“Painting is a dream that I never knew I had and I’d love to use it to help others in the future”

Always been creative
On her arrival in Mallorca, she sat down with the Bulletin for an exclusive interview at the Hotel Glòria de Sant Jaume, where she was given a most warm and comfortable welcome to Palma.
Growing up in Indiana she stressed that life was far from comfortable.

“I’ve always been very creative in the arts since I was very young. I’ve always been very crafty, the DIY girl, doing things with my hands. But I didn’t have a lot of money growing up so I got really creative with trying to make anything look beautiful out of little means. I’d see what my friends had, their fancy bedrooms with fancy curtains and then I’d go home, cut my curtains, get the safety pins out and do my best to keep up with my wealthy friends I guess. But I’ve always been in the arts. I was a performer, a dancer, gymnast, and most recently I started painting after a long stay in hospital.

"A couple of summers ago, I was given between 24 and 48 hours to live at one point, and I started painting because I really couldn’t do much else. I was pretty handicapped and could only use my right arm, so I began to paint and I found it really therapeutic. Then somebody discovered me on Instagram. She asked me to be part of an exhibition in Los Angeles and I was one of about 14 artists in the exhibition. I sold my first painting for 18,000 dollars and I thought that I’d made it; that was a year ago February.

Crazy
“So since then it’s blown up and I’ve discovered it was a dream that I never knew I had. It’s become my new ‘thing’ and I’ve had pretty great success already. People are enjoying it and for me it’s like medicine when I paint, like meditation. It’s the only time that my brain is completely calm, otherwise it’s completely crazy,” she revealed.

"Starring in and filming Selling Sunset is full on, so now I relax by painting. I’d never found that vehicle to relax before, I didn’t really have an outlet, a way of expressing myself, letting off steam and literally letting it all out.

“I’ve been very spiritual for the past ten years , into meditation and trying breath work, things like that. But I’m ADHD, so I’m very hyper, more so in my mind, so it’s something that when I go to meditation I’m still thinking a million other things. When I paint it’s different. It just somehow goes completely silent. It’s really been helpful as far as healing. It helps me calm down when I come home from filming with all the crazy girls and drama in the office.

Let it all out
“I use my painting to just let it all out. I never show up to a canvas with a subject. In my paintings, I give it my all, I pour everything I have inside me into them. For example, some of the works I’m showing in Palma are from a series about robots. I didn’t plan it that way, they just came out that way. I call them ‘botsquiats’ because I love Basquiat,” she said.

“My co-stars have been really supportive, they’re all rooting for me on my new path and I did talk about my art in the last series. That said, you can’t please everyone and for sure some people will not like my paintings and some may accuse me of jumping on the bandwagon and my fame from being in Selling Sunset.

“I’m still dealing with it and sometimes I get negative feedback, not too much, because there are people who are more purist in this sense. But I’m used to it. I work on a reality show. I’m really new to the art scene and I’m sure a lot of people will think I’m not a real artist, but what you see in my paintings is who I am, what you see is what you get,” she said.

“When it comes to my style, it’s consistently inconsistent. That’s how I express myself, and it’s the same with fashion. I’m very daring, and in fact I need to sell a lot of paintings because the clothes I wear are very expensive. I have my own style and you can’t buy that. I dress the same way I paint. Look at me, I’m wearing H&M socks and Chanel trousers. That’s how I am.

“Netflix don’t pay for our clothes, it’s a reality show, so I have to make a living by either selling real estate or now my art, and the latter is what I’m focused on. That said, I’m never going to give up what feeds me, and as long as Netflix wants me, I’ll be there. I’ll do it until they tell me - ‘Here’s your suitcase’. I’m very grateful. I used to sleep on a sofa in a small flat with my children, and this has changed my life.

“It has given me the opportunity to talk about many things and to have my voice heard. But someday it will have to end and by then I hope to not only have my art but also an interior design brand. That is what I studied and trained in, so that’s my field more than selling properties to be honest.

Expand in Europe
“After the huge success of my debut exhibition in London last week. I’m so excited to be here in Mallorca, and I want to expand in Europe. Every opportunity that comes along is more exciting and I feel like I’m where I’m meant to be. Only time will tell where all this takes me. My art is very personal and I’ve been through a lot in my life, with many colours, and I transfer all that into my paintings.

“I’m putting my heart and soul into this. And the more I paint, the more I realise it. I feel that this is the right time to be doing what I’m doing. It’s a dream I never thought I would fulfil, and with every step I take, I accelerate more. When I paint I am free; no one tells me what to do. Plus it gives me time to bond and spend quality time with my two teenage kids, which is extremely important to me.
“They sometimes come into my art studio. I converted my garage into one although I’d love to eventually have a huge loft with more space and throw some paint at the canvas. And my son has shown some real talent, so that’s a major plus,” she added.

Looking for love
“Looking to the future? There’s talk of a spin-off focused on helping others through what I call ‘heart’, art and design. The idea is something like the extreme make-over format but helping others through art and be able to build a legacy. So I’m pushing the boundaries. That’s what I’ve done all my life and that’s what I’ll always do, especially for my children in order to make sure they grow up humble, respectful, well-rounded and educated people.

“Right now they’re nearing 14 and 16, so that’s a complicated period for teenagers, but we make it work. It’s tough living in LA, I’d love to be able to spend part of the year abroad in order to broaden their horizons and also learn from other cultures. But we’ll see what happens. I love London but who knows, I’m looking for love, maybe Ill find it here in Spain,” she said with a laugh.