1) What was the catalyst that led you to devote yourself to art?
I've always been drawn to the world of art, ever since I was a child. When I was younger, I used to doodle on the edges of my notebooks, and art classes were my favorite. I often drew at home too, but it was my art studies, which introduced me to different artistic fields and techniques, as well as specific courses in oil painting, that began to make me appreciate painting in its own right and give me the desire to specialize. I very quickly wanted to work in this field, but those around me encouraged me to pursue more traditional studies, so my artistic career started late. In my youth, I rarely went to see exhibitions, as my circle of friends had little or no interest in this type of outing, and it was mainly thanks to my husband, who was also passionate about art, that I began to catch up and visit museums more often, whether in major French cities such as Paris and Nice, or in Europe. For a long time, drawing remained my favorite art form, and at one point I even wanted to specialize in comics and storytelling illustration. But preferring the freedom to create abstract compositions straight out of my imaginary world, I gradually turned to acrylic paint, which offers a thousand and one artistic possibilities, each artist being limited only by his or her imagination.
2) Where do you find the inspiration for your work?
I draw inspiration from what I'm feeling at the time I'm painting, although I like to enclose myself in a hermetically sealed bubble when I'm working. The world around me, nature, can also give me ideas, although I transcribe them abstractly onto canvas. I also sometimes listen to music while painting and let the melody guide me. Personal expression and spontaneity always guide my brush, even if, strangely enough, I try to create paintings in a variety of bright colors that convey positive feelings, as if through them I were trying to escape reality and reconnect with a feeling of carefreeness and the search for a certain beauty. While for some artists, painting can be a stressful activity, because of the desire to succeed and the high standards involved, for me it's a source of well-being and relaxation. It's as if I forget what's around me when I'm painting. Most of my canvases feature motifs and repetitive forms, but together they create an energetic, harmonious content. Each canvas is usually different from the last, as I like to experiment with new techniques and create unique compositions. Of course, being a subscriber to social networks allows me to discover new, very talented artists who can inspire me, just like my artist friends.
3) What tools do you prefer to use to express your art?
As for the tools I mainly use to express myself on canvas, there are: brushes of various shapes and textures, both flat and round, with soft synthetic or rougher bristles. I also like to use paint knives, and sometimes experiment with different mediums to achieve particular effects on canvas. I often buy my materials in specialized art stores, although I sometimes use less conventional tools for this type of practice. Gesso is a primer that also comes in handy when I want to smooth the surface. I don't always use the same tools depending on the painting I want to bring to life, it all depends on my feelings and desires at the time, and on what I want to create. I'm also very interested in pouring and pastes that give relief, and I may turn more to these different mediums in the near future to experiment. I know that some artists use pieces of fabric for collage, sponges to create effects and gradations, or resin to give the canvas a shiny, smooth appearance; while the use of textile materials is less appealing to me, playing with everyday objects or DIY tools can be clever, and it's also a good way of diverting an object from its original function to recycle it. When I was a student, teachers used to advise us to rummage through garbage cans in search of ideas and materials for our art projects; it's more complicated to find things that interest us when we're just painting, but if you want to make an inspiration notebook, why not put down some finds that we can use later to imagine a future painting, like designers' moodboards.
4) What criteria guide your choices in combining colors, shapes and textures in your works?
Above all, I'm looking for a combination of colors and shapes to create a harmonious visual that's pleasing to the eye. Aesthetics are important to me, even if I know that some artists use painting above all to express an opinion about the world around them, current events or to denounce injustice. As far as my paintings are concerned, although they always bear a signature, I like to let my imagination run free so that I can invent a unique and beautiful composition, which will perhaps touch some of its observers. Improvisation is sometimes part of my creative process, depending on how I feel and what mood I'm in; a finished abstract painting allows each of us to possess the keys to its composition, according to our personal interpretation and sensibility; it has a universal language, and that's what I like.
5) What emotions or sensations do you seek to evoke in your audience through your art?
