This week’s masterclass is led by Motivational Speaker and Plus Size Virtual Gym Owner Sarah Taylor. Join us in the TCF Style Lounge as we discuss self-love through fitness.
Plus Size Art Spotlight Series: Meet Greenhouse Fatty Creator, Angela Alba
A few things that we seem to be collecting lately have definitely been body-positive art and plants. Yup, I definitely became a plant parent over the past year- and honestly- there’s no turning back! So, just imagine our delight when we came across Greenhouse Fatty, the home of 27-year-old artist and model Angela Alba‘s plant-themed fat positive art! We love the way she incorporates the natural state of our bodies alongside beautiful plants and nature.
We wanted you to get to know the multitalented artist and model a bit more, as well!
Meet Artist and Model, Angela Alba!
Mayra Mejia: What type of art do you create?
Angela Alba: “I create both sculptures and drawings. My sculptures are focused on recreating pieces of the body in abstract and colorful ways, including skin, hair, rolls, stretch marks, rashes, and chafing commonly seen on fat bodies but not often spoken about. My drawings are more figurative, representational, and straightforward.”
Mayra Mejia: What inspires your art, how did you get started?
Angela Alba: “Elements of fat bodies inspire my current work; stretchy skin, folds, cellulite, stretch marks, and more. It took a lot of introspection and time to come to the point of accepting my own body enough to deem it the kind of body worthy of making work about. There was a lot of internalized fatphobia I had to unlearn to get to the point of creating the work I make now.
I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was in high school. I had a very influential art teacher who looked out for me when I wasn’t excelling in my other classes. I dreaded school, but twice a week, I had an art class called “Major Art,” and I would find myself loving school on the days I could draw in class and learn pieces of art history.
When it was time for college, I only applied to art schools. I didn’t have any other backup plan because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Mayra Mejia: Besides being an artist, you are also a model! Tell us how you got started with modeling?
Angela Alba: “It’s funny because I’ve only modeled in a professional setting once, and it was very recently for a Universal Standard campaign. I got an email from Alex Waldman, the co-founder, and it was like, “Hey, are you free Saturday? Let me know if you’d be interested in modeling for us”. At first, I thought it might be spam, but then I checked Instagram, and I had a DM from Universal Standard on Instagram following up on the email she had sent me.
I immediately said yes to the gig because not only did it seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I’d never turn down the chance to be the representation of a fat body in a fashion campaign. The whole team was very uplifting, and I even ended up getting some modeling tips from the signed models who were also on set.”
Mayra Mejia: Does your modeling experience come through in your art, or vice versa?
Angela Alba: “Being in front of a camera used to be very triggering for me. So every time I choose to step in front of the camera, even if it’s just me alone in my bedroom taking a selfie, it’s cathartic for me. The process and photos that come from it are the art to me. I also use my own body as a figure drawing model. I’ll videotape my body in various poses and draw them. All of my recent drawings are of me; body hair, stretch marks, and all.”
Mayra Mejia: What/how do you want people to feel when looking at your art?
Angela Alba: “We live in a fatphobic society that shouts “THINNER IS BETTER”! When people look at my work, I want them to appreciate fat bodies as much as they do thin bodies. In a perfect world, the viewer will conclude that all bodies are neutral and hold no moral value and feel liberated by that.”
Mayra Mejia: Where can we find your artwork?
Angela Alba: “Pre-Covid, I was showing my work fairly regularly in small galleries around NYC. Since then, I’ve opened an Etsy shop, Greenhouse Fatty, where I’ve created pins and stickers to make my artwork more accessible. I’m also very active on Instagram @angelaalba_, where you can find photos of works, old and new.”
Mayra Mejia: Do you have any upcoming projects or drops you would like us to know about?
Angela Alba: Without giving too much away, I’m really excited to have been brought on as an illustrator of a deck of cards that will be coming out soon.
That’s all I can say for now, but follow @angelaalba_ on Instagram for all announcements!
What did you think of this week’s featured artist?! Go follow and support her and tell her The Curvy Fashionista sent you!
About the Author
Mayra Mejia
Mayra Mejia (She/Her) is a fat-positive, queer Salvadoran-American editor, writer, activist, and content creator. Passionate about fostering strong and inclusive body positive spaces, she founded PLUSH DMV, a DC-based fat-positive community.
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