Art & Life with Carissa Cornelius

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carissa Cornelius.

Carissa, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have been arting it up since I was about 5 or 6 years old. I would always have a pencil and paper nearby and spent massive amounts of time drawing, which at times got me in trouble in school. While my parents were very supportive and encouraging of my artistic interests (thank God), I was always often told by many other adults that art was not a viable career and that I would look into other career options. “Adult me” wouldn’t care what they have to say, but “impressionable child me” really took that misinformed advice to heart.

I also love animals, so I decided to go into the animal medical care field and I went to school to become a veterinary technician. During that time, art took a backseat, but I never gave it up. Once I graduated, it didn’t take long for me to fail magnificently as a vet tech, so naturally, I went back to taking art seriously.

After years of persistence, hard work, and some classes in the School of Hard Knocks, I was able to find a nice balance of my two greatest passions: art and animals. I am a professional artist, but I also work in the wildlife rehabilitation field in Tucson. During the Spring and Summer months, the wildlife rehab role takes precedence since those are the busiest seasons in that field, so I guess my professions alternate throughout the year. Most of my life has not been orthodox, so it doesn’t really surprise me that it has turned out this way: Artist in the Fall and Winter, Wildlife Rehab in the Spring and Summer.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I work in a variety of mediums: digital art/illustration, gouache, watercolor, embroidery, graphite and colored pencils. My subject material is almost always an animal of some sort, either real or otherworldly. When I paint, I really like to use a bunch of different mediums: I will usually start with gouache or watercolor and then build up layers of colored pencil, pen and ink. I don’t have a super strict process: basically, I try to be as flexible as possible. It may sound a little odd, but I really like to let the painting go the way it wants, and if something isn’t working, I won’t force it. I also try (doesn’t always work) is not to be afraid of experiment or even screwing up on a piece. Sometimes an “oopsie” has made a piece better, and all the mistakes have been learning experiences.

Ultimately, I want my art to make people happy. In our society, it’s way too easy to get bogged down with negativity, toxicity and stress. Alot of people are weighed down and disenchanted with life and the world, and I want to try to bring a bit of happiness and joy into people’s lives, even if it’s just a little bit.

Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
If making art is want you genuinely want to do, be patient and don’t give up. While there are artists that are successful from the get-go, that is not the case for the majority of artists. It usually takes years of hard work and persistence. For years I had to juggle a day job and my art job, and I really did feel the financial crunch and limitations during those times. But being resourceful has helped. Sometimes you can find nice art supplies (depending on your medium) at thrift stores, and art stores like Jerry’s Artarama and Dick Blick have good deals on high-quality art supplies. Also, take advantage of social media since it is a free way to get your work out there.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have been taking a sabbatical from art during the Spring and Summer due to my wildlife rehab job, so I don’t have any artwork up anywhere, but I do have an Instagram account as well as an Etsy and Big Cartel shop. In the art world, I operate under the name Jammy Lamb, so I can be found on Instagram, Etsy and Big Cartel under that name.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JammyLamb
• Email: cornelius.carissa@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jammy_lamb/
• Other: https://jammylamb.bigcartel.com/

Image Credit:
Personal photo: Jack Cornelius

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