s work has exploded in our county. She is a really hard worker, attending all of the festivals and craft fairs in the county. She also beautifully frames and mattes work. I go to her for all of my presentation needs. Even Jesus was prepared by her!

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Name: Corey West

Location: Sonora, CA

Medium(s): mixed : watercolor, acrylic, ink, collage and found objects

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? well- good art has good design – so shouldn’t artists be designers as well?

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Ventana Gallery (Sonora), San Francisco Design Center (Hinc Showroom) www.coreywest.artspan.com

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I don’t remember not having interest in artistic forms of expression.

Who/What inspired your interest? It has always been there, but my dad helped me grow my interest by encouraging it.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? It has always been around me.

What is your day job? I work in my studio full time – painting and custom framing

Why do you create? That is hard to answer. Creating art is such a part of me… it is who I am. I can’t imagine not creating…

Is there any recurring theme in your work? Not necessarily.

What do you want from your work? I want my work to inspire me to keep learning and growing.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? There is a lot, but basically if I can make people smile, give them inspiration – I am happy. My work is happy – there is so much doom and gloom out there and if I can portray a happier life then I am doing my job.

How often do you work on personal projects? As much as possible.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Often, but even the commercial work and commissions I have a way of turning them into personal projects (makes it much more fun to do).

Does your art support you financially? Pays the studio bills, but that is all for now.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? If I am not in the studio painting I am thinking about what I am going to work on next.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I don’t have spare time. I take care of my baby and run a business where I do framing, painting, make purses from repurposed fabric, jewelry…so there is no free time.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? I listen to my baby’s musical toys more than anything so the only thing stuck in my brain is the abc’s!

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? A friend of mine is working on opening a gallery in the Oakland area and showing my work…I am very excited about that.

How long do you generally take on a piece? It varies. Anywhere from a day to a week sometimes more.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I have never been in a situation where it would be an issue.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No. My work is very personal, but once it is done I move on. And besides, if I am ever going to make a living at this I have to be willing to part with it.