Volta Voloshin-Smith is a Moldovan-American artist with watercolors and a mission. This former marketer decided to take the plunge and pursue art as a career after a turbulent plane ride. The kind I’m sure many have experienced, where you realize you’ve spent hundreds of dollars to contemplate life and death for six hours. Now, Voloshin-Smith has Color Snack Creative School, “a way to share tips, encourage others to live a creative life and give back”, and a shop filled with stickers and paintings bursting with colorful watercolor joy.
Voloshin-Smith has spoken about the magic she sees in the interaction between water and her colors, the way the pigments dance and you see her that love shine through in all of her work. There’s a mastery in her touch, an ability to deliver rich crisp colors that still evoke the dreamy haze that water can bring out in the finish but also an ability to deliver on all out richness and detail.
One of her more recent posts has become an instant favorite of mine, a motion art she did for National Donut Day. Voloshin-Smith has painted donuts in the past, much to my delight, many of her pieces center around vibrant foods and in the she has full-on sprinkled painted donuts with watercolor, cutout sprinkles (head explodes). On National Donut Day she brought the donut back and gave it life, giving the pink frosted donut a happy face and stick figure limbs. And boy is this sentient donut sprinkled. It’s basking in a literal shower of multi-colored sprinkles from a traditional shower head. Almost makes you want to live the donut life, if only you wouldn’t go stale so fast. Like all of Volta Voloshin-Smith’s art, it just makes you happy. If you want to find art that makes you happy and oftentimes, hungry, find her at Color Snack now.
Interview with Volta
We love the simplicity of your illustrations. In fact, we think it takes a lot of confidence for an artist to go all-in. What made you follow this particular art style and what made you commit to it?
I think I started with this style because I was drawn to the minimalism of a single thing and the idea that if I could just spend a few minutes sketching one thing, that will feel like success to me. Back before I decided to pursue my art career, I was working as a digital marketer and I longed to have a consistent art habit and I was always admiring artists who filled their sketchbooks with colorful things. I tricked myself into making art consistently by saying that all I had to do was paint this one thing. Little by little I saw my sketchbooks fill up with color and that brought so much joy into my life. While I do enjoy this style at the moment, I also love growing and evolving as an artist and this style might be changing in the future.
Your social media (and Doodle Addicts) account is full of action. What do you think sets you apart from other artists that try, but struggle? What would be one or two things you recommend that they do to be noticed.
I think dedication and discipline are everything. I am very committed to growing my art career and my art business, so I make sure to have scheduled times on my calendar where I sit down and update different platforms I’m on, like Doodle Addicts. People like seeing others showing up on a consistent basis, as much as possible. I know life can get in the way, so I would recommend starting really small - like committing to uploading one new sketch or art piece a week.
When you are "stuck" in your creative process, what do you do to get you out of the funk?
Honestly, I usually take a nap and try again. I also like going to the gym just to reset my brain. I think walking or any form of even minimal exercise can help a great deal with our creative process. Another thing I do sometimes is grab a big brush and start playing with colors on sheets of paper. It feels good to loosen up and re-introduce that element of play when nothing seems to come out right.
What is a basic and advanced tip you'd have for someone who wants to improve their skills?
Show up every single day. I think it all comes down to discipline and dedicating consistent and deliberate time in the studio. It may look different on some days, when you don’t feel well or are overwhelmed. But showing up and doing at least one thing art related will keep you moving forward (beginner or pro).
What other things aside from art, inspire you?
Fruits and vegetables and flowers and spending time outside. I love going to the local farmer’s market and looking at all the beautiful produce and all the beautiful colors. I feel a strong connection to food that is harvested because I spent many summers, growing up in Moldova, helping out my grandmothers with their gardens.
Which artists on Doodle Addicts do you recommend everyone follow?
Steph Dillon, Eliza, and Stacey Oldham Walker
Artist Photo Credit: Bri Crow