RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The “Rock of Ages” movie, opening next month, stars Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise and a host of other well-known actors.
Along with the art of a 23-year-old Richmonder who has something of a Cinderella story.
“It’s really cool,” said Eliza Childress from her colorful front porch in North Richmond. “I feel so grateful, too. Even if it was a fluke and it never happens again, I’m still grateful that it even happened.”
A star-studded musical about the ‘80s hair metal scene screams for rock show posters. That’s one of Eliza’s specialties, and a local friend’s girlfriend had a connection to the movie industry, so she became one of several artists commissioned to do original posters for the movie.
Consider that she was a drop-out from the VCU school of art, working at a hair salon, a dreamer who “can find beauty in anything.” She’s a self-described hoarder of vintage dresses and a lover of every kind of music and artistic style.
She’s a walking reflection of her passions.
“I’ve always been interested in art,” Eliza said. “My dad got mad at me for drawing a naked mermaid when I was 4 years old . . . it just kept escalating, kept going further and further with it.”
She said attending the Henrico’s Center for the Arts during high school had a big, positive impact on her. She attended VCU’s art school for a while before dropping out.
She started doing music show posters through a boyfriend who was booking shows at the now-closed Triple on West Broad Street. After her first ones made a nice little splash, she was off and running.
Since then, she’s done album covers for bands, art for radio stations, record labels, a local publication and the nice movie job. She also just recently got a call for art from a Fox TV show.
Not bad for a 23-year-old artist who will go to the movie premiere not in Hollywood, but with friends here at Movieland.
She said if there’s a message in her story, it is this:
If someone doesn’t have the means to go to college, “or it’s just not the right time, they should still pursue whatever their passion is.” Apply it, try to grow it, learn from others. “If you’re just persistent and passionate, then I feel like you can go wherever you allow yourself to go.”
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