Today we’d like to introduce you to Marina Karpova.
Hi Marina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
A marketing professional with experience of working for multinational companies and leading brands, an MBA graduate, National University Alumni, little could I imagine myself becoming an artist. I always loved art, primarily fine art and enjoyed visiting museums and art galleries.
And yet, I’d say I myself came to fine art by accident.
I’ve been always interested in business and working in marketing allowed me to utilize both my managerial skills and creativity. But much changed in my life when I moved from Russia to San Diego, California in 2015.
I was amazed by the beautiful local scenery, particularly, I was impressed by the ocean. I would just be standing there by the ocean for a long time, as if frozen in time, looking at the horizon, at the crashing waves, at the sparkles on the surface of the water. I still do so.
I always encouraged my daughter to create art, painting and drawing is her favorite. And one day, I just knew I wanted to create “my” thing, and so my first ever series of four small acrylic paintings on 3D canvases was born, painted ala prima. That night I realized that was a beginning of a new phase in my life, maybe my new life. It felt as if I had found the missing part of myself.
I went on with painting miniatures, both on paper and small canvases, mostly inspired by California nature and beautiful places in San Diego. I painted the coast, Balboa Park, Coronado bridge, Oceanside Pier, Moonlight Beach, etc. and, surprisingly, my minis were so much welcomed by the audience. I was sharing my works on social media and one day, I woke up to find a message that someone wanted to buy one of them. My first sales were absolutely unexpected, and I was over the moon that my little works made someone happy. I was honored that people wanted to have my tiny art in their homes.
I’m still in the marketing field providing consultancy for small businesses, but painting has become a part of my everyday life and I’m sure it’s there forever. I’ve learnt a lot, my art has definitely evolved. Now I feel confident working on large canvases, have developed my style, I know my favorite theme and my color palette.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a self-taught artist, I had to go through that schooling by the way of trials and errors. I had to learn that acrylic paints are different, and sometimes mixing white and purple you get brown! What paintbrush should I use for petals or a straight line? Is there a difference between painting on canvas versus on paper? Yes, I had to learn a lot, starting from the very basics. As a mom of a small kid, I couldn’t spend my days quietly sitting in my studio and painting. For a long time, I was Mom at daytime and Artist at night. Sure thing, that was so hard but I was determined and inspired!
Another challenge was to actually apply a business attitude (at least a bit) to what I realized was more than a hobby. After a while, I somewhat figured out how to price my works, how to accept orders for a commissioned paintings (or reject them).
Perhaps, the finance side of this business is the toughest. You can go on with less sleep, with long working hours to reach the desired result (oh yes, I’m a perfectionist!), but you simply cannot paint decent works if you cannot get decent art supplies. So yes, I admit it took me a while to gradually change my student paints to professional ones.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m specializing in marine art, this being mostly seascapes, inspired by the Pacific ocean and California coast. I love both calm and stormy waters, serene blue sky and dark grey clouds, Ocean (or sea) is awesome at any time, right?! I paint with acrylic paints on cotton canvases, but sometimes it can also be a wooden panel, a wood slice, or paper. Actually, I prefer canvases to other media, but I love to try them all once in a while. Every medium requires a specific approach, like priming, time of drying, amount of water, and so on. So it’s a great chance to master new techniques, and again, to develop further my artistic skills.
Funny enough, within my first year of painting, I made a huge leap from mini paintings less than a quarter in size to bigger canvases. My biggest painting as of now is on a 24″ by 48″ canvas, and – surprise – it is not a seascape. It’s the Eiffel Tower against the sunset sky with cotton candy clouds. It was a commission and it’s now living in Oceanside, loved by her owners. I’m really proud of that work – was brave enough to accept that order, to challenge myself, and was greatly rewarded with the most precious learning experience. Probably, I cannot be ever completely satisfied with my work as my inner critic is always there for me, but I truly appreciate every minute of my artistic journey.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Being an artist is not a job for me. It’s a completely new me, my new way of life and way of thinking. An artist has to be ready for numerous challenges. You need patience, you should be willing to learn, to listen what others say (or keep to themselves) about your work. So your attitude to creating art is vital for your success and development.
From my perspective, being positive and consistent is the most important thing for any artist. It’s not about being optimistic. It’s about your inner strength. You know your inclination and goals, and that is an open door to developing and improvements, to being able to deal with criticism, to endure that pain in your right shoulder (sorry if that was too personal). You should just move further, no matter what.
I strongly believe that paintings keep the energy of their creator and that people feel it. When your art is infused with the beauty of the world around you, with your memories which you share in your stories, your work is radiating all that. I’m sure my collectors appreciate my art not because it’s perfect from an art school point of view (because I’m afraid it is not), but because they get a part of my story, inspiration, emotions with my works. Art is about what we feel, not what we see.
Contact Info:
- Email: marina.karpova11@gmail.com
- Website: https://marina-karpova.mailerpage.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marine_art_by_marina/
