Brushstrokes of Reality: Love, Loss, and Life in Arden Torres’s Work

Arden Torres is an Alabama-based artist known primarily for her oil and mixed media paintings. Her work centers largely around dynamic expression in single- and double-subject portraits, often depicting humans and horses in both realistic and impressionistic styles. Torres has accomplished a number of goals set for herself since the young age of fourteen, when her work was exhibited for the first time in a regional museum. Most recently, Torres completed a residency in France and is proud to have contributed work to the permanent collection of the Chateau d'Orquevaux. She strives to promote appreciation of the arts in her hometown of Auburn, Alabama and continues to draw inspiration for her work from her frequent travels.

How has your upbringing or cultural background influenced your work?

I grew up in a small town in Alabama. Here, art isn’t necessarily valued in the same way as it is in many areas. Due to this, I learned from an early age that I would need to be perfect to be recognized. Anything less meant the death of a dream. Thus, I picked up the practice of realism. Being able to create finely detailed portraits that left little to interpretation was my key to success in this small-town scene. I learned so many technical skills and rigid rules doing this, and I have finally began learning how to break those limits as my art reaches further into the rest of the world. My upbringing taught me how to be exact, and now my freedom teaches me to appreciate my own impressions rather than those of reality.

How would you describe your art style and how has it evolved over time?

I truly considered myself to be a realist for the longest time, and now I feel that I am an impressionist at heart within the tough outer shell of a realist. I have always strived for perfection, and realism was the best way for me to get close to it. However, I recently spent a month at a residency in France surrounded by other incredibly skilled artists, and my time with them catalyzed the release of my perfectionism and the launch into Impressionism and expressionism. Living amongst such a tight-knit community of people who supported my growth so unconditionally was fundamental to a huge breakthrough in my painting, and I will always attribute the achievements I reach following that residency to the love they gave me so loudly.

Are there any artists past or present who have had a significant impact on your work?

I have been significantly impacted in my work by an artist named Gil Mendez, an oil figure painter. He was a fellow resident with me at the Chateau d’Orquevaux and his work was incredibly moving to me. He noticed my frustration during a life drawing one day, before I had escaped the rigid “perfect” mindset, and made a point to help me loosen up through drawing exercises and kind feedback throughout our time together. He also allowed me to come sit in his studio and talk about aspects of my personal life that I had difficulty reconciling with myself, and I was both surprised and moved to find that he’d experienced very similar struggles. The connection and mentorship that he fostered (even though he didn’t have to!) made such a huge difference in my growth as an artist, and I am so grateful to him for that.

How do you handle creative blocks or periods of self-doubt?

I’ve discovered that creative blocks are usually telling me I’m burned out in some way! I stop and check - have I eaten? Showered? Slept? When was the last time I went outside? Sometimes even an artist needs a break from the art. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to be constantly creating, and there was always a pervasive guilt whenever I would go a few days or weeks without painting. But as I’ve developed my work further, I’ve accepted that sometimes I need to take a week or two off. I always come back soon enough, but at a time when I truly feel the need to create - not just the pressure to be productive. Because of that, my work is always better for it. As for self-doubt, I don’t think it ever goes away. But I know that I hold on dearly to my accomplishments and can’t even remember 99% of my rejections, which motivates me to keep pushing myself to get out there and showcase my work. I want to be part of the world and my art is the best way I know how - I’ll always take that risk.

What are your long-term goals as an artist?

Long-term, I would love to complete more residencies and continue expanding as a newly-international artist. It would be really rewarding to increase my hometown’s accessibility to visual arts and to promote participation amongst younger crowds. The world needs artists. I’m finishing my degree in psychology at the moment and would love to one day offer art therapy. I think the ultimate goal for me is to continue connecting with myself and the world through my work while helping others discover those parts of themselves, too.

What advice would you give to emerging artists trying to establish their careers?

Never, ever stop trying. You will get turned down a hundred times - it means nothing. Create, cry, get out of your comfort zone, connect with others. Eat good food and sit in the sun, drink good wine, kiss someone while you’re drunk. Art comes from the moments in which we feel. So feel, and then paint or draw or sing or write or build and never look back. Know that you have something incredibly unique to offer and that rejection doesn’t mean that you aren’t enough! There is a whole world of opportunities waiting for you and they won’t be able to find you when you hide under your fear. If you have the desire to be an artist, you are an artist already. And - comparison truly is the thief of joy. Work to make your own work exactly what you envision it as, and appreciate all other artists as entities entirely separate from you. Your perspective of the world is never a competition.

What does success look like for you as an artist?

I think for me, as with most artists, success in the generic context is being able to be financially secure and to have consistent work coming in. There isn’t a “starving artist” cliche for nothing. But on a personal level, success for me as an artist would mean that I get to travel by grace of my work - having paintings displayed internationally, doing more live wedding paintings around the country, things like that. I am also passionate about teaching and would love to teach community art classes for kids or for adults interested in learning how to paint or draw. Being able to connect with the world in these ways through my art is the epitome of success in my eyes.

“Nydia”, 12x16”, oil on canvas board. 2023. $200.