Ask a Fat Artist: Angelica Dred

This is the Body Liberation Photos Ask a Fat Creator (and Allies) series, in which we find out more about the lives, work, and breakfasts of all kinds of large-bodied and marginalized creators and their allies.

Angelica Dred is a queer, fat, digital and traditional artist based out of Colorado Springs, CO. She has been creating art for over 30 years, and specializes in fat-focused artwork. Angelica loves to create fat artwork as a means of bringing representation to a commonly underrepresented group. She typically paints in acrylics, and uses Autodesk Sketchbook for her digital creations.

When she’s not painting or creating digital pieces, you can find Angelica wiggling and teasing her audience in the local burlesque community. There, she remains steadfastly committed to bringing representation for fat bodies to the world.

Tell me about you! What’s your name? What pronouns do you use? Where do you live? What do you like to eat for breakfast?

Hi! I’m Angelica! I use she/her pronouns and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. I am a polyamorous wife, and mother of two children. My favorite breakfast is over easy eggs with steak or salmon. I love cartoons like Steven Universe and She Ra.

What kind of artwork do you create? What are the themes? What’s your favorite medium?

I create digital and traditional artworks of plus size people in various states of undress. My favorite medium is acrylic paints, but I also enjoy using my tablet and creating digital pieces in Autodesk Sketchbook.

I also participate in my local burlesque community! I bring a visual art to the stage through dance movements and costuming I build myself.

How did you get started as an artist? What has your path looked like so far?

I have been into arts and doing artwork basically my entire life. I have been drawing as long as I can remember. About 4 years ago, I decided to really buckle down on my artwork for my mental health. I found that putting my efforts into painting made me feel better and gave me a purpose; it also allows me to process my emotions more efficiently. So I looked around and realized I didn’t really see enough fat people in the art around me. I rarely saw people like me. And I find fat so beautiful, I had to begin translating this beauty to canvas.

I began in burlesque about 2 years ago. I discovered that my local community really needed another fat performer, and I had been following burlesque for almost a decade at that point. I wanted so badly to try it myself, so when the opportunity presented itself, my bestie pushed me to jump in. I haven’t looked back since!

Do you incorporate any elements of body positivity or fat acceptance into your work?

I do! I like to pick my subjects from large bodied individuals, often who don’t fit the traditionally accepted hourglass shape. My goal is to normalize the sight of fat bodies, clothed or not. I feel that unclothed fat people in particular create a reaction in straight sized viewers.

In burlesque, I often feel just having the audacity to get up on that stage as a fat performer and strip with the best of them is a declaration of body positivity. I don’t let anyone’s opinions of my body stop me from participating in an art form that I love.

What has your experience been like as a large-bodied or plus-size artist? What have been the high points and low points?

Being a plus size artist has been so great in so many ways. I get to immerse myself in the enchanting curves of the gorgeous subjects I surround myself with. I get to revel in how lovely it is to be seen in this way.

It is so amazing to be recognized at a show and be told what a wonderful performance you put out, or to finish a painting and know that the work you’ve just finished could really touch someone in a special way.

On the flip side, there are hard things. With my art, it has been really difficult to find places to display. I feel that both the subject matter and the content of the work is hard to find a home for. As a burlesque performer, it’s so difficult and expensive to find costumes that fit my body.

Have you felt like your opportunities have been limited or affected by your body size? Have any opportunities opened up for you because of your body size?

I definitely feel like there’s a good chance it has gone both ways for me in both the art and performance industries. I feel like there are a lot of people who don’t want me because I’m a fat performer, or because I create fat art. And, at the same time, it’s likely as a newbie I’ve been given opportunities I may not have had without the marginalized status of being fat. I can be your token fat girl.

How did you discover body acceptance or body positivity personally? What kind of difference has it made for you?

I struggled with my weight my entire life. From the moment I was born, I was a chubby lil thing. I grew up the fat kid. Looking back, I realize now I was never as big as everyone made me out to be, but their constant judgement affected me nonetheless. When I gave birth to my second child in my late 20s, I gained a lot more weight. I was pretty isolated from the majority of my family at the time, taking care of a newborn, battling post partum depression and, worst of all, battling my own internalized fatphobia. I had to do something. So I started by following pages on Facebook that included fat content. I looked at pictures of pretty fat ladies. And then one day, I discovered Ragen Chastain. And the whole world changed for me. I launched straight through body positivity (which is great in its own way) right into fat liberationism.

This new view of the world, that I didn’t OWE anyone my thinness or my health, has made all the difference in my life. It has encouraged me to follow my dreams no matter what my body looks like. Ragen DANCES. If she can dance and take up space and tell the world to f*ck off about her weight then so can I! And I can also work toward better conditions for fat people, because I now realize we DESERVE it. There’s nothing wrong with my body, and everything wrong with the society that tells me it shouldn’t exist.

What advice do you have for other people who are learning to love and accept their bodies?

I think the best way to start is to just learn to get neutral about your body. After decades of being taught to hate fat, it can be impossible for some people to come to the word “love” with their bodies, especially at first. And if you can get to a place of neutrality about your body – those stretchmarks exist, that nose hair exists – you’ll be in a whole lot better shape than staying in hatred of your body.

I also find spending time looking at the bodies of beautiful people in your same size can be really helpful. A lot of times if you can see the beauty in someone else, you can transfer that to yourself. At least, that’s what works for me.

What advice do you have for other artists, especially ones who do work similar to yours, who’d like to incorporate body acceptance into their work?

Oh man, just expand your definition of what’s beautiful and should be normalized! If you are a painter of bodies, be sure you’re not just sticking to straight sized people. If you’re in the burlesque world, pitch your fat friends for bookings!

Where can we find more of your amazing work? How can we support you?

You can purchase prints of my work on etsy! Etsy.com/shop/AngelDredConceptions

Or, if you’re in the Colorado area, you can check me out at one of my burlesque shows and throw cash at me! My next show is in July and will be produced by Sinful Living. You can find all the details on my Facebook page: Facebook.com/MissAngelica420

Is there anything else you’d like for people to know?

I’m afraid of spiders
I love chocolate
I take commissions!

Let’s dig deep.

Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources for changing the way you see your own body and the bodies you see around you. And it’s free.