[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s LA Art artist spotlight features a chat with artist Todd Westover.
It’s not often that you find a successful artist gifting away art as ancillary packaging. Typically the artwork is the gift itself. But Todd Westover’s rise to acclaim was a bit atypical, to say the least.
Both a successful individual in the corporate space, but more importantly, a successful father, Westover’s entry into the art world was about as unlinear and propelled as they get. Todd Westover would often paint with his two daughters growing up. He eventually pulled out a large piece of butcher paper and began to make doodles with his daughters on the paper. These doodles on butcher paper eventually became giftwrap. Giftwrap that was given to his daughters’ friends for birthday parties, and giftwrap which adorned presents throughout the calendar year. Until that is, the parents and family members started asking to purchase Westover’s work. The rest is history!
Westover’s work is refreshingly apolitical. Westover just wants people to enjoy art and understand a visual expression of his own internalizations and experiences of the beauty in this world. And isn’t that simply….beautiful?
With artwork as vibrant and open-hearted as the artist himself, Westover was gracious enough to sit down with the NoHo Arts District for a virtual Q&A. We are honored and encouraged to have broken bread with such a likable and passionate individual.
Q: How long have you been an artist? What has been your professional trajectory/arc?
A: I started painting in 2013. 11 years ago. I now have painted over 200 original paintings (half of them sold) and I’ve sold dozens of prints. I started painting with my kids when they were young and it completely took over my life. I moved to the Brewery Arts Complex in 2017 and started selling work right away. I knew that I had to make a move into the art world as I wasn’t going to sell much from my kitchen table in the suburbs.
Q: How has your practice changed over time?
A: I try to paint every day. Lately, I am working exclusively on commissions. Also, I am selling prints, clothing, greeting cards, and a book of my art. It has become a full-time job. And certainly my main focus professionally.
Q: What media do you use to create your art?
A: Acrylic paint, usually on canvas or wood.
Q: What is your inspiration? Who has been an inspiration to you personally and professionally?
A: I started painting with my children when they were little. I owe it all to them. When I was a kid, I loved the flower power graphics I saw all around me in the 60s. On TV, record covers, stickers, clothing, etc. I would draw and doodle that flower image often and into my adulthood. The Beatles movie Yellow Submarine was a huge influence, also the artist Peter Max. Andy Warhol as well although I really didn’t understand what he did. But I liked it. My uncle gave me the first edition of Zap Comics. Robert Crumb was definitely an influence. I’m completely self-taught. I’ve always loved Picasso, but I’ve never taken an art history class so I’m still learning about other famous artists.
Q: What message do you hope your audience imparts from your work?
A: The comment I hear most about my art is that it makes people happy. It certainly makes me happy to paint it. There is no real message other than enjoy life in the moment. I’m glad it can make someone feel good inside even for a minute.
Q: What is life like as an artist?
A: My favorite days are the ones where I get up in the morning, paint, have lunch, take a nap, and continue painting until I go to bed at night. My favorite time to paint is the late afternoon until it gets dark. My studio has amazing light all day long, but it is absolutely sublime late in the day. There’s also a big part of being an artist that is just work… delivering paintings, packing, getting it in the mail, fulfilling print orders, etc. There’s a lot of running around and on-line shopping (canvases, paint, shipping tubes) that might not seem obvious. Sometimes it’s just work and not much fun. I’d rather be painting.
Q: What has been an artistic challenge you have faced and how did you overcome this?
A: The first mural I painted was 50 feet long and two stories tall. It takes me months to finish a normal-sized painting that is only a couple feet tall. I remember looking at that empty wall and thinking I might have to tell them I can’t do it because it will take me too long. It seemed like such a daunting project. A fellow artist then told me that muralists often use brooms as brushes. Also house paint rollers. When the brush got bigger it all made sense.
Q: What project or piece of work have you been most proud of to date?
A: I recently painted a commissioned portrait of Marie Antoinette. The painting has recreations of my work shown on the wall behind her as if it were her art collection. I had to re-create my paintings with ornate frames around each one. And the rest of the painting was also very detailed and challenging. The hair, the dress, her face. All of it was a huge challenge. Somehow it all worked. During the process I felt like I could do no wrong and that whatever I did, whenever the brush hit the canvas, it would be right. And it was. I felt like I turned a corner with that painting. It was a huge confidence booster.
Q: What is your dream project?
A: I would like to see my work on the side of large buildings, several stories tall. I want to paint on one of those large scaffoldings that is mechanically controlled. It would be wonderful to have the love and happiness conveyed in my work showcased on a massive international level.
