AucArt - Artist Interviews

Posted on by Kitty Rice

In the Studio with Kitty Rice

In the studio with Kitty Rice, visual artist whose works are inspired by Edward James' Surreal Folly in the state of San Luis Potosi. We met with Kitty to tell us more about growing up in a family with lots of women, her greatest influences, and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I’ve always felt like an artist, since being a child. I used to pretend I was ill for school so I could stay in bed drawing and I always loved playing exquisite corpses.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I grew up in a family with lots of women, in a pretty idyllic rural life. My older sister and I had a lot of time and space to develop creatively. We used to imagine being adults, holding our dolls and pretending to smoke cigarettes in our thatched gypsy caravan.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

I was taught to paint as a child, so art has always been something I’ve done. I studied illustration and then moved to Mexico City where I was very influenced by the european, female surrealist painters. I suddenly felt I could paint more imaginatively, especially being so far from familiarity and in a totally different surrounding of light and colour.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I’m interested in asking questions about femininity and memory. I am haunted by images of my childhood, imagining an adult world of womanhood through a playful visual world of innocent imagery.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

Marlene Dumas, Lisa Brice, Tracey Emin and Leonora Carrington.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

VHS stills and toy packaging. Olivia Laing’s ideas on Freedom and the female body.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

They’re for me, to ask questions to. When people connect, I know I’ve answered some of my questions well.

What events in your life have mobilized change in your practice?

I just completed a post-grad programme at The Royal Drawing school which really encouraged me to adopt multiple approaches and experiment more.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I am looking for images ; either in my head, through sketches, in front of me in 3D or from a still image. Once I have decide on an idea, I consider the composition, medium and scale. I think about washy pixels , quite photographically, which make up an image and then paint either loosely or very tightly rendered.

Tell us the inspiration behind your works?

I recently became re-obsessed by a film called Bad Girls which I watched a lot as a child.

The imagery of the cowgirls reminded me of the longing I had as a girl to become a woman.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I am interested in painting femininity in varying cultures, to be able to compare the differences and decipher the universalities.

Posted on by Holly MacKinnon

In the Studio with Holly MacKinnon

In the studio with Holly MacKinnon, whose work involves figurative and landscape elements to create dreamy, imagined environments rife with tension and emotion. We met with Holly to tell us more about growing up in Montreal, her greatest influences, and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

Probably when I got out of university and started painting outside the influence of teachers and classmates. I don’t have many hang-ups about the word “artist”. If you create art consistently, that’s what you are.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I’m from a small town outside of Montreal, Canada, where I lived with my parents and older sister. The community I grew up in was a mix of suburban and rural; picture lots of woods but also farmland and horses. I remember wandering through forest trails often, either with friends or my dog or alone. I think this is at least partly why I like painting forests and plants. I’m still really drawn to that landscape. I was a quiet, creative kid. I played a lot of sports, read books and drew a lot. I was really lucky.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

I loved drawing as a kid. As a teenager, I would take pictures of my friends and try to draw them as realistically as possible. But even then, I didn’t really consider becoming a professional artist. In Quebec, we have a school system called CEGEP in between high school and university, and after trying some different things, I landed on the Fine Arts program there. It allowed me to dip my toe in different media, but when I tried painting I knew that was it for me. It was the kind of challenge I could keep coming back to.

I went to NSCAD University in Halifax and I graduated with my BFA in 2015. I then moved back home. For years I lived with my mum and used her garage as my painting studio while trying to figure life out, working part-time jobs and applying for any artist opportunity I could. I think the pivotal moment was in 2018, when I was accepted to my first artist residency in Iceland at a place called Fish Factory Creative Center. I felt so encouraged, like finally someone had decided I was good enough to take a chance on. I’d felt lost for a long time. I spent a whole month painting and daydreaming and reading voraciously. I made my best work to date there, and I remember thinking that maybe there was actually a place for me in this art world.

So I just kept going. I made a deal with myself to keep painting whether or not the accolades and opportunities come. There have been many slumps since then, but I have always been able to find my way out of dark holes.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I’ve never been good at coming up with a concise and satisfying answer, I think because it’s partly intuitive. But what I can say is this: I’ve always been interested in bizarre, emotional things. Weird books, sad music, heavy poetry. Something you can pull your own meaning from. I’m a very introverted person. I’m contemplative, maybe a bit serious at times. All these things come together to make a weird cocktail. I have certain themes that keep coming up: nature, loneliness, gender, joy. Sometimes images pop into my head, and often I follow that to see what emerges. Or I see something that stirs up an idea for a painting. Throughout the process it evolves, often into something else entirely.

As for the aesthetic, right now my goal is to have both crude parts and sophisticated parts to the painting. If things get too tight, it’s boring. If they are too childlike, it’s not as engaging. So I’m trying to figure out that balance. Aside from that, I often feel my style is out of my control.

