How Ayleen Wolfe’s Expressive Paintings Tell Stories of Healing and Authenticity

Ayleen Wolfe is a Miami-based artist whose vibrant, expressive paintings are inspired by her Cuban heritage and personal journey. In this interview, she opens up about how she went from being a lawyer and a busy mom to finding her true passion for painting. Ayleen shares how art became a way for her to reconnect with herself during a time when she felt lost in the daily demands of life.

Ayleen opens up about her challenges, like the fear of putting her raw, personal work out into the world. She talks about how taking art classes and finding a supportive community of other artists helped her grow and find her unique style. For Ayleen, the most rewarding part of being an artist isn’t about recognition or sales but about the peace and joy she finds in creating, even amid life’s chaos.

Ayleen Wolfe’s distinctly bright colors and expressive brushstrokes are deeply rooted in her Cuban heritage. She recalls some of her earliest memories of painting at the breakfast table with her father, a banker who was also an innately talented artist. Growing up, the margins of Ayleen’s school notebooks were often filled with portraits of classmates and still-life sketches, capturing everyday scenes from her school life. Even through law school lectures and later during conference calls, she continued to doodle, and those decades of drawing laid the groundwork for her future paintings.

After the birth of her second child, Ayleen found herself struggling with the baby blues, feeling as though she had lost herself amid the never-ending to-do lists of motherhood and her career as a lawyer. During naptime, in the quiet of her Chicago basement, she began painting flamingos and flowers. At first, she thought she was simply craving color and life during the bleak Chicago winter but she soon realized that she was actually searching for a way back to herself.

Today, Ayleen works in her studio in Miami, Florida, where the warm morning light calls her in each day. But it’s the freedom the canvas provides that keeps her coming back. The typical “shoulds” and to-do lists in her studio fade away. It becomes a sacred space where she can draw on the innate wisdom of childlike wonder and where the only voice that truly matters is hers.

1. How would you describe your art style, and what inspired you to become an artist?

I would describe my art style as intuitive and abstract. I wanted to study art in college, but as a child of recent immigrants, I decided on a practical path and studied business and law. However, I never felt my career as a lawyer truly fulfilled me. I felt a pull to express myself creatively, mainly after I had my second son in 2010. I needed a creative outlet that was just for me, outside of my roles as someone’s lawyer, mom, and wife. In wearing all those hats, I felt like I was forgetting who I was at my core. Although I had been drawing my entire life, 2010 I started painting. I painted on and off through the years, creating art for my home. It was finally in 2018 that I committed to a consistent painting practice and started taking classes with other artists here in Miami and online.

I think the most challenging part of being an artist is the dance between wanting others to see and relate to your work, but also wanting to hide your work away because it feels so raw and vulnerable.

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2. Can you tell us about a particular piece of art that holds special meaning for you?

My first floral painting holds special meaning because I had been painting abstract expressionist work. It was a Friday night, and I had no attachment to the outcome. I just sat on the floor of my studio, grabbed some canvas and paint, and my first floral work was born out of nowhere. That was the night when my love affair with wildflowers was born.

3. What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how did you overcome them?

The most challenging part of being an artist is the dance between wanting others to see and relate to your work and hiding your work because it feels so raw and vulnerable. I overcame the fear of being seen by taking many art classes with experienced artists who gave me constructive feedback. It helped me understand the art rules and which ones I wanted to break intentionally. It gave me more confidence in the work I was producing.

4. What has been the most rewarding aspect of your art journey?

The most rewarding aspect of my art journey is that regardless of whether a work is recognized or purchased, it has given me more than any money could buy. I have learned so much about myself. Not to mention that my art practice has given me an analog space to find peace and quiet even in the midst of a busy life as a mom of two boys, a wife, and a business owner in an increasingly growing and loud city like Miami.

The most rewarding aspect of my art journey is that regardless of whether a work is recognized or purchased, the journey itself has given me more than any money could buy. I have learned so much about myself.

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5. What advice would you give to the aspiring artists?

My advice to aspiring artists is to focus on consistent action. If you have the time, I recommend developing the habit of painting every week or even every day. Taking an art class and committing to completing the class helped me build consistency in my practice. Taking several courses over a few years also helped me find my voice and style as an artist. Finally, I would try to connect with other artists locally or through social media. Having a community of artists to bounce ideas off of and even collaborate with to show your work is encouraging and helps keep your practice going.

Ayleen Wolfe’s art invites us to experience the world through a lens of color, emotion, and personal freedom. Drawing deeply from her Cuban roots and her journey as a mother, lawyer, and artist, Ayleen’s vibrant paintings speak to the power of self-expression and the healing that comes from creativity. To learn more about Ayleen, visit the links below.