Viewers may be intrigued by the canvas: my aim is to catch their eye and make them want to pause in front of it, study it, contemplate it, let their imagination take the lead. Depending on their interpretation, which will be linked to their personal experiences, projections and feelings, this could enable them to see emotions arise in them, to let sensitivity seize them, a characteristic that can be seen as a weakness in today's society, but which I consider to be a strength. I'd love someone to see one of my paintings and say to themselves: beyond its aesthetic appeal, its content speaks to me!
6) What societal, political or personal issues fuel your creative process?
Isolation, fragility, love, grief, hope... Universal themes like these fuel my creative process. Evolving in my work is something important to me; you'll notice that the shades of color I use give all my canvases a positive, light-hearted feel: in this world where violence, selfishness and individuality are commonplace, I'd indeed like to offer people joy and a little happiness. Art is not one of our basic needs for life, but it is necessary for the mind to soften its sorrows, elevate it, sharpen its critical faculties and enable it to open up to what surrounds it. You'll notice that in countries where freedom of expression is repressed, all forms of art are often banned and condemned. I don't claim to be able to change the world, but I do like to think that art is a vehicle for emotions and remains a space where people can express themselves.
7) What models or sources of inspiration influence your artistic style?
I love artists such as Gerard Richter, Joan Mitchell, Paul Klee and the Delaunay couple. I'm particularly interested in lyrical abstraction, expressionism too, even if my work isn't tinged with darkness, as well as orphism and abstract expressionism. More recent artists such as Julia Badow and Bernard Frize are models for me: I find their work absolutely magnificent!
8) How do you generate ideas and transform them into works of art?
Above all, I'm looking for a combination of colors and shapes to create a harmonious visual that's pleasing to the eye. Aesthetics are important to me, even if I know that some artists use painting above all to express an opinion about the world around them, current events or to denounce injustice. As for my canvases, although they always bear a signature, I like to give free rein to my imagination so that I can invent a unique and beautiful composition, which will perhaps touch some of its viewers. Improvisation is sometimes part of my creative process, depending on how I feel and what mood I'm in; a finished abstract painting allows each of us to possess the keys to its composition, depending on our personal interpretation and sensibility; it has a universal language, and that's what I like.
9) How do you overcome obstacles or criticisms that may arise in your artistic projects?
The obstacles I may encounter on my path are not surprising, I think that every artist has already experienced difficulties, the successes that can be seen on social networks, for example, are not representative of reality; a success can be born after a person has experienced several failures, it's experience that forges us and constructive criticism, we can learn lessons and learn, questioning ourselves to evolve and progress. Discovering new techniques, getting rid of automatisms and opening up to new fields of experimentation can be very enriching for an artist. Never rest on your laurels is one of my principles.
10) What studies or courses have you taken to further your art, and what are the defining moments or projects that have shaped your artistic career?
I've taken several general art courses that have opened me up to different art forms and allowed me to try out different tools, as well as oil painting courses. Learning to copy photographs or illustrations allows me to train my eye for observation and detail, and to develop patience and a certain rigor. In addition, to complete my curriculum, I also had the opportunity to follow specific training courses in oil painting, portraits and comic-illustration. I've also taken part in free painting workshops, which have given me a wealth of experience and quality.
For me, exhibitions are opportunities to challenge myself, address certain themes and move forward. I take advantage of each of these events to create new works, work on my technique, compare myself with other artists and move forward... Some art critics have helped me a lot and shed light on my evolution.
11) Is there anything else you'd like to share, any other aspects or curiosities about your art or yourself?
I'd like to thank GalleryOne962 for giving me the opportunity to showcase my work, and for the wonderful artistic springboard it has provided. In my opinion, each of us has a certain artistic sensibility that's just waiting to be expressed, and we shouldn't think that art is only for the elite. The whole of society must find in art the values of exchange and openness, communication and solidarity.
Emilie secured the ART PRIZE in November 2023 at the international virtual exhibition of abstract art, presented by GALLERYONE962
GalleryOne962 INTERVIEW with Daniel Ellingson of Soulution Art
Tell us about the beginning.