Somebody once described my work as “spooky and tender”, and I’ve always liked that.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

Peter Doig. Allison Schulnik. Kim Dorland. Margaret Atwood. Robin F. Williams. Rae Klein. Elizabeth Glaessner. Loren Erdrich.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Books by Margaret Atwood. After I read her book Oryx and Crake, I was on fire, both for painting and writing. The Edible Woman by Atwood also really shook me in the most quiet, subtle way. Bizarre fiction seems to stir up a lot of ideas in me.

Also, lyrics by The Smiths and Belle & Sebastian. They deliver very sad and cynical thoughts in an upbeat way. That’s exactly the kind of thing I love.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I want people to feel like they’ve been jostled a little. If all goes well, they’ll stare at the painting for a long time. Some people just connect to it immediately, and that’s always a magic moment. I guess that’s who I am thinking of when I paint, those who have a visceral reaction that they don’t need explained. It’s interesting to discover who those people are.

For me, the main motivator is emotion. But hopefully in a layered way, where it’s not just sad or unsettling or joyful but a few different feelings pulling you into different corners. That’s most interesting to me and the kind of art I enjoy most as a viewer.

What events in your life have mobilized change in your practice?

I think residencies and traveling have initiated a lot of shifts in the work. And any personal experiences with heightened emotions. Loss, heartbreak, euphoria, cathartic moments of any kind. Sometimes it’s only upon reflection that you see the effect of these things.

The paintings have evolved quite drastically, at least from my own perspective. Even looking just a few years back, I see a huge shift. The work from past years was very whimsical, and I often painted very loosely. Since then I have tightened the paintings up, technically. They feel a little more subtle and nuanced.

Often, just making simple mistakes or errors in judgment leads to experimentation, though I’m trying to experiment more consciously. Sometimes I get bored and feel like I’m repeating myself. That’s when I know it’s time for me to look at different things and read more.

For example, my latest work has been a complete leap. I started putting together little collages with found imagery and using those as models for paintings. The results are pretty jarring. I like the idea of two opposing images layered on top of each other, with no attempt to marry them.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

There’s no perfect formula for me. My most creative periods are usually when I’m reading something good. That seems to churn up my visual mind.

Tell us the inspiration behind your works?

One that remains dear to me is Joy Is A Dog. I made that painting during a residency in Portugal called PADA Studios. I was so deep into painting for that whole month, I became a little depressed actually. I was thinking about happiness and sadness. I’d recently lost my dog and had been devastated by that loss. At the time, the paintings were a little more fantastical and so I created this odd scene of a woman dipping her feet into a pond and laughing with a dancing dog by her side. To me, it was joyful and gaudy but still had something unsettling in the air. It’s still a bit funny and creepy to me.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

In 2021, I started writing poetry when painting got difficult. I would like to see it evolve and try playing with different kinds of writing. It’s my dream to publish a book. I’ve also considered doing some projects that involve both writing and painting.

Posted on by Alice Macdonald

In the Studio with Alice Macdonald

In the studio with Alice Macdonald, whose works are fascinated by the complexities of human behaviours, emotion and relationships. We met with Alice to tell us more about growing up in London, her greatest influences, and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I don’t know, that’s a strange one. ‘Artist’ is a funny label. Even though in the past I did feel quite like an artist, I think it’s hard at first to call yourself an artist, because mostly when you tell people you’re an artist they’re like, ok, but what else do you do? I suppose I started saying I was an artist with more conviction after I left the Drawing School in 2017/18. Or maybe since I’ve been putting ‘artist’ on my tax return – that made it feel more official?

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I was born in London, and I grew up above my dad’s restaurant in Victoria in central London. When I was 11 we moved to the countryside sort of near Oxford. My mum is a teacher. I have three younger brothers, two of them, Ranald and Angus, are also artists, the other one, Hector, is more of a writer. We all get on pretty well, I really feel really lucky to have so much in common with my brothers, I like to talk to them about my work and my ideas, about books I am reading, for advice, I trust their opinions.

Music was a big part of my childhood. My Dad is obsessed with Elvis Presley, and Elvis was playing a lot of the time, in particular I remember Elvis tapes in the car. My brothers are all also very musical and they can all play all sorts of instruments. Somehow I never managed to really learn any. But when we are all at home at Christmas or something we often end up singing around the piano. I think I am more of a behind the scenes person, I don’t like being in the spotlight. Ranald has a band called This Is The Deep, and my partner Mark and I paint backdrops for their live performances.

All in all I think I had a mostly happy upbringing. I don’t know really how it has impacted my work…I do really enjoy watching and drawing people, especially in pubs, I did a whole series of prints about pubs, and I also love painting food related images.. perhaps this is something to do with my early upbringing above the restaurant?

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

I always liked drawing and making things as a child. My Grandma Jane is a great watercolourist, and when I was little I would go to her house and paint with her at the weekends. I was lucky to be encouraged by her and my parents. Because it was the thing I enjoyed most, it always seemed obvious I would apply for Art school. Although I did briefly consider studying languages, after school I did an Art Foundation and then I applied to Falmouth to study Illustration. I was thinking that Illustration would lead to a steady job and would make use of my love of drawing. Turns out I don’t really enjoy working to briefs and it’s actually pretty hard to make a living doing illustration, and most of it is done digitally now, which I really don’t like. Illustration wasn’t for me! So I decided to apply to the Drawing School. The intense year spent drawing taught me a lot, I think studying there was a pivotal step for me, it was the first step towards my current art practice. but I’m not sure you ever feel like you are on the right track exactly – you are always trying to do something better, there is always further to go!

