Art is an awakening of the heart connecting with the energy of the world.
Queens based abstract artist, connecting my soul to the universe.
About Me
Background
I was born the youngest of 7 in Queens, New York in 1988. My parents thought uprooting their city lives and literal roots to move to a suburban small town life would be better for raising kids, so I ended up growing up across country in Chico, California. I was born into an artistic family, my mother shared her passions with me at a young age, introducing me to all types of art from cooking to painting, she allowed me to explore where I felt most creative. My father always told me I could do anything so I wrote a short story book at age 8/9, I wrote my first poetry book at age 10; landed my first lead role in a musical at age 12 and went on to pursue theatre arts in Junior College where I traveled and performed for student audiences all over California.
When my mother passed away from a heart attack, she was only 55. I was only 13 and happened to be the one who found her as she was suffering before passing. The trauma of finding my mom in that state has been one of the main reasons I kept using art as an outlet to release my feelings. My father was all I had since both my sisters were not around when our mother passed so I took to his side but I even went to school in the bay area thinking that would make him proud. Unfortunately the same year I left for college was the same year he passed away from liver cancer, he was given 6 months to live after being diagnosed and I insisted he would be ok so I stayed in school and the last visit I had with him he told me to go after my dreams and to do what made me happy because that was more important than money. His passing was the straw that broke me. I experienced a number of traumatic events following his death.
I was 22 homeless, depressed, felt worthless I wound up in New York and eventually found a place to live. I never stopped writing poetry but I did start oil painting and found a part of me I had been missing.
The Artist
Westside uses mostly oil and enamels in her work, she has tapped into creating beautiful chaos as some might call it, using a wide range of color blending and different techniques to apply the paint on canvas. She has been influenced by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Vincent Van Gough.
Westside Warhol has displayed art in galleries in Harlem, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Washington D.C. She has worked with collectives like hARTlem, Fantasy in Color, Protect Your Heart, High Speed and HelloTittie. She plans to head overseas with her work in the next year. The idea of being able to express yourself freely with color is the beauty she hopes to share with her art. She wants others to know they can do anything they want to if it lives in their hearts.
Artist Statement
Art for me is a spiritual process, an awakening of the heart connecting with the energy of the world. It allows me to explain my heart when I can’t find the words or actions, it allows me to free myself from anything I feel is weighing me down , and most importantly it allows me to be amazed by the beauty that comes from truly letting go and allowing my intuition to take me to a higher place. This is a quote that I live by: “It is God’s purpose that we express all we are, and it is God’s will that human kind should use and enjoy every good in the universe.” – Unknown
God for me can be any higher being or spiritual power that you feel as a person, what you feel controls your spirit. I do not wish to separate ourselves by religious beliefs, I only wish to share the love and harmony I feel when I am allowed to paint and create