Meet Charissa Owens | Artist & Creative

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

Hi Charissa, what inspires you?
My love for art history, textiles, fashion, and interior design gives some influence, but my main inspiration comes from past years as a graphic designer and a love of the textures found in nature. I often see composition and patterns on objects in the world around me that find their way onto my canvas in new and different ways. I love the continuously evolving process of multimedia layering and creating slight hints of the underpainting that peep out in each piece. Art is what I live and breathe in my everyday life, constantly striving to capture the wonder of what I see to share with others.

My artwork incorporates a soft color palette that is infused with a sense of elegance, peace and serenity. I explore muted colors and work with a myriad of unsuspecting tools. As an artist I strive for each individual piece to portray a sophisticated elegance and simplicity.

I draw inspiration from simple things in life that create complex, delicate, and intricate patterns. I feel keen observation, spontaneity, and intuition are key factors to my creative process.

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 studied art in high school and cultivated it further in college, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Upon graduation, I worked as a Graphic Designer for 4 years, and then pursued my other passion of teaching children and taught Kindergarten. While taking a year off from teaching, I worked as the graphic designer, marketing and social media manager for a start-up clothing company. This experience reawakened more of my creative side and a desire to continue on this artistic journey. I returned to teaching and was able to combine my love of art with teaching children, by now serving as a Talented Visual Arts educator for the Rapides Parish school system. I am passionately focused on growing the love of art for our next generation of artists.

In between being a wife, a mother to 3, and working my full-time job as an art teacher, I find time to create in the evenings and on the weekends in my home studio and in my studio at River Oaks Arts Center. I began my art career by hand painting pillows with nature scenes in 2020, and since then, I have been commissioned to create multiple abstract, watercolor, and multimedia pieces that are now on display in homes and businesses throughout the US.

My artwork incorporates a soft color palette that is infused with a sense of elegance, peace and serenity. I explore delicate layering of muted colors and work with a myriad of unsuspecting tools. As an artist I strive for each individual piece to portray a sophisticated elegance and simplicity that brings warmth to wherever it is displayed. Many of my collectors and viewers say that my pieces convey a sense of serenity and peacefulness when viewed.

One thing I am most proud of is that I recently branched out from painting original pieces of art on canvas, and have begun a small brand of gift items using my original art. I have used my art to create fabric, high end pillows, insulated tumblers, stationery, tea towels, and hand loomed rugs that are heirloomed pieces crafted by artisans in India using my art as the design. My rugs are probably one of the accomplishments I am most excited for at the moment. They are available in any size and made to order. My art has paired well with these items and has allowed me to bring art into my collectors homes in a variety of ways and price points.

It has been such a wonderful journey, I have truly been amazed at how each step has opened up more doors for me as my business continues to grow. I think my biggest struggle would be balancing my time between all the different demands of working and family time. I am learning the art of knowing which projects to say yes to and which ones to close the door to. I am also learning how to be gracious with myself and allow myself time to explore and experiment with new things and giving myself time to celebrate my accomplishments before working on the next new things. For the first several years of my art journey, I was so focused on keeping up with my commission timeline and producing as much work as I possibly could as quickly as I could. I am slowing down a bit and enjoying the journey of creation. That has been a balancing act and definitely something I have to keep working at every single day. My husband always reminds me to enjoy the journey and I think I am getting better at that.

I want the world to know that it is important to follow your dreams and create the life you want to live. It took me over half my life to finally begin building my dream. Sometimes I wish I would have started earlier in my life, but I also know that timing is everything. Maybe this is the perfect timing of when I needed to begin things. Maybe I needed to learn many lessons in life along the way to be prepared to start my journey. Who knows, but I am so thankful that I pursued it and didn’t give up. I never want to be that person that looked back on life and wondered…WHAT IF….? I want to be the person that looked back on my life and said…Man, I truly lived and tried to make my dreams come true.

Anything you want to pursue in life takes determination, ambition, hard work, and patience. Be a dreamer and dream BIG… just GO FOR IT! Don’t wait until it is perfect. Perfection is the death of progress. Don’t get bogged down in the weeds of perfection. Put it out in the world and grow with it over time. Believe in yourself and allow yourself to pivot. Be authentic and consistent in what you offer and people will love you for it.

If I have learned one things about life from being an artist, it is that you must collect moments of pure bliss along the way to fill you cup of inspiration. You cannot be so busy and focused on the output of creating that you don’t enjoy the journey and the whole process. Each of my pieces is thoughtfully created using the elements of art and principles of design, but they also carry noes of…watching a cotton candy sunset while you cook a lovely meal, admiring the shadow of a plant dancing on my patio wall from the warm summer sun, feeling the late evening freeze on a walk, sitting in the rose garden enjoying heartfelt conversation with your friends, watching the fireflies dance in the night. These are all things that fuel my art and inspire pieces I create. Not only does painting come from mixing paint, but also from a love and pure enjoyment of life. This is the good stuff. You must have those, or you will get burnt out and quit. Sit in the quiet and have a LOVE FOR LIVING. That is what makes the world go round! There is a poem by Marc-Aurele that I have come to love and really represents this artistic journey for me. “When you wake up in the morning, remember how precious is the privilege of living, breathing and being happy.” Wise words to live by!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The city I live in is Alexandria, LA. It is a very small city. I would take them hiking because there is nothing better than hanging out with nature. I would also take them to visit our Alexandria Museum of Art and the River Oaks Square Arts Center. I would bring them to eat at some of my favorite restaurants, which are, Word of Mouth, Trios, Spirits, The Diamond Grill, and Cafe DeSoto. I love our coffee shop downtown called Tamp & Grind and there are some wonderful murals to check out in that area. I would also bring them to my mom’s house, because she is the best hostess around!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have always been fascinated by art, and consistently worked with my hands to create! This began in elementary school and continued on throughout my life. I have always been encouraged to be creative by my mom and dad, and my family seemed to have creativity in them. My dad taught me to make things and build with my hands, my uncle, an architect, gave an art lesson to my elementary class and then continued to share his love of drawing and art with me. I would sit on his drafting table and draw flowers as he drafted houses. I welded with my grandfather at his farm and learned how to create art out of metal. My family was always creative in nontraditional ways. This began my artistic journey.

My husband and kids have been a constant supporter of my entire art career. I often tell them that they are my board of directors, because I go to them for art critiques and we constantly talk about art endeavors. They are some of my biggest fans and constantly build me up while encouraging me to keep growing.

My college professor Ted Barnes consistently challenged my art skills and give me wonderful critiques and feedback of how to further my artistic journey. He has always been a creative inspiration and teacher.

Of all the people that I need to think, this group has got to be the most important by far! I could never have pursued this journey without all my amazing collectors who constantly support my work. I am so thankful to them and for their encouraging words along the way.

River Oaks Square Arts Center has also been a wonderful organization that has supported my career as an artist and encouraged my growth. I have a studio there and love being networked with all the amazing artists in residency there. I am thankful to have that organization as a constant source of support.

Website: http://www.charissaowensart.com

Instagram: @charissaowensart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charissa.owens.1/

Other: Faire Wholesale Marketplace: faire.com/direct/charissaowensart

Image Credits
Camille Robinson with @kelseycamillephoto captured both the photos with me in them