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I don’t think there is one single message of my work. I think of my work of a collection of thoughts and observations. Most of my work starts with a drawing, either from observation, from memory or from a film still, occasionally from imagination. I am interested in people, their psychological state and innermost thoughts and feelings, but I am also fascinated by the impossibility of knowing what they really are, by how difficult it is to know someone really.

Ideas can come from anywhere – I am influenced by all sorts of things – literature, myth and fairy tale, music, cinema and opera, and research into history, art history and feminist discourse. I am really interested in psychology and how the brain works- I often think about psychologist Erving Goffman’s idea of role-play – everyone consciously or not, is acting a part- whether self-imposed or created by society. I also think a lot about stereotypes and archetypes, in particular in terms of gender. I am aware that the male gaze has influenced how I and society expect women to look and behave, and I question how to represent women. I often draw other women and myself in examination of female experience, my own relationship to womanhood and my received concept of femininity.

I have no idea how to describe my aesthetic. But I am as much interested in playing with the visual elements of light and shadow, colour, pattern, texture and pictoral depth and composition as in the subject matter itself. I often make several versions of a painting starting with lots of small watercolour studies and then painting larger in distemper and oil on canvas. Through this process the image changes and the resulting paintings are somewhere between reality and fiction, observed and imagined.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

In terms of artists, I think my all time greatest influence is Edvard Munch. I love the way he painted and the emotional intensity in his work. Then I also love artists such as Alice neel, Bonnard, Vuillard, Paula Modersohn Becker, Marlene Dumas, Chantal Joffe, Sarah Pickstone, Mama Anderson, Ishbel Myerscough, Caroline Walker… and many more.

I listen to audiobooks most of the time when I am painting, and I think listening to so many stories and different narratives from all across time and the globe has a strong influence on me.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Sometimes it’s just something you see for a flash of a second that might inspire you to make something, I think you never know where it’s going to be or come from. So, in a way, it’s always unexpected.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

No not really. I think once you’ve painted it, the audience can think what they like. I think I just want people to be compelled look at the work, and to be interested in it, perhaps to wonder about the people I’ve painted and who they are, what their story might be? I love the idea that when you look at a painting of someone, say a Tudor portrait, you can meet the eye of someone across time and space.

What events in your life have mobilized change in your practice?

I don’t think one event has changed my practice. It’s more of a changing gradually by small degrees. I usually work quite fast. I think I feel like I have to get the ideas on paper before they disappear. I would say I’m pretty experimental. If I have an idea about something I’ll try it out. I’m not very good about doing small scale tests or plans, I like to just go for it. If it’s a disaster, I’ll have to try something else.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Oh I think that is impossible to say. These conditions are pretty illusive! I think mainly I need time gathering ideas – by doing things and looking at things outside the studio, and then you need time in the studio to paint them. But sometimes it seems like you have all the ingredients for a good piece of work but it just turns out terrible. It’s not a precise science.

Tell us the inspiration behind your works?

Shaving Mirror Image is from a drawing I did of my partner and artist Mark Connolly in winter lockdown 2021. It was a pretty depressing time, I was really missing outside information and inspiration. I made loads of drawings of Mark – sleeping, eating, bathing and shaving. I needed something to do, and there was nothing else to draw! But eventually I got pretty interested in the intimacy of being stuck so intensely together. I also got really interested in the image of the image of the mirror reflection and the difference between Mark and his reflection that happened because obviously I was not fast enough to draw them both at once. The idea of your alter ego or persona.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I’m thinking a lot at the moment about people sitting at tables, I think a table is a very interesting space, a domestic place, a place where food is prepared and eaten. Sitting at the table with someone creates a space for conversation. I’m currently working towards a show with Paint Talk in June, the working title is “Table Talk and Other Conversations’. We will see where it leads me!

Posted on by Leonardo Guglielmi

In the Studio with Leonardo Guglielmi

In the studio with Leonardo Guglielmi, a visual artist whose work focuses primarily on the refusal of said academic art rules. We met with Leonardo to tell us more about growing up in north-east Italy, what inspired them to first pursue their artistic journey and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

Selling my first piece was a big moment, I definitely felt like I was in the art business then. As much as seeing myself as an artist, I think from my childhood. I was constantly drawing, at school, at home, whenever there was a piece of paper. Since I can remember everybody always called me “the artist”, “the art kid” and such. I think at some point during my developing year that kinda stuck with me as part of my identity.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I come from the far north-east of Italy, very close to Venice. That region of the country usually has conservative tendencies and traditional minded people.

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I always felt like it wasn’t the place for me. That got me to moving internationally just two weeks after graduating highschool. After that I lived in Portugal, the United States, and more recently in China.

