An Interview with Artist Chrysalis Conway
Hey friends! One thing we’re passionate about here at Strawberry Mountain is supporting and showcasing our talented community when we can. That’s why we’re so excited to announce that, starting March 26, we will be housing and selling art from local artist Chrysalis Conway! She is a multi-talented creative who specializes in gorgeous paintings, portraits, and miniatures. On top of that, she’s an incredible woman and we’re fortunate to be able to call her a friend. We sat down with Chrys in order to get her perspective on art, fashion, and her inspirations.
Strawberry Mountain: What is your artistic background?
Chrysalis Conway: I’m a self taught artist and have been painting, drawing, and sculpting my whole life. I started selling my paintings and doing commissioned work in 2016 and have kept busy ever since! I started my current series, Not a Pretty Girl, in 2018.
SM: How would you describe your art?
CC: My art is a conversation around gender identity, beauty, and mental health. I jokingly describe my art as sad trans art, but truly it’s for anyone existing in a world filled with gender norms, societal expectations, and ignorance.
SM: Are there any projects or goals you are currently working toward that you'd like to share about?
CC: I’m very excited about my current series, Not a Pretty Girl, and it’s latest addition, which has taken the form of dollhouses staged with scenes of reflection and painted with layered meaning. It’s been wildly fun to step away from traditional art media in this way and has opened a new path of expression for myself.
SM: Why do you make the art that you make?
CC: For my own sake, it’s a way to channel my stronger emotions and expand on my thoughts. I can only hope that my art, through helping myself can also help others have those conversations within themselves.
SM: What do you want people to know about you? Both as a person and as an artist.
CC: As a person, I’d want to emphasize how much living with clinical depression impacts life. I have weeks where I can’t look at my paints let alone create. Beyond that my existence as a proud trans woman living in 2021 is still awfully hard and precarious work.
SM: What inspires your work?
CC: Truthfully, my past traumas, emotional battles, and love for the people in my life push me to create more than anything else. I’m both lucky and cursed with a lot of inspiration in this regard.
SM: Who inspires you and why?
CC: I’m infinitely inspired by people in the music industry such as Florence Welch, Janelle Monae, and Sevdaliza who bring an ethereal and deeper understanding of femininity and passion juxtaposed with pain and masculinity.
SM: How would you describe your personal style of dress?
CC: My style is an eccentric, eclectic, well balanced mix of decades. A flux of masculine and feminine elements and articles. I love a vintage dress with combat boots. I love anything that says 80s business woman or mountain witch. Most of all I love my overalls.
SM: Who are your favorite fashion icons?
CC: Katherine Hepburn, Florence Welch, Indya Moore, and my late friend Schuyler Lakey.
SM: What is your goal as an artist?
CC: To help myself and others see how intricate and complicated our feelings on gender and life can be. To process pain and help others to process theirs as well.
Thanks for reading! If you want to buy some art from Chrysalis Conway, just come by Strawberry Mountain! You can use Venmo in the store to purchase art pieces directly from Chrys.
Until next time,
Be excellent to each other
