Aslur's Perihelion: Give Appreciation
- Sheterria Sparks
- Aug 28, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 13, 2025
I met Aslur in the summer of 2021 while vending at an outdoor art popup in my city and her still nature gave me a feeling that I could tell her anything she asked me to--a rare feeling for someone like me--so I knew she'd be hard to forget. It wasn't until the end of the six hour event that I came to find out she was actually vending there as well, despite spending a half hour observing all the artwork in her space earlier that day. The grit, the vivacity, and the personality in each piece left my heart heavy and my mind with more questions than answers--though I never wanted to stop guessing in amazement. Aslur herself maintains an aura of contentment cloaked in a heavy coat of humble indifference that made it hard to tell she was the one responsible for such an intense collection of art. She simply does it and presents it to the world on her own terms. It's as though she works in her mind alone and cares little of who applauds or critiques--she does it for herself. Proving to be a great tactic as the artist has received acclaim, bookings, and commissions up to the ears since she was an art school student. She maintains her level of calm and collection on the other side of a zoom call in our conversation below:
S: What is your name?
A: Alex. But my artist name is Aslur.
S: What does the name "Aslur" mean?
A: It’s my initials “AS” divided by a fraction symbol (the L) over the initials “UR” which stands for “underrated”. I made this name before college when I did feel I was underrated as an artist; however, I definitely get my props now! *laughs* Lately, it’s been an internalized feeling of being underrated because sometimes I don’t always see what everyone else sees in me—but I’m trying to.
S: Where are you from?
A: I’m from South Canton, OH.
S: What is your sign?
A: I’m a Gemini.
S: What traits do you feel you display best from that sign?
A: I need my freedom to do what I want at all times. And I know my sign gets a bad name for being two-faced, however, I'd describe it more as a flow through our expansive personality. I need freedom to flow through my emotions around you.
S: How old are you?
A: I’m 23.
S: Who is your favorite artist?
A: Nina Chanel. I love that she brings her own style to any commission she gets.
S: What is your preferred art medium?
A: I’d say oil pastel. I love watercolor too, but it comes with too many limitations at times when working on bigger pieces.
S: When did you begin painting?
A: I went to a private art school in Canton so I was thrown into the art pond early! *laughs* Maybe 3rd or 4th grade.
S: Where do you look for inspiration?
A: Definitely myself and my personal experiences right now. Aesthetically, I feel I’m at a good place. But I am moving towards a time where I want my art to be less focused on the world around me and more about what’s inside of me. Which can be a bit of a challenge for me but I know when I give time to myself it flows, so that’s what I’m working on.
S: What does a week in your life look like?
A: I wake up and go back to sleep a couple times before I get my day started, honestly. *laughs* But once I do, I’m off to make some tea and if I’m not going to work I go straight to my studio and get started on commissions. If I don’t have any of those I may do a personal piece or one that’s already a work in progress.
S: What has been your most difficult art piece to bring to life?
A: No specific piece but usually most of my commissions can be difficult for me. A lot of people that commission me have this idea of what my art style is but not exactly what I do or my process. So they tend to approach me for work I’m not really passionate about or work that doesn’t allow me to flesh out all that I am creatively. The more freedom I have with commissions the better.
S: When did you know you were made to be an artist?
A: Even though I’ve been doing it for a really long time, part of me has just started to feel that way this year. Most of that comes from doing shows lately where people come up to me telling me how long they’ve been paying attention to my work and how much they admire it. The people I keep around me have also seen my potential in a way that I never had before which has rubbed off on me in a way. The other part of me feels like I still haven’t reached that point where I can say I’m made to be an artist because there’s days where I ask myself am I doing it because I’m good at it and people enjoy it? Or is it really meant to be? I go back and forth with these thoughts, a bit. But I’m grateful for where I am regardless—it’s all apart of life and exploring myself.
S: How do you cope with hardships?
A: I make a piece about it. A lot of my personal pieces tend to be me fleshing out my feelings towards a person when I couldn’t find the words to say it or if things happened long ago and it comes back to me suddenly. I take that as a sign to make a piece about it. Some of my best work has come out of harsh feelings I’ve had, actually.
S: What has been your proudest moment in your art career?
A: I honestly don’t have one because I feel like I don’t do anything! *laughs* People around me don’t feel that way though, and I’m sure I’ve had some moments that brought me greater satisfaction than others. Though, I can’t pinpoint a proudest moment because I have so many ideas that I haven’t developed fully due to dealing with the realities of adulthood. But as I get to where I want to be I hope to have one.
S: What is your art ambiance like while you work?
A: Ideally I like natural sunlight if I’m not in my windowless studio. But if I am, I crank up the heat pretty high and smoke a bit. I’ll listen to Soullection Radio a lot in the process as a way to stay up to date on good producers coming up.
S: Is there anyone you dream of making commissioned work for?
A: I don’t care much about who it’s for at this stage in my career because of the development I’m still trying to grow through. But as far as where? Definitely Alicia Keys and Swizzle Beats house because their home is amazing and I’d love to have my art there. But I don’t connect with them much and I haven’t found anyone that I connect with much that I feel established enough to commission for at this time.
S: How would you describe your art style in 3 words?
A: It’s forever changing. Those are the three words! *laughs* I’m very experimental even if people don’t always appreciate it. Sometimes people like what I used to do but I’m constantly in a new phase so I don’t care. People need to appreciate what I do now.
S: Would you ever branch out into other creative realms?
A: Yes, definitely fashion. That’s one of the reasons I’m getting back into silk screen printing which I’m excited for. Music and photography are also things I dabble in but I don’t do those for the sake of profit—I just want to do it for fun. Do you know how much money I’d have if I charged people for photos? *laughs* I feel like photos are so important to have and look back on no matter how mundane things can be. I don’t think people realize how much they’ll appreciate those memories in the future.
S: How has art shaped you as a person?
A: It’s made me ask a lot of questions about myself, my friends, and even my parents. It’s also made me more self aware of the decisions I make which I'm grateful for. I have this thing about maintaining a sense of control in my life and art has definitely given me something to take control of in a sense. Even though I can’t control daily things in the world around me, my art has really eased the anxiety I get from that thought.
S: What are you looking forward to in your art career?
A: Having my own gallery exhibit is on the top of my list at the moment. Also just bringing to life all the ideas in my head, it’s way too many and not enough time in the day, but eventually it’ll happen. Sometimes I feel crazy talking about all my ideas or the vivid dreams I have. When I get to the moment where I no longer have to talk about it and just show it instead, that will be amazing.
Comments