“Alice” pictured on left, “Getting Ready” pictured on right.
Perhaps the best kind of art is that which inspires others to create. Enter Alicia Jungwirth, an artist from the Chippewa Falls area. Jungwirth’s style of art, self-described as “vintage pop,” allows her to create unique pieces and continue growing as an artist.
Vintage pop is a mix of two artistic styles that inspire her illustrations, Jungwirth explained. Together with a color palette from the ’60s and ’70s, shapes, and minimal texture, she’s able to create her colorful line-work and fashion-focused images.
Around four years ago Jungwirth began finding her style through a popular creative app, Procreate. “It was a learning curve for the first year,” she said. She previously worked with watercolors, which can be an unforgiving and hard-to-control medium. Procreate allows for digital painting and artwork. Jungwirth said she spent her fair share of time reading Procreate’s manual and watching video tutorials, until one day it finally clicked.
Alician Jungwirth.
During the week, Jungwirth works at a local postal office. While artistry is not her primary job, the end goal is to grow into a full-time artist.
Jungwirth finds her inspiration from other artists she admires and those she stumbles across, along with her physical surroundings. She said much of her inspiration is found during walks on the Chippewa River trails. Usually, it’s seeing something like a frog or a tiny lady bug that sparks something in her, making the possibility of a new creation come alive.
“I probably should have (a defined) creative process,” Jungwirth said. However, a lot of her work is based on the impulsiveness of the idea landing in her head. Her sketches may help produce something, but Jungwirth said her projects are mainly based on the instinct to just go for it. This was another plus of working with a digital platform – no eraser markings from that impulsivity.
“For people starting out, just go for it,” she said. “No one’s gonna be good at first; you just have to keep trying.”
“Wallflower” pictured on left, “Frogs” pictured on right.
There are challenges, seen and unseen, being an artist. For Jungwirth, she feels a bit of imposter syndrome. “I definitely can be a bit of a chicken and get in my own way,” she said. Being comfortable in her home nestled in a Midwestern town can actually make it challenging to create real-life connections, she said. Living in a small town feels isolating at times, but luckily, there are lots of artists in the Chippewa Valley.
Jungwirth is currently working on making her pieces look more organic through techniques such as making her markings look more realistic with pencils lines or paint strokes. She said she wants people to question if her artwork is being done in a digital or a physical medium due to its lifelikeness.
“I try to make my work convey some sort of emotion, whether that’s drawing a certain look in their eyes or mouth,” Jungwirth explained. She hopes people are reminded of a feeling or connection when they see her artwork.
See some of Jungwirth’s art for yourself on her website. You may recognize her style if you picked up the Feb. 22, 2024 issue of Volume One, which had her piece “Ladybirds” on the cover.