The big influence my blace of birth had on me is the curiosity to move around and find out about different places and cultures. In a more artistic way, Italy has obviously very strong roots to its past and that is still very much how art is thought in art school. I never enjoyed that too much, knowing about human anatomy and proportions is great but it’s not what I want to bring in my work. So in a way, another way I got influenced, is to shy away from the classic accademia way of art.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

I remember the pride I felt as a kid when my teacher would praise me for any drawing related assignment, even more when my pairs would compliment me. After getting into art school I remember it became harder for me to be artistic. Somehow being expected to do such work would take all the fun out of it. I remember getting into manga and anime and having the best time drawing my own stories and as that wasn’t an assignment I was expected to turn in, that became very fun. When I first picked painting up with a professional approach I was doing mostly abstract work, focusing on very heavy textures and very thick materials. When I finally switched to light texture, airbrush and thinned out colors, I started feeling very good about my work.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

The main themes of my work are the digital renaissance we are living in, the vastness of the humanity experiencing it, and the conversation between these two elements. I like to think that my work has an edge to it, meaning it’s straying away from tradition, doing something that feels modern and true to the times. I like to reference pop culture, painting tattoos and little details that would make you understand the subject definitely is alive in 2022. I like to reference the digital times we are living in and to make a painting look like a glitchy PNG or something not loading on your laptop. The purpose is really to create a connection with the viewer.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

When I first started I was doing mostly abstract work, with heavy textures. I was inspired a lot by Bram Bogart work and he has been a great influence in earlier works. There is this Italian artist that recreates Roman and Greek statues and adds Japanese tattoos to them. I love the conversation between present and past that he manages to create. That is also part of what I want to create so he serves as a great influence in my more current work. Yet the biggest influence on my work is the digital world and what happens behind a screen. It’s a huge part of our life at this point in time and I think it deserves representation.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

I have a fascination with computer errors. A software crashing, a slow loading PNG, something that went wrong behind a screen. It’s not supposed to be there, but it’s right in front of you, and I find an erroneous and unintentional beauty in that.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I like to think that when people observe my work they see something fresh, interesting, with a different perspective. I hope for the viewer to understand a reference, to feel included in a conversation. If I were ever to bore someone with my paintings, that would be a great loss to my self esteem as an artist. A great focus of mine is also bringing current times into the canvas I paint on. So I hope with my work I can make someone feel a little more represented in a space like modern art. I don’t really target a specific audience, if anything, just open minded people.

What events in your life have mobilized change in your practice?

Moving a lot between different countries has had a big influence on my work. It allowed me to see the sea of humanity out there and it got me very interested in representing it. Another big event has been becoming part of the LGBTQ+ community. It made me more critical of things, even art, and I find myself painting subjects that might be less represented. I like to think I can do my part to bring more representation to less included groups.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

A rainy day, good lighting, being alone, and something in my mind that I need to get out. It’s mostly about that, the sensation of something in your mind that needs fiscal representation outside of you, an idea you want to share. A rainy day always helps.

Tell us the inspiration behind your works?

You know that feeling you get when you are at the airport, you look at someone, anyone, and have that realization that each individual around you has their own life, their own inside world, just like you do? That is a driving factor in most of my Head+neck tattoos portraits.

One has a mustache, one has a mullet. One has a tiger tattoo while the other one has a flower tattoo. Why do they have them? That’s part of their back stories, which you probably will never know about, but each moment they lived got them to have a mustache, a flower tattoo, and to be in front of you at the airport.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

While I do mostly Figurative paintings, I do hope to explore more abstract subjects in the next future. Abstract pieces are very powerful in their own way, I want to dig into that and see what comes out.

Posted on by Laust Hoejgaard

In the Studio with Laust Hoejgaard

In the studio with Laust Hoejgaard , a visual artist whose works are based around conflicted outsiders and other misfits who represents a surreal version of reality. We met with Laust to tell us more about what inspired them to first pursue their artistic journey and their greatest influences.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

It’s been a fading transition actually. I’ve been painting and drawing all my life and then I took a long break from it for several years and returned to it with a new perspective. When I finally found my signature style and found confidence in that I guess I felt like a “real” artist.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

When I was a kid I wanted to make animated movies and computer games and that gave me a purpose to pursue. I really felt like I’ve worked it all out in my head. I had a very romantic and naive view on how it would be, but then one on a vacation to the states I remember we visited some Disney animation Studios and I think it was shot down because they moved production to a sweatshop or something and I remember feeling really depressed. It kind of broke the illusion. After that, I started working a lot with classical drawing, croquis etc. and went to The Drawing Academy and learnt a lot about anatomy and how to construct shapes and so on. That let me into the doing art and painting but at some point I felt like it didn’t have enough purpose and I couldn’t crack how to make it interesting because I felt limited in “just” doing a static visual on a canvas or piece of paper. Then I started working as a freelance illustrator on advertising agencies and suddenly I found myself in advertising. That let me into working at Vice Magazine as a creative and I did a lot of different work for brands etc. It was fun, but at the same time it felt so empty and in the end I was just working too much to sell some sort of product and that was just extremely depressing and it drained me totally in the end. And then I went back to painting, but this time it was not to do make it look like something particular, constructing it the right way or making it fit a concept with a purpose. Now I’m only working to make my work having an interesting expression instead.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I like to think of it as there is not a certain message, but more an energy or a vibe. It’s based around these conflicted characters that are both a bit scary and humorous. They are a reflection of the real world in a quirky way. The personality and themes in my work also defines my working process and my choices of textures, strokes and so on. My style is a boiling pot of elements from my background working with animation, 3D modelling, classical drawing etc.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