Art and music have both been a part of my life since my earliest memories. My mother earned her
master’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Michigan. While working on her doctorate
at Florida State University, due to the overload of being a full time student and single mother, she gave
up her studies to get us by. Several years later she remarried and we moved to a small town just outside
La Crosse, WI. She began teaching me piano at age 7, continuing to nurture my development in
classical music and visual arts until high school. Drawing was my escape in the early years. At 15, I
moved back to Minneapolis, MN, to live with my father, where I finished high school. In the
following years I pursued a career in Hip Hop (emcee name Soulution) with a high school friend (emcee
name Hennessy), as the group Tragedy & Triumph(TNT). We released 4 independent albums and did
hundreds of shows. April 29th, 2014, on my way home from a music video shoot, I was in a near fatal
car accident. I regained consciousness 5 days later, spending the following 3 days blind. I had a severe
Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI), broken back, 25 titanium plates in my face, and titanium wiring holding
my eyes in place. After regaining sight, I spent another several weeks in Regions Hospital. This was
the beginning of my journey back to life through art. Learning how to function even at a subpar level
was no small task, however my artistic ability was still relatively in tact, which gave me hope. Art and
music were no longer passions, they were needed therapies. At first it was drawing and piano that kept
me afloat. At the beginning of 2019, I moved to La Crosse, WI, to stay with my grandparents as a live
with a caregiver. It was there that I was introduced to painting with acrylic and ink by Nancy Ellingson(my
art mentor, my friend, a former professional painter and art teacher… my grandma).
How do you define your artistic style and what are your sources of inspiration?
- My artistic style is wide ranging, full of conflict, yet also peaceful. A visual dialogue between
structure and chaos, my style is emotionally dynamic and very personal. My grandma’s abstract &
landscape paintings were the first examples of fine art I remember seeing. I marveled at her ability to
make a landscape look photo-realistic at a distance, when up close it became a controlled disbursement
of detailed abstract forms, overlapping one another in various colors, creating exquisite texture, with
delicate washes conveying great distance with the sky. Her work was what first made painting magical
to me, and is still a continual source of inspiration. Jack Whitten with his complex abstract variations,
from the single gesture paintings(which he developed in the early 70’s), to the mosaic like abstracts, his
lectures on painting, his books, and they way he went about “making” a painting have had a profound
impact on my work and make him a huge source of inspiration. Music is also a huge inspiration. From
Nas to Bach, Chopin to Wu-Tang Clan, Schubert to Outkast, classical piano and hip hop have been
lifelong inspirations for me, and have always been a part of my art.
What are your techniques and materials you use to create your works?
- My techniques are ever evolving due to endless experimentation. This leads to marvelous accidents,
making each painting it’s own process. From each composition I collect a bit of information, which is
hen added to the subconscious methods of applying the paint. Primarily utilizing acrylic paint and nks,
which gives variance in the consistency, as well as using anything for a paint brush. Incorporating
xtreme weather, painting outside in the midst of a blizzard, I collaborate with the elements of nature.
etween the thickness of the snow, the wind, the temperature, using anything for an applicator, including
a spray bottle, I am able to paint with the sky. This gives unexpected detail and variety to e ch painting
and helps to take the “me” out of the work. Less ego equals more movement. I consciously make an
effort to not think about what I’m going to paint, and instead assist in a set up of different factors, with
a process of letting the painting make itself. Just as Jack Whitten would use what he would say is a state of “no mind” as well as “making” not “painting” The process is the painting, often in a trance very
akin to automatism, utilized by the surrealist painters.
How do you choose the colors, shapes and textures that characterize your paintings?
- Most of the time with a spark of spontaneity(usually once a day), I don’t think, I just do. Using this
method most often, I simply grab whatever paints, mediums and applicators(using anything but a paint
brush to paint) and just go. Merging, mixing, and overlapping paint, water, ink and oil. At that point
contingent on if I’m indoors or painting in the elements, I follow the paint, rather than directing it.
Again, this is a helpful way to not erase self, but at least keep the ego in check. Most often I paint sing
a varied mix of acrylic and ink on either gesso board, paper or canvas.
What are you trying to communicate or convey with your art?
- I am attempting to convey truth, regardless of whether in a good state of being, or in the “thick of it.”
I use that negative head space as fuel for my continual search for beauty. In the this search I am able to
stray away from any particular narrative, which many artists have a propensity to ascribe an ideal to
their paintings. I prefer to let the paint speak for itself. At the end of the day I am always most pleased
when a number of different people are drawn to a particular piece, and they each see something
different within. I’m relearning forgotten aspects of self as I continue to practice the language of color,
shape, line, and form.
