Hello Dear Lena Goral. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first
question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art and what is your expectation for the year
ahead of us?

“Covid-19” didn´t affect my art that much. See, I am already spending my time with dark
subjects, so death is always my companion somehow. And I have always enjoyed my own
company, especially on long walk where I am usually totally lost in my thoughts. But even I
had to fight a lot against the depression from which I suffered as a teenager and young adult
and which still tries to enshroud me again when I am vulnerable. And the long lock-downs
made me vulnerable because of a lot which happened to me in my working and private life.
I think it´s better not to expect that much from 2022. I will light up the path ahead from me
step by step and see where this journey will take me.



What is your creative process like? Has your style changed over the years?

It always starts in an idea in my mind which can be either something I developed step by step
or a spontaneous spark. It often happens when I see an expression, perspective or just a
certain kind of lighting which I find interesting. The next step is a rough sketch on a separate
paper. Sometimes I have to do a lot of changes until I´m satisfied with the result and if I make
a mistake on the final paper, I don´t have to start completely from zero.

I would definitely say yes. In my teenage years I used to draw a lot of colorful manga and
cartoon stuff – which is absolutely not my taste anymore. When I look back through the
years, I would say the horrors in my art have become more subtle – and definitely darker.



What was the most memorable response you had for your work?

Somebody on Instagram told me once that she can´t say if I received my talent from God or
from the Devil. Well, I don´t know it either. I am the only full-time artist in my family and I
don´t know about any artist ancestors. Whoever gave me this talent, he must have had a
plan with me because a lot of pictures in my head are suddenly appearing from nowhere and
I can´t explain where they´re coming from. This must be fantastic for an artist you might
think. Yes, it is. Mostly. But a too vivid imagination can be a curse too. Sometimes it ends in
incredibly real nightmares which even follow me when I wake up in my bed. I´ve learned to
embrace and use them as an inspiration for my art, but I still can´t say where these pictures
are coming from.



You have been influenced a lot from the area you have been living. What was the first idea
that you decide to turn it into an artwork?

The sky on a stormy or foggy day! If you ever have visited Northern Germany, you have
noticed the mostly flat or hilly countryside. And when you´re standing on a field and seeing a
big, dark grey or almost black cloudbank racing towards you – it always impresses me so
much. Or when you´re having a walk on a foggy day – the world seems to become more and
more unreal, it seems to be dissolving into the grey sky...I am still practicing to capture the
special atmosphere in my illustrations.



What was the most challenging project that you worked on?

The short illustrated story I created for my senior thesis at my art school two years ago. İt
was a short story about a haunted house, written in short diary entries, newspaper articles,
police reports and testimonies. I had to capture the specific language for all these different
kinds of texts, but it was a lot of fun since I love writing. The illustrations were done in ink,
but I edited them in Photoshop to gave them a look of some old photos you might find after
years on a dusty attic. This was definitely a challenge for me since I usually don´t work
digitally and I had to search for some fitting tutorials.



Since you enjoy ghost stories and thrillers, do you have anything in your mind that you
would like to make an artwork completely based on it? And it would be great to hear why
you would pick that specific one.

Oh yes! I started to create some illustrations for my favorite German mystery thriller radio
play series besides my other projects. I´m so in love with the series for the story, the
characters and the great soundtrack! In the whole series it is barely told how the characters
look like and I couldn´t find any artwork of them (neither official nor fanart). It makes me so
happy to be able to finally give them a face! My favorite voice actor has the role as my
favorite character in this series, perhaps he will see my version of the character someday,
who knows…?



What advice would you give to your younger self?

Follow your dreams, even if everybody is telling you to enter a “real” profession! I was always
told that I can´t make a living from art. This is the reason why I was a mostly self-taught
amateur artist for a very long time and I started with my illustration studies only in my late
twenties. I would still say it´s a hard job and it requires a lot of initiative of your own, but I
love it and I don´t want to work as anything else.



Anything else you would like to mention or add for the readers?

In conclusion I want to give this advice to all artists: Create what YOU like! Tell YOUR stories,
don´t follow any trends. Whenever I´m flickering through art on social media I notice that a
lot of art always looks the same in always the same popular styles and subjects. It bores me.
Also, the number of likes and followers doesn´t say anything about the quality of an artwork.
I stopped caring about what others might think about my art for so long now and it really
takes the pressure of pleasing everybody away from me. I wouldn´t be the artist which I am
now if I would have listened to everybody saying “Stop drawing this” or “You could be so
popular if you would draw XY instead of your stuff“.

Thank you for your time!


Personal Links;

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/lena_goral_art/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lena.goral.fairytales/

Hello Dear Desiree Ruiz. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first
question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art and what is your expectation for the year
ahead of us?

I wasn’t a full-time artist prior Covid. I was involved in the art industry as an art
consultant/advisor working at art galleries in Central Florida. Been constantly surrounded by
artists and art motivated me to reconnect with that part of myself that had not painted for
years. I would paint here and there, but not consistently. Covid made me lose my day job, or
so they would say, leaving me unemployed for months. I took advantage of the free time I
had in my hands, and I just painted almost every day.

After months of been basically self-employed, focusing on my art, I was finally able to land
another job in the work force, again as an art consultant. However, this new job was solely
commission based. I had to hustle to represent and sell other artists’ works. It was insanely
stressful, exhausting, and frustrating when sales didn’t even happen. No matter the hard
work I was putting into it, at the end of the day, if I didn’t make any sales, I simply wasn’t
getting paid. It made me question myself. I felt like I was wasting my time, struggling to sell
other artists’ works when I could be doing all this for my own work and for my own career
instead.

