Meet Alicia Knight | Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alicia Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alicia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I feel as an artist, especially a painter there can be a lot of false information on what to do with your life and your art.

I was fully convinced that you could never survive as an artist. I have no idea where I got that from, but it proved to be false.

I remember having $0.76 cents in my bank account. I was getting calls from my old sales job to please come back to work. But I had already decided to be an artist full time. It was really risky, but I had to believe in myself and my choices. So I told my old job no and took a leap of faith. That was over two years ago and I am still an artist full time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. A true Angeleno.

I was fortunate to have parents that encouraged me to be an artist.

I was always fascinated by art. How someone could create something out of nothing. How Picasso could see the world in a different way and warp it to his own creation. How Monet could see the world through his own special glasses. How Lichtenstein could paint all those dots and it would create a special image. I was in awe of their magic.

I wanted to be part of it. To be part of the people who saw the world as they saw it and made it look different. The artists who were able to universally communicate an emotion to others through a painting.

So, I started painting. I had no idea how to paint or what to paint when I started. So I painted lines and played with colors.

I never wanted anyone to see my work because I was afraid someone would tell me I’m no good and my dream would be shattered. For years I painted quietly alone while I did several menial jobs to support myself.

In 2011 I went through a bit of a rough time, I found myself painting more and more and it became my way of dealing with the hardship I felt. I started showing a good friend of mine some of my work and realized she never said anything negative. I was shocked. So then I started showing more of my friends and they also never said anything negative. In fact some of them even wanted to buy them.

But I still wasn’t ready. My paintings were my diary.

Several years later, after several more jobs that drained me, I decided I was going to give painting a shot professionally. If I failed, I failed. At least I tired. I worked day and night looking at all the different options I could do. I created a website, I put my work on Etsy, Saatchi art, Social media, anywhere I could to get out there.

I think the biggest lesson I have learned, is that, if you work hard and keep at it you will be successful. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen and continues to happen.

The thing I am most proud of is that I am able to reach strangers through my paintings and communicate with them a moment or a feeling that resonates within them and hopefully makes their life better, even for a moment.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
They say it takes a village, I agree.

Taylor, Jim, Tamra, Amelie, Katy, and Ramzi. Thank you for all your support and encouragement. You guys have been truly wonderful.

My family, I got so lucky to have parents that always believed in me. They never said I couldn’t do or be anything.

All artist past and present, I believe it takes courage to be an artist and I applaud you for it.

Website: www.aliciaknightart.net

Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliciaknightart

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aliciaknightart

Other: www.etsy.com/shop/aliciaknightart www.pinterest.com/aliciaknightart www.tiktok.com/@aliciaknightart