Featured Shop: Parima Creative Studio

Hello! My name is Patricia Vargas, and I’m the artist behind Parima Creative Studio. I make abstract paintings and art prints using acrylic paint and digital methods. I work out of my home studio in Los Alamitos, California.

I started painting when I was around 10 years old. My mother used to paint, and growing up I would often watch as she created beautiful landscapes. One day, I decided to try my hand with the paintbrush. My first few pieces weren’t exactly stellar, but at the time I thought I was creating masterpieces. I loved painting so much that it quickly became my go-to hobby. I went on to study art at the University of California Santa Barbara, where my main focuses were painting, digital media and paper arts.

During college, the thought of pursuing art as a career seemed so far-fetched that I decided to venture down the more practical career path of being a web designer. However, as the years passed, I started to get requests from friends and family to make paintings for their homes; slowly but surely, the idea of being a professional painter no longer seemed so radical. I opened Parima Creative Studio in January 2013, and went full-time in 2014.

I make art because it’s a form of expression that communicates things that cannot be expressed in any other way. To the outside world, I’m relatively quiet and shy; I’m not the kind of person who can walk into a room and immediately befriend strangers and create conversations. My paintings, on the other hand, are generally loud and vibrant; they start conversations all on their own.

Inspiration for my paintings comes from whatever I’m feeling in the moment. I typically start by deciding on a general color palette; I’m drawn to bright and rich colors, like deep blues, deep greens, bright pinks and gold. I work in two mediums: traditional acrylic paint on canvas, and digital. I like the unexpected possibilities that acrylics bring, yet I also like the control and ability to quickly form ideas by painting digitally. Whatever medium I’m working with, my goal is to create paintings that exhibit positivity and vibrance, and will elicit a sense of joy and happiness from the viewer.

I’ve sold on Etsy since the start of my business; Etsy has given me a platform to reach thousands of potential customers. It has also given me the to opportunity to collaborate with companies like Anthropologie, and to be featured in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, Refresh, Adore Home, and POPSUGAR. I’m currently working on plans to offer my work wholesale, and I’m also looking into selective licensing. Above all, I’m thankful that my business has given me the opportunity to do what I’m passionate about and spend valuable time with the ones I love.

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All photographs by Peyton Seals.

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