In 2020, precisely during Covid, I started exhibiting my work at art galleries, museums, at the
Orlando International Airport, and at festivals. Even artist PJ Svejda invited me to do monthly
pop-up exhibits and paint live at Studio Art Farm, her new art gallery in Mount Dora, Florida.
Not being in the work force due to the pandemic, allowed me to focus solely on art and in the
business aspect of it. Last year, I started participating as an art vendor at the Winter Garden
Farmers Market every Saturday. I even took it upon myself to organize and curate my first
solo show, “UNCERTAINTY REALMS, The Art of the Unknown”, single-handedly as an
independent artist.



Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?


It wasn’t planned. I kept doing it without thinking anything of it. Art wasn’t something new
to me. I had always pursued it even as a kid. Funny enough, what I did envision myself doing
as a career was fashion design, which I did go to college for, yet it wasn’t as accessible as art
is, especially here in Orlando. I did art and I kept doing it out of love and out of necessity
almost to my being. In my senior year of high school, I was in between choosing a bachelors
for visual arts or fashion design. I chose the latter truly because I never wanted to see art like
an obligation or a duty. I didn’t want to take away the enjoyment of it. In the future,
however, I do envision myself pursuing both fields by somehow combining art with fashion.



Could you describe your normal day as an artist?


I find myself wearing multiple hats throughout the day. Sometimes I feel like I’m managing
the business aspect of it all more than I am painting. I pay close attention to my engagement
with social media for marketing purposes while also keeping my website up to date with
fresh content. I could easily spend hours working on a painting. Once I’m done with it, I go
ahead and prepare all the marketing material for it, such as taking high quality pictures,
adding them to my website along with the story behind it, and drafting social media posts for
it.
I’ve been actively focusing on doing a Zodiac Sign Series as well as getting everything ready
to launch my first NFT collection with OpenSea.



You are fascinated by occult sciences. What was the first thing that made you curious
about this subject?


I had to take two art history courses in fashion school, one of them introduced me to
Romanticism. The art movement steered away from depicting what was perceived
superficially. Imagination, even spiritualism, played the lead role. Artistic expression was
relative to the mystery of nature, the search for answers, the mind’s capacities, the
representation and interpretation of dreams, the interest towards the mysteries of existence,
and the obsession towards otherworldly beings. I got obsessed with the principles of the
movement. To this day, I heavily relate with how its emphasis was upon using imagination as
a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth.
It’s fascination towards the strange and the marvelous, towards the dream world, divine
realms, and the occult still fuels my work to this day in some aspect or the other. An occult
science that’s also very present in my work is the study of crystals due to their metaphysical
symbolism. I believe crystals have a way of speaking to us. Funny enough, in my experience,
they always have something significant to say.
Whenever a crystal would call my attention and I wasn’t entirely sure why, I would always
research their meaning. They would always make me discover something about myself or my
life. Perhaps something I might have been subconsciously aware of. They truly have an
interesting way of bringing answers and clarity. That’s why you see so many crystals in most
of my work.
The Romantic art movement encouraged me to dive into spiritualism, tarot and oracle
readings, pendulum dowsing, and crystal healing; occult sciences that I incorporate in my
own art to this day.



What was the most challenging project that you worked on?


“UNCERTAINTY REALMS, The Art of the Unknown” was by far my most challenging project. It
was my first solo show, which I went ahead and organized all by myself without knowing the
first thing about planning an event, let alone about curating an art exhibition. I thought,
screw it, no art gallery wants to accept my solo exhibition proposals, so I’ll just do it on my
own. I’m one to believe that if nobody wants to give you an opportunity, you create and give
that opportunity to yourself. So I did. I single-handedly curated my first solo art show,
exhibiting over 42 original works of art.
I did a few venue walk-throughs to find the ideal place for my exhibition. Once I did, I set up a
date for the event four months in advance, and things started moving from there. And no, it
didn’t go smoothly at all. It was confusing and stressful, specially when I was seeking out
sponsors and media coverage to help me fund and promote the event. I did a whole pitch
deck along a press release, yet I had no luck in those aspects since my requests were either
ignored or rejected. So I had to do everything within my grasp to market and advertise the
exhibition by myself. I had to design and distribute the invitations and all the promotional
material. Thankfully, word of mouth played a huge role leading to the night of the show. The
amount of people that showed up exceeded my expectations. Of course, there’s always that
fear of people not showing up, so when the night came and people did... That made it all so
worth it. I had hired a DJ to play during the event, which was also phenomenal.
Even though it was one hell of a challenge, it was insanely fun to organize, specially when I
had to do a mock-up of how the paintings would be arranged on the walls and throughout
the venue. I still feel immense pride in knowing that I organized something that big without
experience, with very limited budget, without sponsorship, and without media coverage.



What do you like most about being an artist?


I love hearing people’s interpretations of my works. It’s fascinating. Sometimes they see
things I didn’t intend on purpose. I love when they get curious and they ask me about the
choices I made throughout the painting, especially when it comes to the subject matter and
the story behind it, which I’m big on. Storytelling is another thing I deeply enjoy about being
an artist. Almost every single painting I’ve done has some sort of narrative while some have
poems. It’s almost impossible for me not to give them a story and meaning.



What advice would you give to your younger self?


To keep going, regardless of what people say, regardless of how many times you get ignored
or rejected, regardless of whether people like your work or not. Keep going for yourself
because we both know that you’re always gonna find yourself doing art professionally or out
of pleasure.



Anything else you would like to mention or add for the readers?


I dived into the art world not knowing beforehand it could be a possibility. It just happened.
I’ve said it before and I will always say it to the artists I meet along the way: “don’t wait for
others to give you opportunities. Create them for yourself. Work with the resources that you
have. It’s possible. Everything is. If you’ve always been wanting to have a solo show yet never
have been able to because nobody is willing to trust in your work and invest their time in your
career, do it yourself, and yes, without an art gallery. It’s one of the most empowering things
I’ve ever done and I’m sure it will be for you too. Best thing yet, whenever your work sells, the
commission is a 100% yours.”