I love Christian Rex van Minnen (@van_minnen) and it was love at first sight. I think he’s the best when it comes to combining expressions in so many ways. At the moment I’m also really drawn by the work of Bel Fullana (@belfullana). I love the energy in her work and how she borrowed elements from cartoons etc. Bijijoo (@Bijijoo) is also a great inspiration in many ways for me. I find his work really inspiring because he’s able to create such unique work in a way that’s hard to categorize for me (in a good way). And last, but not least there’s Michael Pitman (@emkidelpitt) who also has the craziest energy in his works and I just love the combination of style, characters and themes in his works.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

I’ve actually surprised how much music affects my work. It’s weird, because I used to play music and play in a band when I was younger, but then I didn’t really listen to music for 10 years, but when I started painting again it came back.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

Hmm. I hope people just look at it as a visual, but experience the energy and the tension in the works I guess.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I like working on multiple works at the same time, so when I have the space and time for that it’s good. I don’t have a lot of patience, so if I only work on one I sometimes ruin it, because the paint doesn’t get a chance to dry.

Tell us the inspiration behind your works?

To take one example “Sad Boyz Luv Money” is inspired by a song by Amaarae called “Sad Girlz luv Money” for instance. Pretty random but I guess it’s a good example of how music sometimes inspires my work 1:1 sometimes.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I would love to do some physical 3D modeled works in the near future .

Posted on by Daniel Dias

In the Studio with Daniel Dias

In the studio with Daniel Dias, whose practice turns toward the neo-surreal, where familiar images and stories are warped into a psychological portrait of our times and experiences. We met with Daniel to tell us more about growing up in São Paulo, what inspired them to first pursue their artistic journey, and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I started drawing from a young age and always had an affinity for Art. I was fortunate to have parents who supported my creative pursuits when it came time for me to go to college. After trying oil paint for the first time, I knew it was something I would love for the rest of my life. I see myself as a painter first and foremost.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1987. We lived in a small apartment within a large complex where we were very close to our neighbors and people in the community. We often visited my grandparents and extended family in Santos as well, so I have very happy memories of my childhood in Brazil. At the age of 10, my family immigrated to South Florida and the move had a big impact in defining who I am today. Being uprooted and landing in a new country where I didn’t speak the language, with only my immediate family for comfort, was scary for 10 year old me. I now embrace the challenges of moving to a new country and trying to find a familiarity in it. This led me to China, where I currently live and work. I believe the time I spent in Brazil, USA and China have afforded me diversity in inspiration, life experience and memories which I draw from in my work.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

There is joy and satisfaction that comes from pursuing artistic work and that is still what motivates me to continue my practice. As long as I am placing myself in situations that allow me to change, adapt and grow, I feel as if I am on the right track; as the work will reflect my own alteration.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I spend a lot of time thinking about identity, relationships and perspective. I am curious about people that have split their time between two (or more) countries/cultures and how their perspective changes. In the paintings We Will Become and We Will Become Silhouettes, one moment is painted from two different perspectives. Besides the challenge of composing these works from different points of view as different “characters,” I also allow time to play a part in creating a perspective shift. I give myself at least 2-3 years before attempting a new painting in the series.

This interest stems from my experience living in 3 different countries, but also in Brazilian spiritualism, introduced to me as a child in Brazil. The American in me is skeptical, but the belief emphasizes the evolution of the soul through reincarnation. As only by assuming varying identities in diverse situations can one learn empathy and love. The Chinese in me might be reminded of Buddhism…

Who & what are your greatest influences?

I am influenced by some amazing painters like Adrian Ghenie, Nicole Eisenmann, Tala Madani, Sanya Kantarovsky, Norbert Schwontkowski, Jennifer Packer, Ken Kiff, Wu Guanzhong, etc… traveling greatly influences my work as well.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Not so unexpected for anyone that finds themselves in a classroom once in a while, but I find inspiration in my students’ works. In how they handle paint, how things might happen unexpectedly and how they perceive the world.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I do not have the audience consciously in mind at the beginning and middle stages of creation. I start to think about the audience as my work gets closer to completion, and it is only to imagine what can be seen in the work if I were to see it again for the first time. I hope the audience can spend time with the work and be curious about the relationship between the subject matter and the physical qualities of paint. I hope the audience can find their own interpretation, and perhaps even relate, to the stories that arise.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise/aesthetic?

