I had the absolute privilege to ask the talented Leah Sarah Bassett some questions about her amazing art. Check out the interview below!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became an artist! What inspires you to create?

Hello! Both of my parents were artists, so that outlet for creativity has always been pumping in my blood! If i’m not creating, I feel sluggish and worthless. I love connecting, creating and communicating! If I’m not painting, I am writing, singing, playing the ukulele, dancing, hiking and gardening.

2. Amazingly, you’re a self taught artist. What initially inspired you to start painting and was the learning process like for you? Where did you go for resources and how did you choose and develop your style? 

I am a self taught artist, even though I grew up with artists as parents. My parents split when I was 6 yrs old and my mother’s health inhibited her artistic career greatly. My artistic growth was mostly on my own dealing with these experiences. My art teachers often let me sit in the back of class and work on anything I wanted to. I obviously picked up some skills along the way, but as far as formal training, we couldn’t afford much. Art education is incredibly expensive!

What are your thoughts on art education and do you think it is important for artists to have a degree of some kind? 

My thoughts on art education is that it should be available for everyone. The therapy and peace that creativity brings is incredibly healing. As for having a degree in art in order to be successful, I don’t believe it’s imperative, but I’m sure it helps. I’d rather immerse myself in art and my career than drown in the debts and anxiety that art school can bring. I feel like many artists develop a more personal style when they just do it and don’t do the full schooling.

3. What is the most challenging aspect of being an artist in the twenty-first century? Are there any common misconceptions that you often come across that you dislike?

I think I come across the same issues most artists do and have forever! Most people believe that we will always do it for free! Yes, we love what we do, but to assume that we should give our services for free or ridiculously cheap is hurtful and absurd. We put our hearts and souls into what we do. The price of an artists’ creativity is their life experience and thousands of hours of practice.

4. Your work is extremely fascinating and I really love your use of texture and the way that your painting style is part abstract and part realism. How do you think that art that is in some way “rougher”, where we can see the brushstrokes and the texture of the paint used, is perceived differently to images that are more “traditionally” realistic?

I think different textures can portray different emotions, just as colors and subjects do. A gentle stroke can make something be more soft and smooth and a gritty, thick, texture can portray something more raw and unfinished. I love that textures can bring a myriad of emotions and experiences through a painting. I would like to do even more experimenting. Recently I have been playing with pour painting with my partner!

For me, this combination of realism and abstract adds a paradoxical quality to your work to remind us that no matter how realistic your images are, they are, after all strokes of paint. Because of this, I wonder how important the sense of realism in your work is important to you? Do you strive to create images that mimic real life or do you like to play with the idea that your images exist in their own reality?

I really love your critique! You are opening my eyes to my own work! Yes, I do like having my “characters” have their own world and reality! I give them an environment and vibration. Sometimes it’s a void, sometimes a sense of freedom, or stillness and contemplation, sometimes amongst chaos, vast openness, vulnerable and scary, carefree and colorful, etc. All of this usually comes to me intuitively. I just kind of paint what I feel and sometimes it takes years for me to understand why I did it. It’s getting to be much more understandable now, the more I paint every day and understand myself.

5. In your bio you state that your work “addresses the contrast of the dark and light that exists within us all”. 

Can you talk a bit more about what this theme means to you, how you came about deciding upon this theme and why it’s important for you to explore this through your art?

Well, I always knew I found beauty in pain. I think art comes from pain most of the time. We are translating that soul experience onto paper, canvas, clay, writing, song, movement and dance, etc in order to communicate with others. Even if it’s painful to look at, it gets a reaction out of the viewer and in a lot of ways gives a different perspective or reflection for further growth and healing.

Additionally, are there any other themes you’d like to explore in your work that might be very different from what you create now?

I would love to get a little more psychedelic and bright, colorful. I live in California now 😉

I’ve already started to explore the contrast of light and dark using much brighter colors.

6. Looking through your portfolio, I notice that you paint a lot of portraits, which really intrigues me as painting images of people always initiates discussions about the “gaze” in art.

When painting a portrait, do you ever consider the dynamic between the character you’re creating and the viewer? Do you like your characters to seem more confrontational or passive, and how do you decide if a portrait is going to be looking straight at the viewer or if they’ll be looking away?

I feel like the majority of my portraits are either looking straight at you or closing their eyes and turning away. I guess that’s kind of how I am. I am a very open and honest person, almost to a default, but if I don’t have something nice to say or I’m being attacked, I turn my face. I’m a lover, not a fighter. I’m a wounded healer. I’m learning. I think something is definitely changing in me and my work and I am definitely getting stronger as the years go.