Website & Shop

www.DESIREERUIZV.com


Social Media:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/desiree_ruizv?utm_medium=copy_link

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/DesireeRuizV/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/desireeruizv

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Desireeruizv

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCC6j1lYsh0PT3yMbr4YImNQ

Hello Dear Camille Theodet. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art and what is your expectation for the year ahead of us?

The Covid-19 outbreak was of course touching me as much as everyone else, but I have simply learned to live with it. The fact that I had, and still have to do home office in Berlin with my side job, changed the way I am also creating and approaching art. Simply, I am not spending so much time in the public transports anymore, and can focus way more easily on my own work. Since my work studio is also my living place, I don’t have as much distractions as before and I actually feel way more into what I am currently doing, and I am really producing a lot lately.
For the coming year, I just want to produce as much as I can, be happy with what I do, and of course, show as much as possible my work in galleries.



What is your creative process like? How has your style changed over the years?

Since my work is based on art history paintings, I always start by just looking at a lot of art. Most of the time, the idea comes almost instantly when I see one painting: I imagine the story, what it makes me think about, if it makes me laugh. I then do sometimes some very simple sketches, to give me a general idea of where I am going. Then, I just start the painting itself.
I was before really putting a lot of work in preliminary sketches, which I don’t do that much anymore, or in a very simple way. I am trying to give more space for my instinct, and do something only if I really feel it good in my guts.
 
 

You like to use masks on your works and in your words this is to “show what is deep inside the human that had to be hidden before”. Can you tell our readers how did you come up with the idea and about your inspiration?

The inspiration comes mostly from the BDSM world. Living in Berlin, BDSM is a developped culture, as much privately as in the underground and club culture. This is something that fascinates me, as much for the aesthetic point of view as for the psychological.
Wear a mask, especially a fetish one, is made to, in my opinion, not only “hide” your face, but give you a new identity: the one that you do not show in public, in your everyday life. This lifestyle is used to show what is deep inside you, what you like really deep inside you. There are a lot of codes in this universe, and a first glance at one BDSM aesthetic can give you a lot of informations about a person, informations that can be very sensitive, at the same time extremely strong and fragile.
In my work, I am using this aesthetic to show something else, that I could imagine is hidden inside this person who was portraited. At the time the painting was made, the main purpose was to show someone in the best way possible, politically correct, that can please anyone. My main purpose is to break that down, in a way that simply show them as it would never have been back then, by mixing the codes of the time and my own of today.



What was the most challenging project that you worked on?

I am always trying to push myself as much as I can everytime I start a new painting. I guess each painting is a challenge in itself, as I am extremely perfectionist. Therefore, the struggle never ends!
Otherwise, I have to say that every new vernissage I participate is also a real challenge, but an interesting one, that I can’t wait to continue!



You have been to a school of special effects make-up. Can you tell us what lead you into painting and drawing instead of other mediums?

Actually, it is thanks to this make-up school that I have discovered the airbrush (and I am still using the same from back then today!”). However, I have done before fine art school, and drawing and painting has always been my prefered mediums. I guess I just could not fight that, like a natural instinct.



What has been your greatest artistic success?

Every time I am invited to a show is a real success to me. Of course, it is even better when I sell!
My own personal success is also when I can paint what I really want, and feel really happy about it, which is something really hard to achieve for me.
 

 
What advice would you give to your younger self?

Never stop to work, trust in yourself, and believe in your art.



Anything else you would like to mention or add for the readers?

Continue to watch art, and don’t hesitate to support the artists your like! We all really need it, and its thanks to art lovers that we can do what we love and amaze people.
 

Thank you for your time!


https://www.instagram.com/camille_theodet.art/

https://camilletheodet.wixsite.com/camilletheodet



http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Hello Dear Rossella Paolini. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?


Hi, thank you for this opportunity, it's nice to talk about my artistic passion, now my full time job too!

Unfortunately,the 2020 lockdown penalized live exhibitions. I was unable to do a solo show in my city and various live shows in the United States, but my creativity was not affected, quite the opposite!
Painting for me is like meditating, I connect with the most intimate part of my being, the intuitions flow through my brush and are transformed on the canvas.
Creating fantastic worlds is very fulfilling for me and keeps me away from bad thoughts!


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?


Certainly, with pleasure. I have always drawn since I was a child and as a girl I started painting in oils by attending private courses with a teacher.
I have participated in many group exhibitions in my area and I have organized several on the theme of fantasy, I continued to attend painting courses where I learned various techniques: acrylic, airbrush, watercolor and etching.
In 2010, however, a new and enchanted path opened up for me ... that of illustration for children and from that moment my style has changed.

In 2014 I did a solo show "Dolls" with my new surrealist pop style, it was a success! So I decided to dedicate myself only to art and to turn my passion into a job!


What is your background as an artist?


As a child I was in love with fairy tales, especially with enchanted and detailed illustrations, I spent hours and hours contemplating them. I loved Walt Disney animated films but also science fiction films, historical ones and those full of witches, dragons and other supernatural characters. Dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt have always fascinated me,
my first painting exhibition in 1988 represented these themes, and I believe they are not very different now!

Is there anything you do today that you wish you had known years ago?


I would say no! All things come at the right time!


We saw “pop surreal” interaction in your artworks. Can you talk a little bit about pop surreal art and how is affects on your art?


