IN MY HEART, OIL IS NOT JUST A TECHNIQUE – IT IS A PASSION, IT IS LOVE
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ana Arsinca for the “Propagarta” magazine, where I shared my artistic journey and inspirations. Explore the depths of my creative universe, where nature and feminine presences intertwine, and discover the emotions I strive to convey through my art.
Read the full article (Romanian version) on propagarta.ro and immerse yourself in the world of my paintings:
Your creative universe welcomes us with birds, deer, female portraits, self-portraits and flowers, subjects repeated in almost all your works, either represented individually or combined, in a realistic manner, with surrealist accents. Where did the interest in nature that you put into your works start?
First of all, thank you very much for this interview. My interest in nature started in childhood. Growing up in a small town, surrounded by nature and spending my holidays in a village with my grandparents, on the hills, and in the flower garden, I loved nature and all its beautiful universe as a child. In recent years, the bird has become an ever-present subject in my works, along with my own “flight from the nest” and landing in Spain. Here, I had the joy of having thirty swallows on the terrace, which instilled my passion for birds and inspired me to paint them. The subjects I translate on canvas are always closely related to the place where I live and my personal experiences.
In your works we find many female presences, some of them even being self-portraits. What place does man occupy in your creation?
Human nature is essential in my work. By representing female presences I aim to convey emotion, experiences and perspectives that are uniquely female, and self-portraits help me express myself, know myself and be more connected to myself. At the moment, as a female artist, it seems to me that I can express the emotion, the state or the experience that I feel much more easily than through male presence. In the last seven years, I have painted only one work with a male presence, which I have in my house and which I have not shown to anyone. I am interested in human nature, and the femininity found in my works is a reflection of the emotions experienced through it.
Looking at your works, the elements of reality you represent have often made me think of symbols. How do you start a work? Do you go from the outside to the symbol, from the symbol to the outside, or do you pursue the union of the two?
I like to create stories through my works and symbols help me convey them. It is important for me that the viewer feels emotion through my art, to invite him to another world, to make him ask questions and see a story, which may be different from mine. When I start a work I always go from inside myself to the outside and the symbol. Sometimes I place my colors on the palette and enter into a kind of magical ritual where I paint what I feel without thinking, I try to download the emotion on the canvas and then I build the work by adding symbols, and characters.
Other times I know what story I want to tell through the painting and then I start with a quick sketch that I transfer to the canvas. Often the initial draft can be very different from the final work, but I think that’s the beauty of the creative process.
On your Instagram we see pictures of works, but also a “zoom out” that includes parts of your art studio. What does the studio mean to you? How do you see the artist-studio relationship?
The studio means a lot to me, it’s my favourite place where I feel the happiest, new ideas, paintings, and emotions are born here. This is where I look for myself and find myself. Here, there are questions, experiences, struggles, answers, or unanswered questions.
I am lucky and blessed to have a generous workshop, a dedicated space where I come every day to create, and which helps me to work on a large scale, which I could not do before due to lack of space. I think it’s very important for an artist to have a dedicated space to create. My art studio is not only in the physical space where I work, but also in nature or my heart. Inspiration can find me at the easel, and if it finds me in another space, I make sure to put it in the sketchbook and bring it with me to the studio.
You have been living in Spain for several years. How do you think your art would have looked if you had stayed in Romania?
Every place I’ve been has definitely influenced my art. Here in Spain my works have become freer. Here I felt a strong connection with the universe of birds and I was inspired by all the beauty that surrounds me. I have transposed the light, the vivid colors, the nature and the plants on the canvas, but also the emotions and personal experiences that I experienced here. I don’t know how my art would have looked if I had stayed in Romania, nor what subjects and techniques I would have turned to, but while I lived in Bucharest I worked on a whole series of characters without a human face, composed of the elements of nature. It was probably my way of showing my attachment to a world of nature, lost or hidden in the noisy world of the city. I can say, thus, that I have always looked at the same star, from the different places and perspectives reached in my journey.
What are you preparing for this year?
While I haven’t finalized all of my plans for 2023 yet, I’m excited to announce that I have a number of big events coming up this month. First of all, I will have a duo show in Asturias, which runs from May 12th to July 12th. This exhibition, entitled “Pulsion Animal”, is a collaboration with the artist Maria Cobas, together with the curator of the exhibition Juan Llano Barbolla, and will take place at the Espacio Liquido, art gallery in Gijón.
Afterwards, I will participate in a group exhibition in Madrid, organized by Sofia Urbina & Baluarte. The exhibition, entitled “Identity”, will feature both emerging and established artists and will take place from May 18 to June 18 at Alberto Bosh 11. And at the end of the month, “The Charmer”, a work that is very dear to me , will be part of the “Postwar and Contemporary Art Auction. Anniversary auction no. 500 (part II)”, within the Artmark auction house. It is an honor and a fantastic opportunity to be part of such an important event, which marks 500 auctions held in the Romanian art market.