What kind of response do you hope to elicit from the viewer with your portraits? 

I just hope to come forth with honesty of my experience and my understandings of others. I hope to connect and help others.

7. Very interestingly, you create both large and small paintings. 

Personally, I love this idea of creating small works as I feel it offers people with less wall space an opportunity to buy a piece of art but what was the driving force behind you choosing to create smaller works?

There was a period in my life when I moved in with someone and their energy was so invasive and neglectful, I felt like I was being zapped of my creativity. At the time I was actually really into creating larger pieces. Since I couldn’t muster up the energy, I forced myself to just create something small everyday. That’s when I started painting mouths on little circle canvases. I must’ve painted over 30 of them and they were a big hit! I then moved onto eyes. In the end, it was interesting how intuitive it was. People can say anything to convince you, guilt you, manipulate you, but the truth is in the eyes.

How do you decide if an image is going to be larger or smaller and is there a thematic difference between your larger and smaller images?

Oh man, that’s difficult, but I guess the last question I kind of addressed that… sometimes the idea is just that simple or I just have that amount of energy. However, a few months ago someone challenged me to paint one of my mouths  on a much larger canvas. It was great! I painted very quickly, the emotion was different and the scale really changed the whole idea. I really love the painting. I want to create more large scale “small” subjects.

Also, does creating smaller works inform larger ones and which size do you prefer working on?

I get ideas from smaller pieces, definitely from time to time. Also, like I said before, the mouths have been awesome when blown up 😉

8. What is your typical creative process for an image like?

I used to source photos from the internet and mix them with myself as a model and some friends. For the most part now, I try to only use friends and myself but on occasion I have to source from the internet to get my vision to come through. I’m also a photographer, so it’s really nice when I can really get my own vision recognized. All of my pieces usually mutate a bit, doesn’t matter where I sourced them from. They take their own form depending on how I feel. I often take pictures during the process. Sometimes I wish I stayed in a stage, but most of the time I am really happy with the metamorphic process.

At what point does an idea become a painting and how do you know when a painting is finished?

I think most artists struggle with this at first and maybe forever! Like I said before I started photographing my paintings and their process and sometimes I say, damn! I could’ve stopped there! but if i’m working out something psychological, it’s when I feel the peace is when it’s finished. Sometimes to avoid overworking, you just have to set the piece aside. That patience is an art in itself, to say the least! It is so easy to just paint and paint and paint forever until it is unrecognizable.

Also, where do you get your ideas for paintings from and how long does a painting typically take?

Many of my past paintings took years to complete. Nowadays, since I have fully invested my time to my art career and a public art studio, I paint everyday and have become much more productive. I have commissions and pieces that will still take a few weeks though. I still have a wide range of time for my work but its better than before by far. It also gets easier as I mature and understand myself better.

Additionally, do you like to show the process of your paintings and do you ever share unfinished or ‘failed’ images? Should artists be more open with their creative processes?

It’s so much more popular nowadays to show the process! I love seeing other artists’ processes and I’ve been working on posting them in my stories. I still have to get together a system to film myself painting, like a phone stand or my boyfriend offered to film me. I do varnish porn videos all the time and those are really gratifying for myself and the viewer!

9. Social media has bridged the gap between artists and the general public, allowing us to to interact, view and access art in an entirely new way. What are your thoughts about social media and how has it impacted your practice?

Social media has exposed me to so many amazing artists and inspirations! It’s also opened up a market for artists beyond the usual gallery settings and competition. I have been building a following more than just my hometown and it’s been amazing! I am selling to people in other countries and that is more than I could have ever asked for growing up. I am incredibly grateful!

Is it something you enjoy and does it help or hinder your creative process? 

I really enjoy the experience!

Are there any drawbacks to social media and how much time to do you spend online vs creating new work?

Social media does seem to create monsters full of competition and envy. There are personalities out there that try to use your vulnerability on the internet against you for their own benefit and there are people who are genuinely inspired and happy for you. It’s really difficult to differentiate the two. There are a lot of predators. We just have to make sure to not worry too much about the audience and be true to ourselves and our own visions. If you need to separate yourself on social media, it’s been a really liberating and beneficial move I’ve seen many friends make for periods of time to readjust. It’s ok to not be completely available. It’s healthier.

9. You’ve had the opportunity to  exhibit your work in a variety of places, in both solo and group shows. What has your experience exhibiting your work been like and what has been your favourite show to be a part of?