I love pop surrealism very much, there is a wonderful international community of artists who enchant me with their work and I am proud to be part of it.
I discovered this style with childhood illustration through two talented internationally renowned illustrators, their subjects are women and animals in surreal contexts and these are my favorite subjects in painting, what I liked most about pop surrealism are the proportions of the bodies which are the same used in the illustrations of children's books: large heads, small hands and huge eyes.


We saw a lot of characers named like “Saint Raphael, Saint Lucia, Saint Agata” in your artworks. Can you tell us more about why you choose the Saint names for your main theme?


I started the "Santibelli" collection in 2019 and I believe later to continue it by painting mainly female figures. I wouldn't mind doing a solo show one day.
The titles I have given represent real women who later became Saints and Archangels who are sometimes called Saints!
These characters have been part of sacred art for a long time
and their symbols: the caduceus for S. Raffaele and the eyes of S. Lucia are distinctive signs that represent them, I added my pop touch with spaceships, planets and galaxies.


What is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?


The mystery, the other dimensions, the unknown worlds, the characters that inhabit them, the fantastic world of fairy tales and legends. In any case, I try to paint the beauty of life and to give a little awe and wonder to those who look at my works.


What is your dream project?


Only one? There are at least three! Do a solo show in one of my favorite galleries, publish one of my children's book projects, illustrate a Tarot deck.


What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Rossella Paolini?


Certain! I am painting a Tarot card for a Minor Arcana themed exhibition to be held in January in an American gallery where I have already exhibited once.
I am thrilled with this theme that I love, I have chosen to portray the Queen of Cups.


Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?


Yes, only that I am grateful to be able to make art and to share it.


Thank you for your time!


It was a pleasure, thanks to you.

https://www.instagram.com/rossellapaoliniart/

rossellapaolini.wix.com/illustratrice

http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

 
Exclusive Interview with Natalie Ina
(Marvelous Art Gallery – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Natalie Ina. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

Hi! In the first words I would like to say that I'm very pleased that you are interested in my work.

Answering your question, I can say that over these two years, many events have happened in my life that have allowed me to develop professionally, but covid-19 has not had a direct impact on this. 

However, there have been changes within the creative community that, in my opinion, have affected every artist. Due to the events related to covid-19, a huge number of people who were not previously interested in art in the online environment began to take an active part. At the same time, those people who in the old days were interested in one or more narrow areas in art, revised their priorities and were able to turn to what they really like. Summing up, I will say that people simply began to spend more time in online, which could not but make their own adjustments.
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

I'm a person who has an individual vision and my own language of symbols (like every person). 
Art is the path from inner subconscious sensations to creative realization in physical embodiment.
My art is a reflection of the surrounding world inside me, which I implement in a visual way.
Since my youth, I understood that the world around me is imperfect, but there are details in it that are so beautiful that it seemed impossible not to pay attention to them. And I began to build my vision of the world from these details. Over time, I learned to preserve their image and transform them within the framework of my vision of beauty. And the more time I devoted to these metamorphoses, the more clear and thoughtful my "world of images" became. It seems to me that Creativity has chosen me and as a result has become for me not only a career, but also a direction of spiritual development.
 
What is your background as an artist? Do you remember when you first started photography?

My creative path began from childhood, when I tried to display aspects of the surrounding reality in a form that was accessible to me at that time (poems and drawings). This was followed by art education (Art School and Stroganov Academy of Arts and Industry), which allowed to obtain the technical basis for the implementation of creative ideas. Of the many techniques I mastered during my studies, painting turned out to be the closest to me, but the framework of realism that the teachers presented as the basis was too narrow for me, and after leaving I independently mastered the possibilities to go beyond these borders. 

I mastered the art of photography by myself, in parallel with my official education. And I realized that the methods used in these areas can complement each other.
 
There is a sense of emotional depth in your artwork. How do you go deep within yourself to create work that feels so intense?

In my opinion, immersion in oneself is a normal human condition. After all, we know the world around us through our own perception. Such a reflexive and empathic experience, with proper analysis, gives the necessary depth.

Those emotions, the reflection of which can be seen in my works, accompany me constantly. Analyzing this emotional background, it is possible to highlight details from it, that will fill my works with something alive. Yes, I look at the inner world through the same "optics" as the world around me. Also knowledge and experience allows me to act non-trivial. So, through my comprehension of experience, knowledge and the emotional components of my life, the depth you named is born on my works.
 
What is the most challenging part of being a photographer? And what challenges did early photographers face?

Even at the beginning of my creative career, I was faced with the problem of misunderstanding of my aspirations and creativity from the surrounding close to me at that time. In addition, I was faced with the problem of negativization of some themes in art by a wide audience. Those themes who were close to me and were reflected in my work. It was psychologically difficult to overcome it, but in the end, it only pushed me to go further and further on the way to my Star and create new works.

Also sometimes it becomes very difficult for me in my profession, when people come to me who are not ready to open up, who are consumerist to creativity, and on the set, it becomes very difficult for me when my gaze penetrates the concrete walls. They think that they will hide behind them from my sight, but they are not. Inside I see the dead waters, the rotting November leaves of old fears, hopes, all this pain that they don't want to look at, and the castle is crumbling, gradually, the beams and supports are falling down, but people don't see behind the myriad masks, they hope to hide until everything collapses...

When working on a photoshoot, a person's inner feelings and experiences are revealed like a book. It is very important to be on the same wavelength, trust and open up from both sides, only then we can embody something incredibly beautiful and deep.
 
We saw a lot of womens in your artworks. We want to talk about the “Womens” figure of yours. Can you tell us more about why you choose the womens for your main theme?

