What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences…)
I have been painting since I was very young. My mother was an arts teacher and she was the one who initiated me. However, my love of science, particularly biology, made me choose this discipline at university. In the early 2000s, while I was still teaching biology, my need for creation was very great. So I took my brushes back at that time. Today, I no longer teach and I am now a full-time painter.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
I have no formal academic artistic training. I am therefore self-taught. My artistic journey goes through photography (which I still practice), stained glass, drawing, sculpture, computer graphics and painting. I started by painting figurative works, but it is the abstract and particularly expressionism that fulfills me the most.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
My works are very colorful, joyful and filled with movement and energy. Lines of pencils, graphite or charcoal often interfere in my creations. Finally, I add more or less readable text in my works. It can be current events, emotions, what is happening around me when I paint or inspirational song lyrics. In any case, this text is written in a cursive style, without detaching the words. It is not there as a reference for the future, but rather as a diary.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Although, like many painters, nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, I would say that it is above all the colors themselves that guide my practice.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I work in a spontaneous, intuitive and gestural way, where the unconscious takes more place than the conscious. I do not seek to represent my environment, but rather to arouse an emotion, whatever it is, in the spectator.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
First I choose a color palette, then I spread the paint without really thinking. I never have a specific plan. Rather, I enter into a dialogue with the canvas and the color, a dialogue that evolves during my work session(s). When I am satisfied with the result, I take a break which allows me to think about the next step. I add details that guide the eye through the work and give it meaning. Several expressionist painters inspire me like Cy Twombly, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Joan Mitchell as well as Willem de Kooning to name but a few.
Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?
Acrylic, pencils, graphite, ink and charcoal are part of my creative arsenal, not to mention brushes and knives. I often make marks in fresh paint with bamboo tips. To create erratic lines, I use long sleeves or work with my left hand.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
I don't really have a preference.
Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop or in your own workshop? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
My workshop is in my house. I work alone, it's my sanctuary.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
I really like meeting collectors during exhibitions. It is a source of renewal of energy.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
Hard to say. I take life as it comes.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
abstract expressionism
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
The first is probably the most important to me. This is where I was able to check if I had the flame and the desire to continue.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
“Unpublished look at the Nordic” by Jean-Paul Riopelle. This immense and poignant work spans the northern territories.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
Difficult choice. Perhaps Riopelle, especially to understand his relationship to Nordicity.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