What are the themes or messages you want to explore or denounce through your works?
- Healing, time, memory and the finite nature of the body, mind, and the material world. Another major
theme is simply “process over production.” Sub conscious journalism with paint in a childlike and
playful fashion, which then yields the natural therapeutic properties to painting. I find while painting
an abstract piece with a sense of no limits, no boundaries, no rules, I get out of my own way. Freedom
and the vast unknown yet felt spiritual realm are also common themes.
What are your artistic references or influences? Which informal artists do you admire or have
inspired you the most?
- Aside from the aforementioned top 2 favorite artists, Jack Whitten & Nancy Ellingson, and a long list
of other painters: Frank Bowling, Maxine Masterfield, Wassily Kandinsky, David Dolan, Julie
Mehretu, Norman Lewis and so many others, there are so many aspects of existence(family,
community, history, pain, healing) and domains of knowledge(philosophy, mathematics, biology,
neuroscience, horology, astrology, aesthetics) which influence my work. Music is also a huge
component of my inspiration(particularly hip hop and classical piano). I must also include the many
skilled Graffiti artists and emcees who turned Minneapolis into a city full of murals and music.
How would you describe your creative process?
- My process is one of healing. So if I have an idea, no matter how crazy, I just start going. This
allows me to stop “thinking” and begin “perceiving” as the paint and other mediums are applied. By
letting go of the attempt to control, I find it best to more so let it go. As I previously mentioned I enjoy
collaborating with the elements of weather, especially painting in snow storms, but also when its
raining, or extremely windy. Its a collaboration with the elements of nature and the materials I’m
using. Think of it like extreme plein air painting. There are so many variables at play, with far less
under my control. This practice helps force me to continually improvise while painting.
What was your artistic education and what were your most significant experiences in the field of
art?
- My formal education in art was primarily in the art of music. One of the most significant experiences
in my musical journey, was the privilege of being accepted into the Appleton Boychoir in 5th grade,
traveling with the choir to Mexico City in 1997. I’ll never forget the climb and the view standing at the
top of the Pyramid of the Sun. I have never visually experienced anything more breathtaking than the
view from the top of that pyramid, looking at the Pyramid of the Moon and the vast landscape beyond.
On that trip the choir did a concert at the presidential palace, with Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon in the
audience. During that concert I sang a solo for the President of Mexico. Traveling with the choir to
Japan 2 years later was another highlight. Receiving a painting as a gift from one of my favorite
painters, David Dolan(who sent me an original 16x20” painting from 2003) was another highlight. I
am amazed to the extent of which I was able to learn, just by taking the time to observe and taking the
study of art seriously. es es painting and playing piano, there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting in a
dimly lit room, reading an a t book. I have learned a great deal from research, but far more from
simply experimenting with the paint and ink itself. I formerly completed a watercolor course in 1999,
and a cartooning course in 2000 at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Also, I was a live in student
from 2019-2021 with one of my favorite painters, my mentor, my friend... my grandma, Nancy
Ellingson. There is a difference between education and knowledge gained by diligent self study. Both
are important in many different ways, however it is the latter that has benefited me the most.
What are your future plans or goals as a painter?
To continue to learn, grow, and heal through painting. To then be able teach others and advocate
through painting for painting’s therapeutic value, particularly in regards to the cognitive healing it helps
promote following a Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI), Stroke, and/or Spinal Cord Injury(SCI). All 3 of
these injuries are categorized together as Acute Neural Injuries(ANI). Utilizing painting as a continued
process for not only my own mental and emotional healing, but presenting its importance as to
becoming an easily accessible and viable treatment option/addition to the Physical Therapy, Speech
Therapy, and Occupational Therapy offered during and after hospital stay due to an injury of this
significance. Most individuals feel quite lost after being discharged from hospital care, with the only
additional resource often being Vocational Rehab(DVR). Art gives hope and a sense of connection,
which is something just about anyone recovering from an ANI needs the most.
How did you embark on your artistic journey?