I would like to say right away that only the female image is not the basis of my creativity. I show those invisible at first glance human features that most reveal the inner beauty of a person. Those fragments in which you can see the reflection of her/his soul. The inner world of everyone is multifaceted and regardless of gender, there is something beautiful hidden in this world. Most of my works require special plasticity and body lines, inherent mainly in women, but not only. In addition, in the early stages of my creative career, my surrounding consisted mainly of girls, and I invited them as models. Than, when working through the images, I realized that for me as a woman, the female "body language" is closer and clearer. So it is easier for me to work with women. But this should not become a limitation, and among the projects I have planned, there are those in which a man plays a central role. But it is quite difficult to find a man of a suitable physique and psychological state for my shooting.
 
Which software do you use when editing images?

For the preliminary editing of photography, namely the creation of basic color correction, the selection of suitable color combinations, I use a Lightroom mobile. For full editing, including detailed color correction and retouching, I use Photoshop. It is very important for me to use the latest versions of programs in my work, because they are supplemented with new tools that can expand the range of creative possibilities.
 
What is your aesthetic, and how does it inspire you?
 
My aesthetic system has been formed for a long time and consists of the details of the surrounding world, which I mentioned earlier. Its components can be natural phenomena, both grandiose and not noticeable at first glance, elements of the human body, movements, sounds, light and much more. They can be gleaned from a variety of sources, from a walk in the woods to a video game. A special beauty that can become part of the image is hidden everywhere, it just need to see.
 
 
What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Natalie Ina?

There is a lot of work now, as well as always. Several projects are currently at different stages of readiness. Two series of photos are currently being in progress and I recently posted spoilers about one of them on Instagram. Another series made using the costume of a famous designer is almost ready for completion and it will be partially or completely published as part of the NFT project. In my opinion, this new direction in the art market is very promising, besides it is very important to keep up with the times. Work has been completed on a series of photography taken for the design of a new album by a wonderful musical artist Day Before Us. The album is scheduled for release next year. Also, I'm preparing material for my mini course on color correction. This is all just part of my current projects.
 
Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?

In conclusion, I would like to say that my creativity is not only a profession for me. This is my life. Each of my works contains a part of me. My art speaks by my voice to everyone who sees it. And in my opinion, creativity in general cannot be entertainment, it is backed by the lives of those people who, like me, saw their beauty in the world and decided to show it by creating something unique. In addition, this concept is multifaceted and can include unexpected at first glance manifestations in any field of activity. After all, many scientific discoveries were initially reflected in works of art. And your magazine, in my opinion, is also a wonderful creative project. By supporting authors with your publications, you create your own special artwork, and I'm grateful to you for your business.

Thank you for your time!
 
 
 https://www.instagram.com/natalieina.photography

https://www.behance.net/natalieina

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemirina/

https://vk.com/natalieinaart

https://www.patreon.com/natalieina

 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

 
Exclusive Interview with Bunga Van
(Marvelous Art Gallery – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Bunga Van. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

It affected it very much, I couldn't take any portraits in more than a year because the social distancing, I saw a lot of photographers and models taking photos via webcam, but I wasn't interested in doing something like that, for me that takes away a lot of the essence of a photo session so I preferred to wait.
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

Well, I started to get interested in photography in high school when I got my first camera, it was used mainly for my school projects but it was at university when I really learned the technical aspects and theory behind photography, after taking some other courses I started to take photos of everything that was surrounding me. I've always been a shy person, so one day I decided to start taking portrait photos to fight against that, and soon I realized that photography could express a lot of things I had in mind, at the beginning I just took "normal" portraits, but I think that with my personality it was matter of time for the creepy shots to come, and here I am.
 
 
Did you always want to be an artist? What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
 
Being a photographer was never on my plans, I studied an Advertising career and photography was only a Hobby, but it has become a more relevant part of my life. Besides my photo work I’m a freelancer publicist. I do a lot of things focused on graphic design, but creative writing is what I really enjoy.
 
 
We saw a lot of “dark” atmosphere in your artworks. We want to talk about these subject which we admire. Can you tell us more about why you choose the “dark theme” for your main theme?

I always have been attracted to dark and creepy things, I remember being about 6 years old and going to goth stores with my parents to buy all kind of "dark" accesories, and even custom made clothes. When I grew up, the darkness also grew inside me. I can't imagine expressing myself in other style, it’s my way for letting my feelings to manifest visually.
 
  
Do you have a network of other artists you rely on - and what do you do to support each other?
 
 I have met a lot of very talented artist and models, many of us are united by the joy of dark-ness, even though I feel there is some kind of division between groups trying to demonstrate who's more "dark than the others" and being too hermetic with their own projects, but be-sides that, I’m very happy with the people I had met, I know that all of us are willing to help with any project the other person have, and that kind of support is not only reduced within Photographers and models, I'm always sharing a lot of support with painters, drawers, writers, even from some youtubers and streamers from a lot of different countries that have become my friends and they believe in my work as I admire theirs, that's a big motivation for me. A lot of times I felt that strangers supported me more than my closest friends and that was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that new people are interested in what you do but at the same time people around you didn't even care, sometimes just a Like on Instagram from the correct person can mean a lot for small artist in general.
I wouldn't say that we are a defined group, but I have very clear who can I rely on and I totally trust their advices and artistic vision.
 
 
What are you working on at the moment?

I want to transition from natural light portraits to studio sessions, I have a lot of new ideas in mind that needs a place where I can control much more the environment and develop bigger concepts. I like to take pictures outside, but I will slowly change the way I've been working. Having my own studio space is something i'm looking forward.
 
Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?
 
I would like to conclude saying that don't just believe in yourself, everybody say you that, but believe in your friends too, believe in their projects and dreams. We can create wonderful things while living in the darkness, especially now that I think many people have gone through hard times.  Thank you for the space and the interview! I really appreciate it.
 
