Meet Victoria Leigh Poplaski | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victoria Leigh Poplaski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victoria Leigh, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is everything! No risk, no reward is my mindset. Without challenges and problem solving there is no growth. I’m the type of person that will lose sleep at night knowing i missed an opportunity. With that being said, I think it’s so important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable & taking on challenges. I’m really big on saying yes to opportunities & giving myself no choice but to figure it out along the way. You’ll tend to surprise yourself on what you’re actually capable of, which is super dope. It also keeps things super exciting. Life is short, take the risk! 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I typically describe my art as street style pop art. I use acrylic paints with a brush application as well as spray paint for that street feel. It has those tailored bold lines, with a lived-in, imperfect finish from the spray applications. My work has definitely evolved over time & I’ve tried to take a step back from being such a perfectionist & realizing that in my case, the imperfections are what gives the piece character. It sets the work aside..even if ‘duplicated’, each piece has its own personalized sprays and strokes.

I would love to share that my journey to art professionally was never pre-planned or set in my head as a child growing up.

I always loved art & had a huge appreciation for it. I took every art elective under the sun in high school simply because I really enjoyed it.
After high school, I went on to community college not having a clue what I wanted as a lifelong career choice. I was still working at the pizzeria i had worked at all throughout high school, was taking classes full-time for my associates in business, & ended up choosing to also study to get my property & casualty licenses in insurance when I was 17, going on 18 years old.
I always needed to be working but also wanted to move forward with something that could potentially be long term. I worked in the insurance field for some years, but still felt that creative itch. So, I started working at ULTA beauty part time, on top of everything else so I could fulfill that artistic urge through cosmetics.
Off of that, I started free lancing as a makeup artist.
Once Covid hit & we were stuck at home is when I really picked up a brush again and started painting more intently. I was taking on random jobs: painting wallets, designer bags, canvases etc. truly out of enjoyment, but also survival.

Creating through paint quickly turned into a passion & things started to click.
I started posting my work to social media, capitalized on a network of incredible people, created VLPOPART LLC; and the rest of my story is still being written.

So, the whole purpose of my story is that you don’t have to have it all figured out. Life has plans for you. Trust it, & work your ass off to make something of the opportunities that present themselves.
If you feel that something has potential, make something of it & work at it because you are the author of your own story. One of my favorite quotes is ‘if opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door’ & that’s what we did!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a born & raised northern jersey girl. I’d have to take them into NYC. Just being in the midst of the fast pace chaos is always a great time. We’d definitely need to hit some museums & galleries around, like the Met & Gallery 23 in Meatpacking, eat some pizza at Joes in West Village & get some carbonara at Olio e Piu. Would also need to go shopping around Soho. Sneakers are my absolute weakness. So, any cool sneaker shops around are a must. I’m also obsessed with all things animals. Everyone needs to experience the Bronx zoo at least once.

One of my favorite things to do is take a workout class, grab a coffee & take a long walk along the Hudson in Jersey. You can’t beat the city skyline. Once you work up an appetite we’d get a build your own salad at Alfalfa with a matcha latte. Their matcha lattes are to die. Have yet to find one that beats it!
Of course, i would have to take them to the pastaRAMEN brick & mortar location in Montclair NJ. Each dish is better than the next & the energy is unmatched. The exclusivity of being able to snag a reservation makes everyone that much more stoked to be there. Insane food, great music & dope art (by yours truly).. I don’t think it gets any better!
Lastly I’d have to say the jersey shore. Especially in its “off season”. The summer time is great, super high energy & fun.. but there’s just something about an empty beach in its cleanest state, 60 degree weather, bundled up in a hoodie, walking, or sitting listening to music, & watching some of the local surfers in the water. I love doing things that ground me & make life slow down just a little bit.
Throughout all of it I’d have them hanging around my family & core group of friends. The people in my close circle are everything to me. It’s always light hearted, super goofy, fun times whether we’re at a local bar for spicy margs or sitting around my family’s dining room table.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I recognize that without the appreciation for my work & support from others, VLPOPART would be nothing but a hobby & vision trapped in my head. My success & where I am is not only the work put into it, but the love & encouragement of others, like you said.
I owe a huge thank you to anyone that mentions my name in rooms I haven’t walked into yet & vouches for my work in a positive light.
I would love to shoutout every person following my journey (especially the day ones) & anyone that has invested in my work to any capacity.

More specifically, I would love to give a shoutout to Chef Robbie Felice, Luck Sarabhayavanija, the PastaRAMEN Team & Montclair Hospitality Group. Their support has truly been unwavering; as their ‘residential artist’. They include me in all of their crazy, fun ideas & pop ups, & allow me to add that loud, colorful touch along the way. They always encourage my creativity and give me freedom throughout the process. The team has such an appreciation for art; which is something that i have the most respect & gratitude for.

I also have to shoutout 2 of my best friends & favorite people on this planet. They taught me work ethic, taking on those challenges, doing right by others and so much more. They have undeniably supported any crazy idea that I may have. Love ya mom & dad!!!

Website: www.vlpopart.com

Instagram: @vlpopartofficial

Image Credits
Tyler Scher: @mediascher Jeffrey Elkashab: @nj_native_photo Asha Angles Photography: @asha.angles