Get to Know Painter Aliya Lucas (& Our New Pinky Rings)

If Instagram is considered some sort of digital art form, then multidisciplinary artist and model Aliya Lucas’ IG is a study in art imitating life imitating art. Featuring shots of her paintings (of which her friends and family serve as the main inspiration), it’s easy to see the tenderness she holds for her discipline and subjects alike. With family history playing a big part in how she accessorizes, it’s safe to say her approach to jewelry is similarly sentimental. Here, we discuss personal style versus art, what she’s listening to right now, and her favorite meditative medium.

When did you begin to paint? Was it a natural inclination to express your quiet observations on canvas? 

I come from a family of artists, so it has been a part of my life from a young age. I was first introduced to oil painting in a seventh grade art class, where we did still life painting in oil. Growing up, my grandfather had a shed in his backyard that he used as his studio/workshop. The smells of turpentine, linseed oil, and mineral spirits all came flooding back to me in that art class and it’s been my preferred medium since.

Most of your subject matter is of close friends and family. Who are your biggest inspirations? 

I’m generally inspired by my friends and my family. I love capturing intimate moments between myself and my friends, or my friends and each other. It’s more enjoyable to paint someone that I have a relationship with. I find that the better I know my subject, the more accurate the portrait.

What are your other artistic disciplines? How do they play into one another?

I try not to tie myself down to one medium, although I have been working in oil consistently over the past decade and a half. I draw a lot and that’s probably where I’m the most skilled. I’ve dabbled in stained glass, ceramics, and I've recently taken up jewelry-making by way of lost wax carving.

Since you’re exposed to fashion and jewelry as a model, does your art inform how you approach your personal style?

My approach to personal style and art are on quite opposite sides of the spectrum. I tend to really lean into exploring color in my paintings, and I shy away from color almost completely when I dress myself. I have a lot of hair and I wear a lot of jewelry I let that carry most of the weight when it comes to my style.

What are your top five songs right now?

“There’s Nothing I Can Do About It” - Mike James Kirkland
“Masterpiece” - Sault
“Tezeta” - Mulatu Astatke
“Koop Island Blues” - Koop
“Dreamflower” - Tarika Blue

Listen on Spotify here

Any other fixations?

Calligraphy–I was given a set for my birthday this past year, and it’s so meditative. When I spend a little too long fixating on the details of a painting and need to give my brain a break but still need to keep my hands moving, I turn to calligraphy. I love it.

Photography by Raymond Tran