Thank you for your time!
 
 
 https://www.instagram.com/bunga.van/
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/
 

Exclusive Interview with Tanya Momi

(Marvelous Art Gallery – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Tanya Momi. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

Oh my gosh. I could take hours and hours to tell you how much covid effected me. Covid-19 was direct effect on my Full Service salon. We were shut down and not able to work and pay our bills. our shopping center is owned by a big corporation they want the rent to be paid in full. The unknown and the fear of getting covid. There was so much fear and depression and the news feed. Did not know what to do who to trust. Sitting at home watching news and the living in frustration. Feeling numb and did not know who to trust. The whole world was suffering. In united states we were safe and we're getting the help we needed. The other countries were just facing so much suffering. There was no end to the suffering going around the world. The peace of mind has gone away and was just stress and internal chaos. Who to trust who to talk too. It has been 2 years and we are still dealing with it. I have became more calm and collective. I simplify my life. I grateful i am more aware of my grounding. I have cut noice out of my life. I am watching each moment and giving back how i can give back to the world. what was building inside me true in Covid-19 series of arr. each painting touch the suffering and emotions of human beings. these 10 paintings came through me like giving birth to my pain and sorrow i saw and felt.
1. Breathe in Breathe out 2.remove the fuel hold the line 3.Heal me i’ll heal you. 4.Global Hunger 5. Give peace receive love 6.Dark day’s of covid-19 7. Think smart wear mask 8.Two years we lost 9. You mean the world to me 10. East west south north.
 
  
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

As a child i experience 3 wars with india and Pakistan. My grandmothers house was very close to the border. We had to leave our city and go to safe place. experience war as a child really effected me. I did not think there was any safe place to be on this earth. To find my escape i started to draw. I became numb inside. Only way to express was to draw. End up going to studio art.
 
  
What was the most challenging project that you worked on?

So far i have not worked on a challenge project. I only challenge my self. I paint what comes to me. i keep painting until i eww what i want to express. I feel blessed to have art as my gift and my best friend. My life struggles gave me story to paint.
 
  
Can you tell us what it was like to be a mother as an artist?

I got married and my Ex husband’s family did not support art. I did not paint for 22 years. I was very busy rising 2 kids and running my salon business full time. When I left my abuser. My friends and clients know i was a artist. They keep giving me art supplies. One X-mas Eve my friend Aruna called me and told me she is coming over with my X-mas gift in a van. When she arrived with a brand new easel for my gift. My life changed. Xmas early morning i put a table cloth on the carpet and started painting before the kids woke up I have painted 4 paintings. Kids were so surprise what was going on next to the X-mas tree.
  
 
We saw that you have donated your artworks to charities and non-profit organizations. What do you think is the role of the “artist” in society?

I think no one should ask for free art from artist. Artist should get paid and donate some to charity. How come these  high end Name brand companies don’t give back to the communities. Artist struggle to make ends meet. Artist don’t get enough support from people and communities. Art is a very challenging world very few artist reach the top. Wealthy artist can afford to give back. These high end jewelry handbags and clothing companies shopped give back more.
  
Can you tell us how art has affected your life?

Art has give voice to my struggles and sufferings. My own life was a quite challenging as a single mother I had to start my life from nothing. The world is cruel and very difficult. A single mother has to wear many hats. It is not a easy journey. Finically it is very challenging for a women.We don’t more money what men makes. Through art i am telling my own journey and empowering around the globe. My story empower other women. If I can leave my abuser so can you. I live my life for me not to impress people. I am very comfortable who I am and who I have become.
 
 
 You’ve been spoken at the “White House” about women empowerment and leadership. Can we talk a little bit about your speech and background story?
 
April 14th 2016 I was honored to speak at the White House in the Sikh leadership briefing for the Vaskhi, Quoting Guru Nanak Dev ji founder of Sikh religion, said “So Kyu Manda Aakhiye jit jamme Rajan". Men and women are equal  and therefore women cannot be considered socially or spiritually inferior. I talk about my story as a single mother spoke in the presence of 150 people and my Father Balbir singh Momi writer and journalist and my son and my daughter in the audience. It was very empowering moment for myself and my family.
 
  
What’s been your greatest artistic success?
  
My art been showing museums and galleries around the world. Next year I am traveling all over Europe to show case my art. how these place are finding my art and contacting me.I am keep producing new body of work. I am continue paint and show my art around the world. Leave a legacy of my art.
  
What advice would you give to your younger self?
 
Live in a moment and enjoy life and read lots of books and grasp as much knowledge you can. Don’t worry about people they don’t pay your bills. Keep life simple. Live in your means. Save for the old age. Learn to chill and enjoy the moment. Don’t worry too much. Be careful who you give your heart. Choose a right partner. Life is too short to be miserable. Make a difference in your and others life. Live your life the fullest. eat healthy sleep and exercise and mediate a lot. meditation is the biggest secret for life’s happiness.
 
  
Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?

Why art world is so difficult to make it?
Because its not a fair world. Because people with connections promoting their own people. The great artist don’t know how to sell and meet and promote themselves. They are left behind.

Why bad are sell?
The wrong people are promoting art. The true art appreciator are very rare. It’s a wrong people in field. May be one day the right people will come and only promote the true artist. My heart hurt when i see true artist not getting appreciated and they are doing other jobs to survive. The mediocre art is getting sold for hefty price.

Why great artist are still struggling? 
I can give name right on my fingers i have met them and i know these master artist. can’t make a living selling art. they are doing other jobs. they are true mater artist. so much creepy and edgy or nude art is selling. this kind of art has no meaning. Thea real art is hidden from selling.

Why craft is coming in to art? These poring art and crafting art is showing up so much?
All is paint poring gluing paper or pen art is selling in the art world. i call that art frat not art. Use that art for your own home don’t bring it out for sale.

