Getting to Know: Elena Vandervate

We sat down with Elena Vandervate, painter and graphic designer, in her home studio in Simi Valley.

Viewfinder: Okay, so who are you and can you give us a little insight into your background as a creative?

Elena Vandervate: I’m a painter and I went to school for studio art and with an emphasis in painting. And right now I work as a graphic designer, but in my free time I paint and I've always painted since I was younger. Both my parents, my dad's an artist, my mom is also an artist, so I've kind of just grown up around it.

VF: Okay. So what was your experience with art school?
EV: I really enjoyed it. I liked my professors. They were super cool and encouraging and sometimes scary, but I think it pushed me– especially one professor in particular. He was like, cover it up. If it doesn't look good, just restart it, scrap it. And he would just tell you, that doesn't look right, or you just need to push it further. So that really helped me, even though it was uncomfortable at first, like, oh, this is terrible, and then this gets better.

VF: But isn't art subjective?
EV: Think it's more just like if I was trying something to convey something, you had to consult with them before you started a painting, kind of get the idea across to 'em first, and they would give you feedback as you were going. You would sometimes just take your brush and start painting over. And then in two brush jokes, this thing starts to look amazing. And you're like, “oh, how did I not get that after working on this for three hours?”

VF: So did you think that was beneficial for you?
EV: I think it made me uncomfortable and so it made me push myself more to want to be comfortable with [saying] ”okay, yeah, this sucks.” And being aware of when something's not working, instead of just trying to be like, oh no, it's good, I'm having fun. But also trying to get when you want to progress, it's a little bit uncomfortable.

VF: What do you do now in the creative field?
EV: I work as a graphic designer for a home decor company, creating illustrations and patterns, repeat patterns for pillows and other home decor items.

VF: So is it just graphic design that you're doing right now or is there anything else you spend your time with?
EV: Okay. So that's what I do at work, and I actually just got that job four months ago. Before that, I wasn't doing anything in the art field. I was just painting on my own, which is frustrating because after graduating school it was hard to get a job in the creative field. And this isn't exactly something that I'm super crazy about, but just something to get my foot in the door and build a better resume and portfolio.

VF:  What is something that you'd most like to do?
EV: I would love to just paint murals. Yeah, that would be my main goal. If I could have a dream art career, it would be that. Cause I've painted probably 10 to 15 murals, I guess freelance, or I did a couple during school too. And it's just so fun getting to paint so big and just have kind of freedom to use a huge amount of space and then a bunch of people get to see it, and it's just a fun, interactive kind of thing. And I am a really shy person, so being out painting in front of people is weird, but also makes me uncomfortable. So it's pushing me to grow as a person more, I feel like.

VF: When do you feel most fulfilled as a creative?
EV: I think when I make sure that I'm putting aside enough time and making it, even when I get home from work, I'm tired even giving myself 30 minutes to paint or work on new ideas for painting. Just when I know I'm putting in the effort to do something instead of just like, “oh, I don't really feel like painting right now.” And then I'll start noticing that my mood changes if I don't paint it or do anything creative besides at work for a while. And so I think I feel more fulfilled when I know that I'm putting in the effort and putting my best foot forward to make sure that I'm doing what I want to do.

VF: So you said you just recently got this job as a graphic designer. What were you doing before that?
EV: I was working at a landfill.
VF: A landfill?!
EV: Any kind of creative thing there– I would kind of try to get my foot in with. I made a couple flyers and posters and painted a couple things for the office there. So that was fun just to be able to show future employers like, oh, even though that wasn't my position, I was still headed in that direction.

VF: So you've always made things work. How do you decide on which projects to do next?
EV: If I don't have anything lined up, I kind of just make projects for myself in my head. Okay. Just come up with an idea. I always have kind of a theme that I follow when I paint.