I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. My mother, Lindsay Page, is a landscape painter. So I used to sit on the floor and draw while she painted in her studio. I also enjoyed looking at her art books, where I first discovered two favourite French painters, Bonnard and Nicolaas de Stael, and that way I discovered there were so many different ways of seeing the world. My mother always took me along to exhibitions and I met a lot of wonderful artists, so I was really steeped in art from an early age. But I never thought it would become my life's work until I eventually opted to study Fine Art. I was also studying drama, but it wasn’t long before I was completely hooked on art. I loved the lectures too, a whole world of art opening up to me across the centuries. A Masters of Fine Art later on allowed me to intensify this exploration as my life work. I opted for painting as my chosen form of expression, because of the alchemy of oil paint, the joy of colour and the seemingly endless possibilities of the medium. In a sense you have to find your own language to explore the world.
Which words best describe your artistic style?
I would say incandescent, jazzy, shifting, playful and free.
Drawing for me is fundamental, a way of being in the world. I have a playful approach to the layering of different media, the more unexpected the better. I keep myself constantly surprised and entertained with what happens as I work back into the pages of my sketchbooks. It is where my visual language develops. New discoveries ensure that my approach back in the studio stays fresh and playful.
What techniques and materials do you employ in creating your work?
I love paint and the whole bodily, sensory, alchemical process of painting. Recently I have been experimenting with spray paint, building up a luminous structure to which I can return with freer gestural drawing in ink and oils, based on things observed and recorded in my sketchbooks.
How do you select the colours, shapes and textures for your paintings?
Can you describe your creative process?
How do you tackle challenges or difficulties encountered during your creative process?
I don’t have a pre-meditated idea of colours, shapes, textures, etc . I may have a feeling at the outset or a desire to work with a particular palette, way of painting, or composition, but this can change. I work on many pieces at once so that I allow the process of work to take over from any preciousness about a finished product. Sometimes things have to be balanced as you go along and sometimes you have to fight against the habit of prettiness, risk something, erase something, in order to find something new. In this way I welcome challenges and difficulties within my work. If I really feel stuck, I move onto another work or go out - go drawing, out into the city, go swimming. Completion of a painting must always take me by surprise. Some paintings take ages to complete. Others are more like drawings happening with an immediacy in the moment - then you have to learn to leave them alone.
What message or emotion do you aim to convey through your art
What themes or messages do you explore or address in your works?
I love the patina of cities, the sense of layers of stories happening and living on within the walls and foundations of a city; also the sense of chance juxtapositions where lives and stories interact across time and space. As an artist of the city, that is always what has interested me. I venture into wild places too, often engendering a new approach to my painting, something gestural and incandescent that must happen in the moment.
I don’t set out to convey a particular emotion or feeling but I have come to realize that my painting is essentially hopeful. It’s about loving the world through noticing and seeing it through all its chaos. Although my paintings may first appear as quite abstract they are really about an engagement with the world. I am interested in everything, and so essentially the subjects I engage with as I move through the world are constantly changing. It’s a kind of language that unifies the work. And maybe place, living between places - a constant tussle between the places of specific rootedness near my home and studio and these layers, shifting, sliding doors of other places visited, remembered or imagined.
I like my paintings to prompt conversations; the abstract nature of them allows for multiple interpretations. Isn’t all painting essentially abstract? They become like portals into new possibilities of experience. It doesn’t matter whether I am painting a journey through a forest or an experience of a city - the painting is essentially itself and always open to prompt new thoughts and feelings in the viewer.
Who are your artistic references or influences? Are there informal artists you particularly admire or who have inspired you?
As a painter you work alongside a whole world of other painters through time and space. It's important to get to know them and understand at least some of them. Over the years it has always been a particular thrill to be able to stand and draw breath in front of a painting, exactly where a favourite artist has stood, like I did with Cezanne recently. It’s such a joy to look and get up close and really appreciate what is going on - and it’s often a whole lot looser and riskier than you might think from illustrations of the work. Two exhibitions in London last year, Alice Neel and Philip Guston, were recent highlights. I have also stood close to Masaccio frescoes in Florence and appreciated his use of abstract colour, and then Morandi’s still life paintings in Rome that elevate the perception of the ordinary into a new realm.