Why women artist are getting the recognition they should get?
I paint 5 style of work. I don’t want to paint one style. I don’t want to known with one style artist. Like you one of my painting and all my 100 paintings looks the same. that is boring.I challenge myself I paint as a gifted artist not a copy artist. There is too much copy art out.

I appreciate for letting me express my honest thoughts. I wish you can understand and keep supporting me. I really thank you so much.
 
 
https://www.instagram.com/tanyamomi/


https://www.facebook.com/tanya.momi/

https://twitter.com/TanyaMomi

http://www.tanyamomi.com/

www.NUMUmuseumoflosgatos.org

https://indiacurrents.com/a-story-of-transnational-abandonment-how-priya-won-a-second-chance-at-her-american-dream/
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Exclusive Interview with Madison Stout 

(Marvelous Art Gallery – 2021)
 
Hello Dear Madison Stout. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

The Pandemic has affected my art for the better honestly. I was forced to stay home and paint more, which allowed me to explore myself artistically. It also forced me to renovate my social media presence in promoting my art, since I could not vendor at local art shows. Prior to the pandemic, I had so much anxiety posting my art on social media. But once I did, I gained a rapid following for such a short time, which was pretty surreal. 

 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I am 21 years old and am currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. I did not start pursuing art until I was in high school.

My artistic journey began during my adolescence. I started trying to copy logos and album artwork of a bunch of bands I liked. Surprisingly I was really good at them. I never thought I was good at anything, so I treasured it. As I started taking art in high school, I tried doing drawings of buildings and houses only in pen. Despite having little experience, it seemed that I was able to pay attention to detail very well. My art teacher definitely pushed me and encouraged me to join a lot of art competitions. I think she saw something in me that I did not appreciate at the time. That push was what I needed because I felt motivated to continue pursuing art and explore painting. Initially I wanted to make cover artwork, but over time I just fell in love with making art without worrying if it is good enough to be an album cover. I knew I just wanted to do it forever.
 
 
 
How do you make sure you have time to create? Do you have a set time or build it into your calendar?
 
Because I am a full time student and a research assistant, it can be really hard to finish a painting during the semester. But I do my best to work around it because I love it too much. Sometimes I try to keep a schedule going but each semester can be pretty unpredictable. I mainly try to devote weekends to doing nothing but paint as well as being flexible with mediums.
 

How do you choose the subject of your painting?
 
There's a number of ways and it honestly depends on the painting and the subject. The fact that I study psychology has a tremendous role in the subjects I want to look at. Sometimes I try to identify a stressor or emotion that I am experiencing or a situation that I am extremely passionate about. I make little notes on my phone and then I eventually create a visual picture in my head resembling those issues. Then I try to create that visual image. But of course, the process for each painting I have done is very different because the story behind them is different. Some paintings I have had the subject in mind but it took years to execute. I try to make sure that painting fits and that I am continuously motivated to work on it.

 
We saw a lot of “Dark Art” touch in your artworks. We want to talk about the Dark theme  in your artworks. Can you tell us more about why you choose this theme for your main theme?

Where do I begin…

Overtime, I felt a deep connection and a sense of freedom with dark art. It creates so much range to elicit a powerful message while deviating from the norms. This form of art speaks to me as someone who spent their whole life feeling invalidated by the rest of society. At the age of 6, I was diagnosed with autism.  I was conditioned to believe that I was inferior in my own perspectives and emotions. I spent my life internalizing everything, which led me to traumatic situations. One of the only things that made me excited was listening to extreme metal which often included a lot of dark themes in the music and artwork. This has played a significant role in the work I create.

My experience in life as a neurodivergent female, as well as my struggles with mental illness has played a significant role in the darkness exhibited in my art. Much of my work explores the constant alienation and the maladaptive skills that many neurodivergent people have developed in order to survive in a world that fails to recognize our humanity. I struggle to communicate these experiences and beliefs well, so my paintings do the work for me. It is dark because that is how I view many aspects of my own existence and the world around me. But ironically, creating such dark images has made me a happier, less anxious and more reflective person. I am simply comfortable with my own style and executing it the way I do.
 

What is your creative process like and how does art-making impact other parts of your life?
 
Making art has had a positive impact on my life. Growing up with autism, I struggled doing a lot of basic things, which impacted my self-esteem. I was always afraid of trying new things, so I thought I would never be good at anything. Sometimes when I go to art exhibits and museums, I get so lost in every little detail of a particular painting that stands out to me. When I look at some of my stronger paintings, I get those same feelings I do when I look at a painting in a museum. My art has allowed me to accept myself and my differences because I do have the potential to create incredible things. I have also become more resilient to various life stressors regarding academics or my personal life because I know I can probably create a painting out of the root cause of those extremely distressing situations. One of the things I struggled with for most of my life is masking and setting boundaries for myself. My art has also helped me in identifying those patterns more clearly. It is a crucial aspect of my overall health. It makes me a better person in my opinion.
 
  
You are the one of our Artists to we’ve worked in our latest Book : “Dark Artists Book”. Can you talk to our audience about this experience?

This was my first time having my art in a published book. I have always wanted to see my art in a book and it finally happened. I was so excited about the opportunity. But the thing with me is that I am a massive perfectionist. Because this was my first time being in a book, I was nervous about how it was going to play out. I could not decide which theme of paintings I wanted to include, if I should add the ones with extreme nudity and gore or not. I know I had to write a short bio which I think was pretty hard for me to do. Describing my art was really difficult so I asked my friend Tyler how she would describe my art. Her response was well articulated so I used it for the bio.

Overall, I would describe it as a really surreal experience and a dream come true. I was honored to be asked to be in this.

 
What are some of your favorite sources of inspiration?
 