VF: I see lots of different patterns on the floor and there's sponges over there. Those look like the ones you use for ceramics. Do you do all that stuff?
EV: Yeah. If I'm not painting, I'm sewing. I have a pottery wheel. I've only used it four or five times because it's messy and I don't like to clean things up myself. And I also experimented with screen printing and making some clothes and stuff. So yeah, I'm kind of all over the place and you'll see the same stuff in all of my work. I love butterflies and flowers, so that's pretty much in every design that I do or painting there.

VF: So you talked about your parents being artists. Where does your interest in art come from?
EV: I think just from growing up around it and seeing my dad painting and having his friends over and they would always paint in the garage and just being around that environment. And then once I got into high school, I took an art class there and I actually, I think it was my senior year, I really liked it. Not that I was better than anyone else in the class because it was just a beginner class, but I just got along with the teacher really well. 

So it felt like I was like, “oh, this is actually fun. I really like this class.” Then it started taking painting and drawing more seriously, I think my senior year of high school. And then in college I started taking classes at the community college and then decided after going back and forth a million times that I wanted to get my bachelor's in studio art.

VF: So you went to community college. What was the decision making into going to community college and then eventually university?
EV: Because I had no idea what I wanted to do and I wasn't necessarily passionate about any specific thing, and I kind of struggled with math and science. That was already out the window for me. I didn't have anything, didn't want to do anything with that. And then once I got to Moorpark, the classes there were cool. It wasn't anything that I was like, “oh, this really sparked my, I'm so obsessed with painting now and all this stuff. But it was cool.” And then I debated switching my major a couple times, but then I realized, no, I just wanted to go back to painting and just focus on that.

VF: What were those other options?
EV: Something random that I don't think I would be able to do some sort of science nutrition thing or, yes, nothing that I know anything about.

VF: What about art? Is it that keeps you wanting to do this stuff?
EV: Just because I think I'm not that great with words or expressing myself. I'm really reserved and just like to keep to myself most of the time. So this is something that I can still express myself and convey stuff without having to speak to a bunch of people or write things or be there. This just shows more of who I am than when I speak.

VF: Is there anything you like to put at the forefront of your work or show or some things you like to focus on as opposed to others?
EV: Definitely more nature stuff, outdoorsy kind of stuff. I do a lot of little mini landscapes and stuff, and I'll take my little travel paint set and go hiking or on a mini hike and just set up somewhere. So I like combining being outside because I love being outside with painting. I didn't start off just painting butterflies and stuff, but if you look back from some of my paintings in school, the same elements are in almost everything that I've painted.

I always have butterflies and passion fruit flowers in a lot of them. And I think that's just because I love butterflies. At my grandparents' house, they had a vine, a passionfruit vine. There's always butterflies surrounding it. And so when we were younger, me and my brother used to collect the caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies and just had a lot of fun with that. And so I just always liked that and it feels nostalgic.

VF: So what has your commission work been?
EV: It's mostly just paintings of people's dogs, which I do like doing. And our pets did a couple customized bags and shoes and things like that. But for the mural wise, it's been like company or business logos. I've painted a couple windows for advertisement kind of things. I did a mural during school with a group of classmates, or actually just ended up being two of us, but we painted four murals at an elementary school, kind of just enforcing positivity and togetherness. That was fun, and I really liked those.

VF: What are the characteristics of you that have been most helpful to you and your work?
EV: I love to make lists and check things off lists. So if I'm not feeling particularly inspired by anything, but I still know that I need to paint and keep practicing and progressing, I just make lists of things that I would like to try or different ideas that I've had that I haven't tried or I have tried and they haven't come out and kind of just go down that list. 

I don't know if it's motivation, but just once I write something down, I want to do it, and it doesn't matter if it doesn't turn out good. It's kind of just more for the experience and forcing myself to do something even if I don't feel like doing something. So I feel like that's discipline. Yeah. I'm disciplined in getting stuff done. 