This is the only way to really experience painting. Having said that, it is wonderful to discover a world of other artists through instagram, interviews and podcasts like this one. I think I am drawn to work where there is a sense of mystery - how did the artist get there? And in abstract painting sometimes clues that pull the viewer a little back into the visible world. In my own paintings, it’s often a balance between a kind of precision one finds in drawing, a kind of anchoring through what I have seen and noticed, and then an openness - there has to be a tension between the drawing and the open structure carried into being through the process. As someone else said, ‘mathematics and light’.
Some questions to get to know the artist: the beginning, inspiration, technique, challenges, message, education, and future projects.
I grew up with two older sisters. One introduced me to Picasso and other 20th century artists at a very early age. For reasons I cannot explain, I was then, and continue to be, drawn to the art of the 20th century.
My paintings explore my inner travels through the universe and my way of seeing stars, planets, moons and other celestial bodies. While the work is abstracted and reflects representational matter, I focus on each work's formal qualities; its shapes, colors, textures and overall composition.
The paintings in my BLOCKED series are bound by geometrical grids, but beyond these rigid structures, forms and lines swirl, freely creating their own governing rules.
What interests me is the process of layering materials to achieve a rich texture and depth on the canvas. All my works contain acrylic and spray paints, inks, gels and stencils on canvas. Occasionally I add mixed media elements to the surface of the painting.
Most works include circles, lines and organic shapes that intersect or blocked at certain points of the work. There are many layers to my paintings and colors develop while in the painting process.
As I've grown and encountered the various facets of life, I have developed a heightened sensitivity to the intricate emotion and subtleties within every brushstroke.
My current work belongs to both the 20th century and today. It's infused with my design sensibilties-balance, color, texture, scale, media and space-while harkening back to the work I hve admired my entire life.
The past artists that influenced me are many! I have always been strongly influenced by Impressionist painters, particularly ones that worked with environmental themes in the outdoors. As I mentioned Picasso was an early influence, plus Chagall, Motherwell, Frankenthaler, Agnes Martin,Richter and Nick Cave. I am also influenced by Japanese woodblocks and African sculpture.
What interests me is the process of layering materials to acheive a rich texture and depth on the canvas. From a distance, you'll see the layers showing through one another and depth of the materials. But as you move closer to its surface, you will see the layers showing through one another and depth of the materals.
All my works have layers upon layers to the canvas. The process of adding and subtracting, sometimes up to 10 to 12 or more changes/additions to the canvas. A painting can take around a week and longer to complete, but is a work ever completed?
I have a Bachelors degree of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University
Study at Accademia di Belle Arte in Perugia, Italy
Study at Cite International University in Paris, France
Study, worked and lived in New York City for 13 years
Currently I live and work in Chicago, IL
I would love to work on much larger canvases, my preference is square shape. Maybe think about geometric shapes like Frank Stella's protractor series from the 1970's? I would love to do large abstract backdrops for a ballet, theatrical or musical performances.
Samantha Malone (b. 1978) is a self-taught contemporary artist with an academic background in environmental science and marketing. Her art serves as an exploration into her identity and the quest for a sense of belonging, weaving together memories of her Australian childhood and the complexities of her current life in Tel-Aviv amidst political, cultural, and religious conflicts. In 2022, after several years of being a stay-at-home mom, she embraced her dream of being an artist and has been painting daily ever since. In July 2023, Samantha was selected to exhibit at the London Art Biennale and in September 2023, Samantha was the co-winner of the GalleryOne962 Art Prize.
1. How did you discover and explore geometric abstraction as an art form?
Geometric abstraction was one of the many stages in my artistic journey. I was drawn to its structured yet flexible nature, providing a framework for expressing intricate ideas. While my journey began with experimentation involving shapes and forms, it hasn’t confined itself solely to geometric abstraction. Over time, I expanded my artistic horizon by incorporating elements of cubism and other styles, creating a diverse body of work that goes beyond the confines of any single genre.
2. What are the sources of inspiration for your geometric works? Do you rely on natural, architectural, mathematical, or other reasons?