Artistically, my sources of inspiration have been Goya, El Greco, Remedios Varo, Siqueros, Frida Kahlo, Artemisia Gentileschi, Lucian Freud, Ivan Albright, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Bryan Charnley. These artists have either inspired me in both the themes that I create in my work and/or the use of color and texture that was executed in their work. There’s probably a few I’m forgetting to mention. But those are my top 10.
Music has always been an incredible source of inspiration as well. The kinds of music I have gravitated towards for much of my life is probably what inspired my artwork. I have also been inspired by German Expressionist films during the silent era, which is why my Halloween tradition is doing paintings and drawings commemorating my favorite silent horror films.
 
 
  
Can you talk about any other current or upcoming projects?

I have a lot of really cool projects coming up. I have about 6 pieces in the works. Some of them are going to be digital as I am trying to practice with that medium. One of them in particular I am most excited about is called ‘The Romanticized Age’ which explores how young women are both infantilized and sexualized in society. I have needed to discuss that in my work as this has made my youth experience existentially difficult to cope with. It will be one of the creepier ones but I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
 
   
Thank you for your time!
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

https://www.instagram.com/maladaptivicia/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Maladaptivicia

Exclusive Interview with Vanessa Wenwieser 
(Marvelous Art Gallery – 2021)


Hello Dear Vanessa Wenwieser. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

It actually affected me in such a way that I couldn’t so much do printmaking anymore and I went more in the direction of still drawing etc. but using digital techniques more as I could do them from home. So in a way I had more time to work on them but I would like to get back to more printmaking in the future again as I love how my works fo from the hand-made to digital and back. Trying to use the mediums that best suit to what I try to achieve. Each medium has it’s strengths and weaknesses. In digital and photography I love the immediacy, also of trying things out like how a change of colour would look etc. and in drawing and painting the time and effort it takes and how it teaches you to see and in printing making it’s in between the too, still very tactile but that closeups to photography of the mechanical reproduction.



Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

Well I’ve always enjoyed art and loved art class and painting, drawing etc. in school, then  I felt I need to do something even if it’s part time where I can pour out my emotions and thoughts and so started studying Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art, I enjoyed this very much my black and white works greatly became influenced by Duane Michals who used photography to explain what is going on inside hime instead of being only interesting for it’s visual beauty or capturing the moment like Henri Cartier Bresson.
I loved the immediacy of photography and it’s strong relatability with people, it always was of something that actually was in front of the lens, there was a connect ability that I enjoyed. Also printing in the black and white darkrooms well as color darkrooms was, and still is so magical to me. To use potions to make images slowly to appear out of nowhere, is so amazing. The atmosphere so quiet and surreal, so dreamy I enjoyed it so much.


How do you make sure you have time to create? Do you have a set time or build it into your calendar? 

To make sure I am able to have time to create I  make sure I get enough done in a week and sometimes stay up longer to finish work or whenever I have some free time. Art is a priority for me. Also whenever I have ideas I write them down and draw them so when I have time I can work one them, I get many ideas for works in my dreams or in a half waking frame of mind or even when I’m doing things that are very trance like that’s when they seem to slip through my subconscious.


What is the hardest part of creating a painting?

The hardest part of creating an artwork I think is actually having an idea, it is also the most important part. There is always a fear that one day I might run out of ideas, then depending on the idea is to find a model that depicts this idea well and working on all the small details to create an an image that expresses your feelings, the right mood and light etc. to create an atmosphere.


We saw your main theme is Women. Sometimes they have lots of flowers, some of them have a couple of dark corners like a snakes, skulls.. Can you give us an informations about your artworks background story?

Yes I enjoy using women to help understand what is going on inside of me to make my emotions visible and I feel of course more that it relates to other women. Flowers are symbols of fertility and the new if only fleeting so in a way that is a dark theme too, they are often used in Momento Mori to help understand the fleetingness of beauty and life. In Momento Mori you also find skulls and snakes and so on as well as in religious imagery which influences me a lot. I like to show off these women as proud and strong beings that are vulnerable but overcome this by their inner strength. One image where I show this is where I make flowers our of wings that come our of the woman’s scars on her back symbolizing the pain she goes through but how in her own inner strength she overcomes it little by little, one step at a time. Strength is not only physical but mental and women have an enormous amount of inner strength and willpower.


We are seeing lots of “Red” colors in your Artworks. Why is the colour “red” is important in your artworks?

Red is for me a very important color in my art as it symbolisms so much in which I believe, it is the color of extremes and my images often depict emotional turmoil for example I used a lot of red in my image of a young girl that had been bitten by a vampire and it symbolises not only s state of extreme danger but also of ecstasy a trance like state in which she found herself in. But I don’t only use the color red to symbolize danger or dark themes but also for love but always emotionally heightened states of being, for which I think the color is perfect.


What is your creative process like and how has your style changed over the years?


I suppose the writing down the idea and drawing it has always remained the same.
Well I started off working more in photography, which I often still use in my art and pursuing printmaking for example  screen-printing, which is very close to photography anyway. As well as adding some painted details. I used to make much more changes during the printmaking process and using paint and now use more digital techniques but I always make sure that the images look like paintings by using texture, I’m not a fan at all of images which look to clean or perfected. I am of the Japanese Wabi Sabi opinion that great art or craft is made better through small flaws. Like Leonard Cohen said: ‘There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light get’s in’ 
People can relate far better to images that are imperfect, as we all are.


Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?

Yes I was very much influenced by dark stories in my childhood like the Grimms fairy tales and stories of Vampires, Ghosts and Witches which I cherished, I suppose the dark fears we all have and how to overcome them and do things although they scare you is a very important lesson to learn and I’m still working on it.


Thank you for your time!

https://www.instagram.com/kunstfabrikstudio/

http://marvelousartgallery.com/