Earlier on, I felt so exposed and vulnerable in front of my art, I would take hours to get dressed, often worrying about what I would say, almost completely avoiding the reception altogether. Now that I feel a bit more comfortable and confident in my work, I feel much better talking about it. This doesn’t always mean the viewer will like what I have to say. Sometimes you just need to let it be a mystery and let the painting become a different story for someone else. Some people really don’t need to hear where the story came from. I often get some critiques from viewers that help me grow within my own work. It’s lovely to let other perspectives grow from one painting.

How did you get into exhibiting your work, and when did you know you were ready to do so?

To start, I exhibited a few times in middle school and high school. I guess I knew I was ready when my work kept getting removed for implied nudity. I got a little thrill from that experience. 

I knew I was really ready when I had so much artwork in my apartment with my roommates, filling the hallways, living room, my room and theirs that I was really ready to start exhibiting. The overflow is definitely a kickstarter!

Additionally, do you have any advice for artists who might be looking to exhibit their work?

We often think that galleries are the only places to showcase art, but some of my most successful shows have been in local restaurants, cafes, show homes and local wealthy neighbor get togethers. In fact, one of my most successful and best selling art shows was actually in the foyer of a gym! We had room for a small concert and everything!

10. Marketing and growing an audience are some of the biggest challenges for an artist in these current times. 

What has your experience marketing your work been like and do you find it easy or hard to reach new people? Do you have a target audience that you hope to reach, or are you happy with a more eclectic audience?

My audience tends to be people I have met in person and connected with at least once. If I haven’t met them, it has usually been through word of mouth or through a friend and then we connect online. I am genuinely a people person. I love an eclectic audience. 

Also, how do you try and engage people with your work, so that they are invested in it beyond a ‘like’ or a follow and what are your thoughts about social media algorithms and the way that it chooses who is and isn’t exposed to your work?

I’m trying not to “try” anymore. I’m just trying to be honest with my experience and share as much as I can. I still have reservations in certain areas.

Additionally, have you ever used paid social media ads? If so, what was the experience like and is it something you’d recommend?

I think I did that for a weekend once and it was fine but didn’t get me anywhere but more likes… I feel like they used robots. 

11. Do you think that art is still regarded as important nowadays,  and do people still value the time and effort it takes to create something? 

It’s interesting! I’ve been a makeup artist for 15+ years and often found that people will spend more money for one day of makeup that will wash off than a painting that they can keep forever. Vanity pays well! I love helping people feel confident and good about themselves but It can be an energetically exhausting industry. I wanted to focus more on my artwork and it was really difficult knowing this. No matter how hard it has been, I have been able to make my way following my heart. My boyfriend and I moved to Southern California a little over a year ago, starting completely over and I couldn’t be happier with the rollercoaster ride. What’s weird, but not at the same time, is that since COVID, I’ve had more commissions and interest in my art due to people being home more, re evaluating their space and investing in the art they had been talking about for years. I think people are more and more starting to appreciate the art and effort. Many more people are starting to take on a new hobby and art themselves! It’s great!

12. If you could curate a gallery show in which you exhibited your work alongside 3 other creatives, who would you exhibit with and what theme would you choose?

Oh Goodness! I guess my living favorites… I have actually had the pleasure of meeting in person are Caroline Westerhout, Henrik Aa Uldalen, Khalid Alkaaby and Cassandra Schramm. I love the classical backgrounds of each artist and the all the rules they break. We share a similar vibe of sorts. I am very inspired by them and genuinely enjoy them as people.  I’m not sure of the theme, but it would be pretty weird. A bit dark and dramatic with a lot of action, I think. We should totally do it, hahaha!

13. At the time of writing, we are currently in the middle of a global pandemic with the continuation of Covid-19, which has impacted various industries across the world.

How has this crisis affected you, both personally and professionally, and what is the biggest shift you’ve seen in the creative industry during this time?

I think a lot of people are starting to value their time and space at home a bit more. I have been getting a bit more interest in my art and a lot more commissions. I especially love the empowering commissions I have been doing of women in the nude. Many women have been commissioning me for their own personal nude portraits,. It’s been a lovely time of self exploration, I think.

Additionally, do you think that this pandemic will affect the creative industry in a positive or negative way over the next few months and what will be best and worst thing to come out of it?

I think it’s been pretty positive, though difficult. A lot of creatives have been reaching out and learning from each other different ways to market, survive and thrive. 