After having spent 6 years in China, a country which was originally shrouded in mystery to me, it had become a very comfortable home. I had adapted. And that’s when I decided to return to the USA.

The reverse culture shock I experienced caused me to reassess my practice. At that time, the aesthetic of my work closely resembled collage as I sought to distinctly include sections of my personal history. But it was only in the second year of my MFA program that I sought a different approach. I started painting intuitively, drawing from memories and allowing my decision making to reflect my identity at that specific point in time. I did not need to make my personal history known in my work, it would inevitably be revealed in a more authentic manner through the paint itself.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

A difficult question as a starting point and time to wonder, experiment and develop an artwork.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

Deep Down Voices, is a pseudo-self-portrait based on past-life regressions, a spiritual practice which I grew up hearing stories about from family members and acquaintances. The visions that people experienced always seemed to poetically explain hardships, grievances, predispositions and relationship troubles in their current life. In my imagined past-life regression, I am lying on the floor with candles and a guide around me. A spirit, memory or vision from a past life conjoins with my body, melding with and reimagining my visage, blurring my identity. In the process of creating this painting, I debated who I could have been previously. Was I drawn to China because of a memory long forgotten? Or could my interest in, and similarity in style, to a particular artist represent a bond from the past? I do not need an answer, I just need to wonder.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I have spent a long time living in China, and I would like that be reflected in my work to a greater extent. In the next few months, I plan to attend Art residencies in Beijing, Chongqing and Shanghai with the goal of expanding my understanding of Chinese painting. I will focus on 2 distinct approaches in Chinese painting, known as GongBi (工笔) and XieYi (寫意). I believe through the practice of these traditional Chinese painting techniques, and in the development of my ability to employ these visual languages, they will inevitably and organically seep into my work.

Posted on by Filip Švehla

In the Studio with Filip Švehla

In the studio with Filip Svehla, whose works focus is on the exploration of colours in relation to urban space, architecture, and living space. We met with Filip to tell us more about growing up in Prague, what inspired them to first pursue their artistic journey, and unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I remember situation when I was about to apply for an artschool but I was not sure about it that time, my teacher just simply asked me: “Do you not want to be as Monet?” and than I realized “ Ou woow, these are not just stories from books, you can actually make your own story.”

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I grew up in Prague, which is beautiful city with rich history, full of historical monuments and kind of romanticism in the air. I think it had some impact on me. My grandma used to live in baroque rectory near Prague, where I spent every holiday. I still have in my mind few pictures of details of that building which had strong effect on me as a boy. I also remember specific smell of that building, changing atmosphere and humidity in rooms when you were walking through. I think this established few of my later interests as an artist.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice artistic work?

The most important point in my artistic journey was meeting a teacher at elementary art school. I was around 13 years old and as usuall it was all mess for me. I was more interested in music that time but I liked graffiti and I drew into my school notebooks. The teacher there was great personality, he communicated with us as we would be adult artists, he gave us really difficult questions and he approached our childish works with total respect as it would be true pieces of art. That became fascinates me and i started to fall in love with painting. It became obsession and I usually came home from school and painted even after that in the evenings. I painted actually every free time. Later on I decided to apply for the Art Academy. When I came there first I immediately saw this is what I want. That artistic mess, smell of freedom and creativity caught me, I met many interesting people there and I knew I am on the right path.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

With more years I paint my interest in formal problems of painting increases. I would call myself a form-lover. If I should name one main message in my work it would be admiration of physical world – living through five senses – transformed to form and colors. More specifically it is admiration of space we live in, an urban space and searching for its qualities for human life.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

I had few influences during my art journey and it is still evolving. In the beginnings I admired Leon Golub for his tough and generous style. Later on I gained big admiration to Morandi and Balthus. But there are also historical interests like early Romanesque art and Indian miniature. In general I focus myself on colorist traditions of painting from Giotto to Albers, from Ravenna to Hodgkin.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

I have two musical inspirations. First is gregorian chant and second evolving in last two years is islamic music, which both fascinates me. Other source of inspiration I see in architecture which I love to observe.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

I do not think about audience to much, the most importantly I want to please myself, but on the other hand I expect my works to be good fellows. I want them you could live with them, see them every day and find always something interesting about them. I remember one story when Mattise recount how he had Bonnard´s painting at home and that he admired how every day with different light the painting was changing and he still was finding something new about them. This seems to me as true mastery.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise/aesthetic?

