Interview with 4th Street Fine Art Artist Korianna Kisielprice

Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where did you grow up? Where do you live?
I grew up in Columbus, Ga. I’m from a family that moved all over the US in the 80s and 90s. I bounced from Georgia to Oregon to California and Indiana as a child. We never stayed in one place too long. As an adult I settled in the Bay Area where I fell in love with how diverse and creative the many cultures of people there are. I’ve come to love the many aspects of country, mountain and city. I'm a mix of all these aspects.

Tell us more about what you create. What style(s) do you work in, mediums, etc.
I currently consider myself an acrylic painter. I started with watercolor and then painted in oils. While loving oils, I preferred the drying times of acrylics. I also am experimenting with mixed media and trying to push different styles that Speak to whatever I’m currently into. As far as categorizing my work, I don’t. I don’t like labels, or boxes. I like to go with whatever impulse is driving me in the moment. In the moment is my style.

Where can we find your art besides at 4th Street?
Muddykanvas.com

How long have you been creating?
Since I was in kindergarten my art teacher was amazed with my cartooning but demanded I connect the lines. Even then I had a specific vision.

When you're not making your art, what do you do?
I’m always trying to be on the water somehow, someway. I’m also currently learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Somehow not related but yet they are the same.

Is creativity a luxury or necessity for you? Tell us more about that.
Any artist that doesn’t say necessity I don’t think I can hang with. You either have the itch or you don’t.

What obstacles have you had to overcome to lead a creative life?
My grandfather was the biggest critic of being an artist. I vividly recall him telling me it was a ‘pipe dream’. Because of his viewpoint it drove me to prove him wrong. I love negative criticism. It’s my fuel.

Did someone in your family, a friend or teacher introduce you to your creative side or have they helped you along the way?
I’m sure many teachers and other artists had a hand in shaping me along the way. I think you learn a little something from everyone and every experience. You have to be open. My mother took an art class and I remember my first memories as a child staring at her sketches of Disney characters. I can still remember that feeling of amazement in her pencil strokes. They spoke to me. That’s definitely where it all started for me.

Where do you find inspiration?
I’m inspired by music, long drives, moments in the shower, meditation, staring off into space. I mentioned being on the water. There’s something mesmerizing about getting lost in that fluid motion of waves and being in that moment.
 
What’s on the horizon for you and what you do?
I’m excited to be in Berkeley again. I’m looking forward to making art and seeing if people get it or not. I never know. I’m going to take the occasional commission and paint my visions no matter how childish or random they are. Then I’m going to live life one day til the next. Drink a little eat a little.

If money wasn’t an issue, would your life change with regards to your art?
I’d open a gallery and pay other people to run it for me. I’d have a venue of food art and I would paint huge murals and then give them away. What else is there to do.

What inspiring advice would you give to other creatives be they established or just starting out?
Don’t listen to the loud voices that judge you. Listen to your internal voice. If it works it’s meant to be. Don’t shove a square peg in a round hole. It’s not a race it’s an endurance challenge. Don’t do it for the money or else you’ll end up quitting. Be flexible be open.
 
Who are some of the artists that inspire you?
Everyone inspires me.
 
Anything else you’d like to share?
When people ask me about my art, I hate talking about it. If you look at it and you hear sounds in your head, or you recall the flavor of an ice cream, or you can smell an aroma that’s not there then I did a good job. I can't spend my life painting the same topic or theme because I’m never the same person from day to day. Although if I get lucky I can commit to a vision I have in my head. It becomes tangible and grows to life that’s the addiction of painting, the itch to see it come to life.