14. In your opinion, what makes a good piece of art? What was the last image/piece of media that captivated you and what was it about it that left an impression on you?

That’s difficult to say! I am overexposed to art on instagram, alone! I love movement in art and I want to express more freedom with how I paint. I think it’s fascinating what photoshop artists have been able to portray. I would like to use that to help me paint sometime. 

15. What does it mean to be a successful artist? Has your idea of success changed since you first started creating art?

I guess when I was little I thought you needed to be famous in order to be successful? Maybe? Maybe that’s what everyone though at some time? However, with social media, practically anyone can be famous and that doesn’t always mean success. It can be really scary and daunting. I think success for me now is that I am happy, creating, loving what I do, reaching out to others, reciprocating positive, inspiring vibes and always learning. Everyday I feel successful because I am striving to be my best and working really hard at what I love and with my most favorite person.

Also, how do you measure the success of an image, especially when you post it online and how much attention do you give social media stats?

I feel like the success of an image changes with social media. Nowadays, it seems to be more successful if you have a photo of yourself next to it selfie or portrait style. I like that added intimacy and personality.

16. Being an artist can sometimes be quite a difficult pursuit, as people may or may not understand the art you create. Do you find it liberating or isolating to be an artist, and how important is it for you for people to understand your work?

I think I used to be a much more isolated artist. I only worked at night and didn’t know the art world or many other artists. Since moving, I had to immerse myself and jump in head first! I always had artist friends before but now I live and breathe it. I have a studio space in a gallery with other artists and we are constantly learning from each other, critiquing and sharing secrets. I love this family!

Additionally, how do you stay engaged and motivated to keep creating art, especially through times where you might be doubting yourself or unsure of what you want to create? What do you like to do when you’re not creating art?

I love to create other art when I’m not art-ing. 😉 I write, since, dance, do yoga, go on hikes and long walks and meditate. 

17. Do you think that we live in a society that cultivates or curtails creative freedom? In the age of social media guidelines and prudishness, does creative freedom really exist? 

Ah man, I am all about #freethenipple but it does seem like we have all the creative freedom and then not with social media. In two seconds, you’re flagged and the algorithms aren’t usually in your favour. 

Similarly, as an artist who explores the human condition and isn’t afraid to use nudity in your work, how do you deal with the restricting nature of social media and the idea of censorship?

What can artists do to help their work reach the right kind of audience, especially if it contains imagery that some people may not like?

I don’t really know, but silly emojis aren’t the worst… they make it more obvious how ridiculous it is to hide the little bits. I know some photographers just erase the nipple but it looks a bit creepy and alien for me. I think because I am a painter and it’s not always so realistic, I get away with the nudity, but I do get flagged  from time to time. My family, of course, doesn’t like my openness on nudity.

18. Do you consider your art to be  product of your experiences or your imagination and Is it important for art to make the viewer stop? Should art allow for reflection or action?

My art is absolutely a product of my experiences and imagination together. As it evolves, it is always representing me. I think art should art: allow reflection, action, stillness, and whatever else it evokes with no boundaries. There is freedom in art.

19. Copyright, especially in the technological age, can be a huge problem for artists.

What actions do you take to ensure that your work is not being used without your permission and have you had any experiences with plagiarism? Is this an issue that you often think about?

I don’t know what actions anyone can really take in this day in age with plagiarism and copyright. A few years ago, someone pretended to be me and have an entirely different website “selling my art” and luckily, I didn’t have a lawsuit. We have instagram that owns every image and technology that makes it possible for people in other countries to make prints of our photos and paintings, bootlegging movies and music, etc. I just don’t stress and let it go into space like it’s supposed to. As much as I try, I have plenty of close friends who still don’t give me credit for my art and photography of them on social media. I don’t think I can control it and its so out of hand, I just prefer to not stress over it until I guess my art is on a billboard in Time Square without getting paid and then we will have a problem 😉

20. What are you currently working on and where can people find more about you and your work? 

Currently I am working on a commission complimenting a previous piece from a few years ago. We are together addressing light and dark in the sense of female strength and power. The original painting is a white woman in wolf’s pelts with a red sash and key on her arm surrounded in darkness. The new piece is of a dark skinned woman in a red dress holding a fawn, representing strength as the nurturer and mother, surrounded by light and greenery. It’s interesting because I feel like I am going back in time, but it’s so nice to reflect and paint from another perspective. There is always room for growth on an idea and inspiration.  The greatest artists spent years painting and exploring exactly the same thing.