What is your education in the field of art? Have you always wanted to become a painter?
I have been creating since I was a child, I painted and wrote a lot of songs, but I never saw it as a profession. As a kid, I wanted to be a vet or a TV presenter. Somewhere towards the end of primary school, I started attending an art course and then set out on this path. I first attended an art high school where I acquired most of my painting skills, later I completed my architecture studies where we also had some drawing and painting subjects. After graduating, I attended different workshops and educational programs with various mentors.
What does art mean to you? Do you see yourself as an artist?
I’ve never seen myself under the expression “Artist” because I believe that everyone is an artist in their own way, maybe not on canvas, but whatever someone does from their heart, it’s a piece of art to them. I am interested in many different things and I like to combine them, so this title would describe me too harshly.
Art is not just a painting on the wall, art is everything around us, nature itself is art, every tiny leaf, if we observe it closely, is art. Each person is art itself because each human is a completely unique creation of the universe. Without art, the world would be truly barren, everything would be the same, generic, grey cars, notebooks, food, furniture, grey people. Art is theatre, is music, are stories, dance, play, is the thought process, is an invention, is ingenuity, what would we do without all this? We would die.
I recently read one quote that I really liked: “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see” James Baldwin
You are not only making others aware, but you are also making yourself aware. You can’t give to others, what you didn’t experience. If you do not value something, you cannot present its value to someone. If you don’t really understand, you can’t explain it to someone in a way that this person will understand. When you truly know and you’re aware, you can pass the message. And this can be done through art.
What is the gift of art and creativeness for you?
Over the years, I’ve come to realize primarily that painting is not technical knowledge of how to paint something, but rather a feeling. Painting is the feeling you put on the canvas. Painting is a process, your own personal process from a white canvas to colours, images, shapes and a visual message. The more you feel yourself, know yourself, the clearer is your vision of life, your values, the more you can put to the painting. As you build yourself, your point of view, gain the clarity of who you are, your painting will start radiating all that abundance and this will be felt by others too.
Being creative is a wonderful process of knowing yourself. For me, painting has become falling in love with me, not in some selfish sense, but to get to know me, my parts, light and shadow, you learn to accept and love them. After years of painting, I’ve come to a stage where I really feel love towards my paintings and every time I come home and see a painting on the wall, it makes me happy. It reminds me of the feelings I experienced, the path I walked with a specific canvas, the insights I gained, how I found my way forward through all the confusing phases when I was stuck and everything was getting on my nerves. You become stronger, you see that you can finish a painting, all the obstacles you overcome through the creative process, give you more confidence elsewhere, in other areas of life.
If you continuously create is great because over the years you can see where you’ve been and where you’re now. It’s like a photo album of your personal development, represented through art. When you can see this perception of yourself, through years of creating art, connect to each painting energetically, feel exactly where you were when it was created, what was happening, what you’ve learned, you feel like you’ve lived countless lives. You feel proud of yourself and who you’ve become.
How has your art style changed over time?
At first, my painting reflected what I was taught at school. I learned various techniques, tried all possible materials from glass to paper. Above all, I mastered shading and 3d painting and initially followed a more photo-realistic style. I later realized that I prefer the impression given by a painting rather than the level of perfection of repeating something I see live.
For several years, I’ve practised different styles, studied other artists, and tried to incorporate into my work what I liked. During this period, I began to incorporate texture quite a bit into my work, which became one feature of my paintings.
I made the biggest change in my style in the years 2016 and 2017. I did an extensive intuitive painting workshop and completely changed the painting process. I also did a lot of self-work during this period and everything kind of clicked together. I started to feel I have my own art style and my base technique stayed the same till this day.
How would you explain the role or value of an artwork?
Each artwork radiates the energy that was given into it. If I paint an art piece with the intention of developing more self-love, I write loving words, affirmations, shapes, use motifs in the energy that communicates self-love, the painting will also consist of this vibration. This painting can make someone cry, another person can feel complete joy, someone else can have resistance towards it, some people can’t even notice this art. The level of self-love a person cultivates towards himself will reflect the feeling around this artwork. Every time we pass by an art piece, we absorb the energy which it contains. Every time we connect to this energy, it evokes a feeling in us. The more we practice art, the more sensible we become.