My inspiration is multifaceted. I draw from my personal experiences and memories, blending them with elements of abstraction. I seek to convey alternative perspectives and vantage points, emphasizing the idea that there are various ways to interpret the world.
3. Which abstract artists do you admire most or who have influenced your style? Can you cite some examples?
I'm influenced by a range of abstract artists, with a particular admiration for pioneers like Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Pablo Picasso and Hilma af Klint. Contemporary artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Sean Scully and Beatriz Milhazes also inspire me with their use of color, form and abstraction. In the summer of 2023, I visited the David Hockney exhibition in London and his explanation about how he challenges traditional notions of perspective in art resonated with me.
4. What are the techniques and materials you use to create your works?
I work primarily with acrylic on canvas, employing mixed-media techniques by layering with oil pastels and acrylic markers to add depth and visual engagement. This layering process allows me to gradually build intensity, creating a dynamic visual experience.
5. How do you choose the combination of colors, shapes, and lines that characterize your works? Do you follow a logic, an intuition, an emotion, or something else?
My choices in color, shape, and line are a fusion of intuition and a deliberate sense of structure. Color, in particular, plays a pivotal role in setting the mood and aesthetics of each piece. The interplay of shapes and lines is guided by both emotional expression and a thoughtful consideration of form.
6. How do you define your creative process? Do you start from a sketch, an idea, an image, or something else?
My creative process is intuitive and evolves organically. I usually start by drawing lines and shapes on the canvas with a pencil, followed by selecting my color palette. I then begin by intuitively layering the canvas with paint, gradually building depth and intensity. While I don't strictly adhere to a predetermined plan, each stroke and layer contribute to the overall composition.
7. How do you develop and complete your works?
My process involves a constant balancing act, deciding whether to add or cover layers until the painting feels complete. It's an iterative journey, with each color, shape and layer influencing the next. The final step is a careful consideration of the overall harmony, composition and visual impact.
8. How do you describe your artistic style?
I would describe my artistic style as a fusion of geometric abstraction, abstraction, cubism, and personal expression. The interlocked shapes and vibrant colors create a dynamic visual experience, encouraging viewers to explore alternative perspectives.
9. Plans for the future?
Looking ahead, my focus is on continuous artistic exploration, experimenting with new ideas, and expanding my artistic presence. I aim to further explore the boundaries of painting, pushing the expressive possibilities of shapes and colors. I hope to engage in more exhibitions and collaborations, sharing my story and contributing to the dialogue within the contemporary art world.
1) What was your initial inspiration to embark on your artistic journey?
I started painting in 2018 after a life doing many other things like regular work and family. There was a strong need to express something and I very soon found that abstract art was exacltly what I needed to. Since then, painting has become the most relevant activity in my (new) life.
2) How would you describe your artistic style in a few words?
Deep, instinctual, wild.
3) Can you tell us about your technique?
I use acrylic colours and some mixed tecniques for my abstract artworks because I’m quite fast when painting and have urgency to complete my expression.
4) What is the process behind selecting colors, shapes, and textures in your paintings?
My creative process is quite emotional so I select colors, shapes and textures following the expressing flow of the moment.
5) What message or emotion are you aiming to convey through your art?
I want to convey a positive message. I had a quite complicated life, but I’m translating also bad experiences and memories in what I consider a peaceful composition. My message is try not to loose hope and transform your pain in something meaningful.
6) Which themes or issues interest you the most in your works?
I’m very into colors and movement.
7) Who are your reference artists, and what influences have shaped your work?
Turner, Klimt, Schiele, Paul Klee, Helen Frankenthaler and many others.
8) Briefly describe your approach in the creative process.
As I told above, I’m a quite fast painter. I have many downtimes during the day and some very productive moments as well.
9) How do you tackle challenges or difficulties during the creation of your pieces?
Basically waiting and trying to do something else like physical movement.
10) Talk about your artistic education and the most significant experiences in the field of art.
As I wrote above I started painting in 2018 starting participating in some course in my city. Since then I organized two solo successful exhibitions in Italy and participated in many collective exhibitions in Italy, Europe and USA.
11) What are your projects or future goals in the world of painting?
To keep painting.
12) Is there anything important you'd like to add to our artistic discussion?
The most important thing in life is to keep evolving .