Courtney Pasterchick is a graduate of the University of Tampa who pursues her love for mural art by painting murals full-time. She loves figure painting because it shows how truly beautiful the body is and has helped her grow as an artist. She believes it is important to improve daily and knows there is so much room for growth and art.
Courtney Pasterchick is a mural artist and oil painter based in Tampa, Florida. Pasterchick started to enjoy drawing and painting at a very young age; however, she started taking it seriously in high school and decided to study fine art at the University of Tampa and later graduate with her BFA in 2021. Since then, she has been working full-time as a mural artist and oil painter. Pasterchick talks about her unique background as a person who studied figure painting for four years; she discusses how so much goes into painting the human body, from understanding the anatomy of the school and her muscles to understanding the color theory in order to make skin tones correctly. She says because of her background in figure painting, she is able to see how beautiful the human body is and that it is something to be proud of.
When I asked what her biggest mistake was, the artist talked about how she regrets not taking a business course while she was in college. She has been taken advantage of by business owners when doing her murals, it was important for her to learn the hard way how to be a professional businesswoman while also being an artist. Running a business at such a young age, 23, is not an easy task, but she is learning every day and is involved in a great community of artists that help her when she’s stuck.
Courtney Pasterchick defines success as an artist as being able to support herself with her artwork. She says she is “always hungry for the next step” and wants to continue to improve every day, she explains that she doesn’t think there is an endpoint for artists because there is always something new to create or to learn. When I asked how art has helped her in her life, she talks about how it has greatly decreased her anxiety because it always calms her down and is a type of therapy and safe space for her. Creating art helps her through many hard times, and she is thankful that she gets to create every day.
The artist then goes on to talk about how she believes that one thing that should change in the world is how conservative we are. She thinks it is important to feel comfortable viewing the nude figure respectfully instead of viewing the body only in a sexual way. Women should simply be seen as strong, independent, and powerful instead of in a sexual manner.
Pasterchick says her favorite artist is Mike Dargas because he can paint photorealistic figures and capture every detail in the human face. Other than Mike Dargas, she talks about how she finds inspiration in everyday life and is easily inspired every day by her surroundings.