To me was absolutely crucial my one year stay in Valencia, Spain where I moved after graduation. I heard stories from older colleagues how difficult is to continue working after leaving university and I did not want that, I did not want to stop painting. So I just moved there with my friend, we rented an old garage as a studio and apartment in one and we just do nothing else than swimming in the sea and painting. It was all pretty romantic idea to live like that, but it paid off. I am coming from country where there is not to much sun, so full experience of that wonderful light and colors all around was truly liberating. I learned a lot there and my style has changed. I stopped thinking more about literal meaning of my paintings and found huge freedom in abstract approach toward painting. That year it was really a game changer for me.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I am usually starting from unsure idea, something I saw or some idea which had appeared in previus work. I start painting but there is usually that crutial moment when it all fails and I must reconsider my vision of the painting, destroy it somehow and start again. Per Kirkeby calls it “Build upon ruins” and that is actually exactly what I feel. The paintings of mine which I like the most are usually ones which I had to destroy in some moment and recreate something new upon their ruins.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

Untitled 1 – Behind this painting there is my journey to Jordan. I admire sensual richness of middle and far east. This collection of painting was directly inspired by wondering around the city of Amman, its rectangular architecture which can resemble the hive conglomerate and in all that regular structures you can always see “hand it was made by”. It is about periodical structure which is also subversive at the same time.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

Right now I am in Miami for artist residency, so I hope it will have new impact for my work, that I will surprise myself which is always the best moment. After my coming back home I expect to do few of sculptures as well, so lets see what it will bring 😉

Posted on by Martha Zmpounou

In the Studio with Martha Zmpounou

In the studio with Greek visual artist Martha Zmpounou, whose work revolves around the idea of the human figure and portrait as a space of expression and exposure. We met with Martha to tell us more about growing up by the sea, her strongest sources of inspiration, and what Martha hopes to explore in the future.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I started painting and drawing as a child and haven’t stopped since then. I think it was during the later years of my studies at the fine art school when I began seeing myself as a committed full-time artist for life.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I grew up in Greece, where I am from. A good part of my childhood years was spent near the sea on an island, where I enjoyed the freedom to play out in the fields and in the water. Yet drawing and painting have always been my main theme since I remember myself.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work?

I joined a foundation school to prepare for the fine art school’s entry exams. Looking back, those months may well have been pivotal to my growth as an artist and all that what was coming. It was an intense period of time, very formative in many ways.

What’s the message of your work? Where do they come from?

I tend to relate to and develop my works and groups of works, through certain ideas/themes/concepts. The central one, the most defining one over the last decade, has been the human body. The multitude of its potential mutations, transformations, the body as canvas, the body as a space of and for expression. I would say that most of my recent work revolves around the idea of the human figure and the portrait as a space of expression and exposure. I see the human body as a fragmented yet multifaceted entity, an outcome of a process of layering.

Regarding my work’s aesthetic, it happens near the periphery of the figurative, seeking a balance between abstraction and representation, seduction and repulsion. I often create mixed media works by blending diverse techniques, attempting to convey a sense of ever-changing identity – a person layered, fragmented, in flux. I am really interested in this fragile/dynamic balance between abstraction and representation, and I am drawn towards the incomplete and incoherent, the fragmentary and the cryptic.

Who & what are your greatest influences?

There is a long list of names (painters etc) mostly from Bacon and onwards. If I had to single out a few, it’d be Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Marlene Dumas…

An unexpected source of inspiration?

David Lynch! Is it unexpected, I wonder? He has been very inspiring and influential for at least two generations of artists, outside cinema too, so it may not come as a surprise I catch myself referring to some of his scenes, or more often to a certain narrative quality and aura in his spaces and scenes.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

Regarding the second part of your question, I certainly do not and I cannot see myself ever doing it in the future either. But I do value audiences/people who approach my work one way or another and I care about the reception and impact it might have. It is calming to know that this impact is beyond my control, and I am happy to see different people identifying different things and qualities in my work through different lenses and angles. I guess it would be encouraging to see people relating and valuing the very identity and character of your work, whether it is narrative or painterly qualities, or the visual articulation of a concept.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practice How has your art evolved?

Moving to London back in 2009 has helped me further push my creative boundaries and challenge myself, at times even defying my academic roots to explore areas outside my comfort zone. It also allowed me to connect with several different, incredibly talented artists.

When it comes to experimentation, it is an important part of my artistic process. I often feel that I may be experimenting more than I should. Perhaps that explains why I sometimes develop different diverse groups of works.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

In my work chance breeds intention. There is always an element of surprise and a sense of apparent randomness, which are important to my process, along with more controlled experimentations and explorations on the possibilities of my media. I tend to embrace unexpected accidents that happen during the process and let them inform/become my work. Besides describing my process, this also outlines the conditions for creating works that are truthful to my very intensions and visions.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

The strongest source of inspiration for these works has been people around me, friends or people I briefly meet; expressions, emotions or fragments of thoughts, as I see them or think I see them being transformed into expressions, postures, moves, or whole personas. It is these characters, real or imaginary, that inspire me and almost guide me artistically.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I am currently returning to canvas after a decade of working exclusively on paper surfaces. I am of those visual artists who rely a lot on and play with different surfaces and their attributes, seeking to maintain a layered and borderline destabilizing relationship with my media then see what this dynamic brings and leads to. I am also exploring new themes of work, such as narrative environments enabled by the human body. I am also currently in the process of completing a couple of series of works that I’ve been working on in the last 2 years. At the same time, I am on the verge of opening a new chapter in my work, with a couple of new collaborations, and exciting projects coming up.