Painting works therapeutically as well as buying a painting and looking at it several times a day. If we make it ourselves, we will put our own intention into it or our problem, which we want to transform. Through painting, we can reach the desired level of love, consciousness, improve our vibe, melt the blockages, get insights. In case we buy it, we receive what is already in the artwork and experience the process of transformation or expressing stuck feelings, because of the presence of the art. If, for example, evokes in you feelings of sadness and makes you cry, you clear one layer of something sad that was stored in you, the artwork can be a stimulus to some personal process and can support you in growth, it is an invitation to a higher state of consciousness. We align the vibration of the artwork and our vibration. This is sometimes hard to understand. It sure was for me, for a long time! Until I experienced the process a few times on my own skin and later with people who came in contact with my art and had really emotional reactions.
That is why it is important what we choose and put into our home, what kind of music we listen to, what kind of information we consume, the company we pick. All this puts us on a certain level of thinking, feeling, acting.
How do you make your paintings?
My paintings are characterized by having many layers, each layer has its own story. Some layers are just texture, then different colour combinations, some layers are text, marks and prints, as well as purely spontaneous doodles. In most cases, I use the process of intuitive painting, except for mandalas, which demand an “architectural” approach, because you have to carefully plan the individual parts so that everything is symmetrical and gives appropriate effect.
In practice, this looks like this:
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Where do you find inspiration?
I am inspired by external things: nature, flowers, other artists, architecture, psychology, books, people, beautiful places, experiences.
The other thing that I think is really important is that you inspire yourself. People often think if you are an artist that you can make art all the time and that ideas just come to you. This is not the case at all. Art is just one thing you have a talent for, but if you do not have a balance in other areas of life, then you do not have the inspiration to paint and create.
Good relationships with other people, fulfilling friendships, quality love life, care for your physical and mental condition, healthy body, stable financial situation, good social life, living in a beautiful and healthy environment, enough rest, … everything affects your inspiration. You need to live a quality life and inspire yourself by living it. Your inner and outer world needs to be nurtured.
Which are your favourite artists?
Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet, Heather Day, Laura Horn, Jessica Wats, Coco Davez, Hulya Ozdemir and many others 🙂
What do others say about your paintings?
The painting itself does not have as much value as all the packaged feelings within it. And people feel it, art connects you to others on a subtle level that we don’t even understand. For this reason, I often get a question “Are your paintings energetic?”.
Some find it easier to read the description of the painting, while others feel it from afar. People tell me that they feel happy or inspired, some feel goosebumps, sometimes a painting gives them a good cry and I understand why. I recognize the experience in person in connection to my own experience of the painting process of a specific artwork.
Through painting, you connect with clients who think similarly, engage in activities that you value yourself, you share yourself. Sometimes you also inspire someone to start making art. I think it’s wonderful!
There are some people who are only interested in whether you have an academic title and buy works of art to feel important, have some kind of recognition by others. I think if you have only a title, it’s not enough, your art must somehow move something inside of a person.
The most common question you get is …?
“How long does it take to finish a painting?” I almost never measure time because it’s impossible. One day I can paint for 15 minutes, another day for 12 hours. If I’d be worried about time, then I’d miss the essence of painting, timeless feeling. Sometimes you feel like you’ve been painting all day, but it’s been 2 hours, time is literally stretching. On other occasions, I paint for 5 hours, and can’t stop, then my stomach reminds me it’s time to finish and get some food.
How do you set prices for your art?
Hard! At first, I did pricing based on the size, colour and time I spent making it. Later I realized that the value of the painting is in the process itself, in the feelings I put into it, in the size of my progress – who I was at the beginning of painting and who am I at the end. Somehow, I would say that the price of an artwork is a combination of costs, mileage and acquired knowledge, a sense of self-worth and awareness of the contribution of the art to one’s life.
In the beginning, it is best to check the pricing of other creatives, later on, you can evaluate your work more naturally.
Do you make a living as an artist?
No. It’s a side thing, otherwise, I’m a graphic designer, always seeking new projects. It’s my wish to do art for a living but combined with other activities. Most of all, I want to spread knowledge about art in connection with its therapeutic effect. I am currently finishing level 1 of Fractal Drawing Method education, which is one of the art therapeutic methods.
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