Spark Spotlight Artist: Angela Cunningham

Photo Credit: Lee Castidario Photo

Artist Angela Cunningham is a portrait painter, sculptor and art teacher based in Mills River, NC specializing in naturalistic and realistic style portraits and still lifes.

Cunningham received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, CA. She then attended Grand Central Academy of Art, a small art atelier school in NYC run by Jacob Collins, a well-known figurative painter. She graduated with her Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing with a minor in sculpture. Cunningham fell in love with the mountains of Western North Carolina, and she now teaches portrait and sculpture classes out of her home barn studio in Mills River. 

How did you become interested in art? 

The passion for the arts was always there, even as a young kid. I was more interested in cartoons at a young age. For my first couple of years in college, I was in school for illustration, but I discovered I really wanted to create from my own inspirations and not what others told me to create, which brought me into training in fine arts. 

What initially caused you to pursue a career in fine arts? 

I knew in high school that I was going to go into the arts. I guess I was pretty lucky to know my passion at such a young age. I was determined and had my heart set on going to art school as soon as I could. I actually started taking college classes in high school so that I could graduate a year early. I just couldn’t wait to get into an art program. 

How long have you been in Asheville, NC? 

I moved here from NYC in 2012, so I’ve been here for 10 years. I first lived in the mountains of Marshall, just north of Asheville. I then bought my first house in West Asheville a few years later. In a search to find a house with a studio space I discovered this property I’m at now, here in Horse Shoe, two years ago. The stick barn was the perfect dream studio and teaching space. I feel extremely fortunate to not only have this studio space, but to be living in such a beautiful country setting. 

Who is your biggest inspiration? 

My grandmother has been my biggest inspiration and my biggest supporter. She introduced me to museums, art classes, musicals, theater etc. at a very young age. She has always supported and encouraged me to follow my passion for art. Both of my parents died at a young age. But I am lucky to still have my grandmother here and her constant support. She lives in Boulder Creek, California, where I grew up. She will be 84 years old this year. 

What is most important to you in your art? 

It's really important to me to cultivate a connection with people and nature, not just in my art but in daily life. When you work with a model for a long period of time, you really get to know who they are. It’s important to me to take these moments and connections that come during sessions and bring them through in the work. It takes empathy and understanding to relate and find common ground. This is something I feel is missing in today’s everyday world. As a teacher, I also want to get to know my students and their personalities, so I can relate the concepts in a way they will really understand. I believe this is what gets them to improve in their skills. 

What kind of sculpture do you create?

My sculpture work is very similar to my drawing and painting work. It’s all figurative in subject and done through observation from life. I work in either water clay or plastilina (oil clay). I am actually currently working on an historical piece (an exception to working from life) for a local art organization called Preserving a Picturesque America. My subject is artist Harry Fenn, a landscape artist who traveled a lot through Western North Carolina back in the 1870s.  

What’s most rewarding about what you do? 

I love one-on-one teaching. I have been teaching for about 20 years now. It’s important to me to pass on this kind of training that is really hard to find these days. Working from life has become a kind of lost art of observation. The skills of accurate proportions and understanding “Form Modeling” is such deep work and really takes deep observational training. Being able to pass that on to others is something I love to offer. 

For more information, visit www.angelacunninghamfineart.com