Artospective: Paintings by Lindsey Kustusch from San Francisco, California.

Winter's Ravens

An small Interview with Lindsey Kustusch these few Birds Paintings by Lindsey Kustusch are just glimpses of her long line of work.

Who and from where are you?

I grew up outside of Chicago in Warrenville, Illinois, but I have called the San Francisco Bay area in California home for the past 14 years.

How you got into this?

Since I was little my dream was to become an “artist”. And for so many years I believed that it was in fact something that you can “become”, when in fact it something that you are. We’re artists from birth, it’s just a matter of honing in on your talent, and working every single day to develop a skill that can transform a passion into a profession. I learned this long after I went to art school, after working in another career entirely (animal welfare, another passion of mine). I realized that it was up to me to make this dream a reality. So becoming a “professional artist” is a skill that I developed at home, on my own, one sketch, painting, exhibition at a time. Many failures, and many successes later, I’m still working every single day to keep this dream alive.

What is your driving force?

Art offers us a chance to see the things we miss. Chronicling these fleeting seconds of life has quickly become the focus of my art. Preserving all of it—the quiet, the chaotic, the intimate, the nitty gritty nooks and crannies, the everyday things I see, people I pass on the street, and the thoughts and feelings that are attached to each one of those memories . . . my life, as I live it. Painting these moments is a reminder that I always have a choice as to how I view the world.

What kind of work you do and why?

At the moment I am mostly focusing on urban scenes and animals in traditional oil paint. I strive to evoke real emotion from my work, so therefore I’m constantly adjusting my technique based on my subject matter and focal point. Staying inspired as a working artist can be challenging, so if I focus on painting what’s real to me, hopefully that will resonate with the viewer as well. Just as my subjects and use of pigment are ever-evolving, so is the reason to create something in the first place. And the further I explore, the clearer it's become.... To remain aware. To see the things I might have missed, to preserve and remember the moments that will never return, and to encourage others to do the same... Because all of it is important… All of it is life, and all of it is significant. It's just all in how we look at it.