Posted on by Zahra Shahcheraghi

In the Studio with Zahra Shahcheraghi

In the studio with Zahra Shahcheraghi, a contemporary visual artist whose abstracted works explore themes of figuration and the human body. We met with Zahra to tell us more about growing up in the the suburbs of Iran, her greatest influences, and Zahra's motivations in the arts.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I am Iranian, originally from Shiraz. I was lucky being born into a family that was always a motivator of the arts. My parents never let religious beliefs become an obstacle against my choice.

What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work?

Being the last child gave me an excellent chance to know different aspects of my character. I remember public bathrooms with Safavid architecture and rooms with high and dark ceilings in which white naked faithful women left my questions answerless. Since then, my painting subjects unconsciously were vague images of women in the bathroom . Some of them are memorable images from my past which were not real and made up in my mind. In my point of view today, my works have become more abstract and figurative in form. Since my high school teacher helped me reveal a talent I found in painting, I understood how much I loved it. Since then, I went to drawing classes purposefully and seriously; helping me in the path of the arts.

What are your greatest influences and source of inspiration?

When my paintings were exhibited in my country, they took me as an influencer artist. I think this made me take my steps more seriously in the path of my target. Perhaps my paintings are a cry against suppression caused by the hijab which government dictated to women of my country. Although I was brought up freely, there was a mandatory hijab which I was made to obey. In spite of limitations and bitterness, I chose my country that gave me a sense of identity. I remember an influencer artist, Hossein Cheraghchi , my master who helped me significantly to improve my perspective and reading. William de Kooning’s work also made me courageous to paint freely.

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

It is interesting for me that audience pay more attention to elements and the way I think. In my paintings, regardless of geographical and historical locations, each moment of my life I feel I am in my real free self. I paint with my feelings and I am continually completing and searching for elements of my paintings away from the orientation of external factors. When an artwork is finished for me, I can see the right composition in it by my own definition.

Posted on by Manuel Bisson

In the Studio with Manuel Bisson

In the studio with Manuel Bisson whose practice focuses whose practice explores a mix of abstraction and neo-surrealism or something in between. We met with Manuel to tell us more about growing up in the the suburbs of Montreal, their greatest influences, and Manuel's unexpected sources of inspiration.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I was in my early twenties and I was hanging out with street gangs back then, with no plan of any future in my mind. Then I decided to get a job. That’s where I met my best friend. She was studying at university and it inspired me to do the same, so I enrolled myself in a visual arts program and knew instantly that it was what I wanna do in life.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I come from a suburb called Laval, not really far from the big city of Montreal. So my playground was parted in two, I was shuffling between these two places. I quit school when i was 15 years old, that’s when i started to hang out with street gangs. I think that maybe it tinted my work, much at the beginning, when i used a lot of spray paint. That reminds me of the world of grafs and tags from which I came from.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. What inspired you to first pursue, and then continue to practice, artistic work?

At the beginning, I was trying to eject myself from the streets, where I was such a delinquent, I was trying to reach for a better life. I tried art and that was it, it was the only thing that was keeping my mind busy and focused on positive things. That was the debut of a new era for me, I left everything behind.

What’s the message of your work? How would you describe your aesthetic?

I mostly do abstract painting, what that leaves much to interpretation, and i like it. But since a few years, i started to add a pinch of figurative in my work. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic or what, but maybe I feel that I have to add some kind of a narrative speech. I love landscapes, I love mysteries, I love surrealism. Maybe I’m doing a mix of abstraction and neo surrealism or something in between.

Who/what are your greatest influences?

At the very beginning, what I liked the most was the architectural aspect in art, like the Bauhaus school. It’s still there, but in a different way. What I like now about what influences me first is the organization behind the architecture. I left the straight lines behind but my paintings are really organized.

An unexpected source of inspiration?

Everyday life, isolated details, sounds, light, plant world…

What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

Not really. When I’m painting, nothing else matters, it’s like a vortex and I love that sensation. But yes, when I take a distance from work, I ask myself what others can see through it. Can the painting speak by it self ? Does it have to say something ? Well sometimes yes and sometimes no. I like to think that art doesn’t have to serve something. I like to leave a blurry sensation.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise/aesthetic? How has your art evolved? Do you experiment?

Yes, I experiment a lot, I think that is what keeps me creative and daring. I really have to try different things frequently because otherwise I get bored. And like i said before, the pandemic was a good time for trying things, time was stretched and everything feels like an eternity.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

I don’t think that we can decide when is a good moment, but i love to be alone very early and on a rainy day at my studio, it feels like everything is possible. And some other times, I run in the studio for a couple of hours only and everything takes its place really quickly, and then I have a good piece.

Tell us about the inspiration behind one of your works?

For example, all the series of The Games We Play evoke the way we interact with one another ; the things we hide or display to other people’s view. It’s an analogy between game board and social behavior.

Something in the future you hope to explore?

I want to go further on everything that is blurred. I love it when I’m in front of an art piece and that it’s hard to figure out the meaning.