I mentioned before that if I'm tired after work, I don't want to paint, [I’ll say to myself] “okay, literally 30 minutes, just sit down and do it.” And then [I’ll say], “okay, I did the 30 minutes.” Most of the time, once that 30 minutes is over, I want to keep painting. I've already gotten myself into the mood. Or if I wake up early before work and paint for 30 to 40 minutes just to kind of get myself in the right mood for the day and it feels good that way. So I definitely think being disciplined is one of my traits that helps me.

VF: Where did you learn this list making habit?
EV: It just came to me one day. I got a planner as a gift, and then I was just kind of like, whoa, this is amazing. And I just wrote every single thing that I did down there and that I wanted to do, and I would just plan out my entire week and every day and what I wanted to get done, and especially help during school. 

But now after school, it still helps keep me on track and get things done. There's weeks when I don't use it and I'm like, I don't even know what I did, or did I even do anything? It doesn't just, yeah, it really helps me. So I kind of just, once I got that planner as a gift, I was like, yeah, I'm rolling with it. It's good.

VF: So it sounds like you keep it to track your progress. What are you progressing to?
EV: I would like to be in more art shows and stuff, get my out there more and just, I guess it's mostly for myself to know that I'm pushing myself to get somewhere. But yeah, it'd be a dream to have a solo show somewhere or be able to just paint murals to just be able to design stuff for myself as a business instead of for somebody else.

VF: How does someone get into an art show?
EV: I don't have a lot of experience in this because I haven't really been in any, but there's open calls that people post on different websites to kind of see like, okay, we're looking for artists for this kind of show, and if you qualify, whatever, submit your work. I've applied to a couple, but I haven't gone into any of them– well, I'm going to be in an art show next month, but yeah, I'm excited for that one.

VF: Where does someone who's trying to start their career, where would you suggest they go?
EV: I feel like honestly, social media is a good start. Just start sharing your work online and making connections that way. If you don't have anything local or just start going to different art shows at local galleries and kind of just seeing people. I mean, I go to a specific gallery every month, but I don't talk to anyone there, so I just like to go there to just soak up all the different art and see everything thing and get inspired that way. But I definitely think if someone wants to get their art out there at first and just start posting it on social media, Instagram, TikTok.

VF: So what's your experience with the social media aspect of it?
EV: Not that great. Once I need to take my own advice. But once I get into the zone, I don't think about, “oh, I need to record this, or I need to do this, or I need to do that.” And then once I'm done painting, making something, the last thing that I want to do is edit, make a video or post something on Instagram or TikTok. But, it's definitely something that I want to focus more on and it's one of my goals to kind of grow more on social media, I guess, to get my work out there.

VF: Where do you find your community along with your independent work?
EV: I would say my friends are super supportive and even though they're not necessarily artists themselves, they like to do other crafty kinds of stuff with me. 

But artist-wise in school, I wasn't super outgoing and I never made it a point to make a connection with other people in my classes, which I regret now because I feel like that would lead to more opportunities in networking now, because everyone, you meet someone and they meet someone and it's a networking process. 

But I mean, I still have some friends that I know, but that's something that I regret is not being more or adamant with myself about doing that. Making sure I made friends or made a connection with somebody kind of thing. I was just so reserved to myself. And so I feel like that kind of backfired.

VF: What advice would you give about networking?
EV: Don't be shy and don't be intimidated by people. I'm saying it's easier than it actually is because if it was easy than I would've done it. But I guess push yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable situations with talking to people and get comfortable about talking about your work so that when people ask about it or people ask about you, people know about you and then you are able to talk about your work.

VF: What helps you get out of your comfort zone?
EV: That's something that I'm still figuring out. I am just really bad with putting myself in uncomfortable situations, purposefully knowing, okay, if I put myself out there, I'm going to be nervous or whatever. So it's really hard for me to get over that initial hump. But I guess if I just have to realize if I want to keep progressing and get anywhere with my art career, then I just have to do that because that's just how you're going to start networking and meeting people and finding new opportunities. But if I'm just not talking to anyone, I'm just in here by myself, then it's not going to go anywhere.

You can find more Elena’s work at: @elenvan_art on Instagram.

by
erik anguiano