Artist Interview – Page 2 – Chriselda Barretto

Mar 7, 2020

Artist Feature # 9 – Krzysztof Ślachciak

ART-IS-IN by Chriselda Barretto

About Krzysztof Ślachciak

Krzysztof (Eng. Christopher) Ślachciak, born in 1983, Poznań, Poland, is an Artist photographer and a member of The Association of Polish Art Photographers. He graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań with masters degree in Korean Studies and in Poznań University of Economics he did postgraduate studies in the field of Business to Business Marketing with thesis on advertising photography.

From 2008 he runs his own commercial photography studio. From 2011 until 2016, on the invitation of profesor Włodzimierz Włoszkiewicz, he conducted practical lessons of photography and lectures of composition for the Architecture Department’s students at the Poznań University of Technology.

From 2013 until 2016 he ran the photography section of the Artistic Science Club. At present he works for promoting artistic photography as a member of the board of The Association of Polish Art Photographers, Greater-Poland region. He also conducts his workshops and open-air events. Until now he has shown his works at more than 40 collective and solo exhibitions as well as other artistic events.

Hi Krzysztof, could you tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

Hello! My name is Chris, and I am a photographer, sometimes an artist photographer. I think that is the best line to describe me 😉

My everyday routine is commercial photography, I work with various companies helping them to get their products and services to the people they want. I live about 20 kilometers from Poznań, Poland, in quiet surroundings, close to nature, without television, with my wife and a dog. Occasionally, when I must, I become an artist. This is a time of my personal therapy, getting away from the world and closing my dilemmas. Time when I work mostly with my thoughts and eventually conceive some pictures.

Tell us about your art style or process.

From my point of view neither my process nor my art style are based on technical, or even visual aspects. I sometimes work with a medium format analog film, sometimes with a digital camera, sometimes with pinholes, I light-paint, use multi exposure, manually edit or even destroy negatives, and I use Photoshop to achieve effects of digitally edited photographs.

As a commercial photographer I am used to choosing the most appropriate means to achieve my goals. This is also the case when I work on my artistic projects and it all starts with fascination, dilemma or a problem. Then comes ideas how to put them into pictures and these pictures, when finished, tend to close the case of this fascination, problem or dilemma. After that I feel more conciliated with the world. So my artistic creation is more like spiritual experience.

You are a member of the board of The Association of Polish Art Photographers. How do you promote artistic photography?

I am a member of the board of The Association of Polish Art Photographers, Greater-Poland region to be exact. We are actually experimenting with means of promoting artistic photography right now. The key to our way of thinking is realizing that photography is not a monolith. There are a lot of completely different ways of doing artistic photography.

As you probably know, documentary and conceptual photographers are on the top nowadays, but they are not the only ones there. Also, every photographer is different and probably needs different ways of promotion. So our philosophy is not to promote one of the trends but to provide opportunities for our members to promote themselves on their own terms. We also try to show the public the diversity of trends in photography by organizing exhibitions and helping in publishing photography books, and while doing so, we try to embrace every trend our members represent. We also work online, I personally run the website, and the Facebook page of our region: http://zpafpoznan.pl

Where does your inspiration come from?

I suppose it all comes from carving my views on the world. The key factor is probably freedom. When I feel something or someone distorts my freedom, I turn around. I read a lot about science, history, religion. I like to listen to various opinions, YouTube is very helpful here, and which is not without significance, I am an atheist, so a natural septic.

From a visual point of view I do not have any specific inspirations and I sometimes, mostly during exhibitions, I find out that some of my pictures resemble historic art, which is never my intention. Having said that I must admit I admire works of subjective artist photographers, and I consider myself to be influenced by their work a lot. I am also influenced by paintings. Mostly because I evolved as an artist surrounded by painters and sculptures.

Tell us about other artists/role-models or books that played a key role on your artistic journey.

Having a role-model is very dangerous. If you like to be like someone else, it means that you are in some way copying them, making the same mistakes, you’re susceptible to manipulation, and moreover you are not fully independent.

So there are photographers whose body of works I admire, and that would be mostly Polish artists: Stanisław Woś, Edward Hartwig, Zdzisław Beksiński, and the one you might have heard of: Bronisław Schlabs. From let’s say World history of art: Minor White, Otto Steinert, Helmut Newton for sure and some still life works by Edward Weston.

You also conduct workshops and open-air events. Could you tell us something about this?

Sure. A couple of times a year I am asked to conduct workshops. They mostly explore my technical abilities, which are a part of my commercial photography, but sometimes I am invited to talk about my artistic practice.

I am a former lecturer, I worked at Poznań University of Technology, Architecture Department, where I ran an artistic science club for students interested in photography and I have conducted practical lessons and lectures of composition. So, I am quite used to talking to people, and I enjoy it.

How did you learn/acquire your technique?

I am self-taught photographer, so I learn everything by experimenting and reading books on a subject, sometimes using YouTube tutorials. But that’s it. I have no formal education neither in arts or in photography.

How has art impacted your life?

On an everyday basis it is shaped on how I perceive creativity. When someone calls a saturated landscape, or wedding reportage an art, I say “yeah right”, ironically of course. Art also gives me opportunity to blow off some existential steam. In a similar way that church gives it to it’s believers I suppose…but in my case the rules are mine.

Tell us a bit about your last work.

My last work was conceived in a little different way. This time it all started with music. I have found a band which plays music and I thought it would work perfectly with some of my works. So I decided to offer a collaboration, and they agreed. They were working on a new album, so it was also an opportunity to do something together.

I did a cover photo session for them with one of my favorite models. They chose a picture, I prepared it, and in the album book they used my works from “Cosmic Perspective” series. So the cooperation was very successful. I later stated on my Facebook, that it was “a step towards immortality”. However, as I worked with a post production of the cover photo, I realized that this is a good start for something I had always wondered about, and I had been always interested in. Moreover, it is a topic which is included in a concept of this album – future of technology and humanity.

That’s how “Post Sapiens” series came to be, and the album which triggered it is titled “Post Sapiens 101” by Abstrakt Band. I highly recommend their music. Its awesome!

What is your current WIP?

I am currently in a relaxed mode and don’t have any WIP right now.

What does the future look like for you and your art?

In the long term – I just don’t know. In a short term – I am working towards a big solo show in the city of Poznań which I plan for the first part of 2020. There is a lot to do, and a lot of money to gather for it. And I will be hosting, live, Abstrakt during a reception party. There is also a plan for an album or some kind of a listen-book with my works and Abstrakt’s music.

Any words of advice to aspiring artists?

Make your own decisions. Be independent, be yourselves. It needs some courage, and it may make you sometimes feel miserable, but if it works, it really works.

Your photography is absolutely stunning! Which project has been the most difficult or satisfying?

Thanks. The most difficult was definitely “Mara”. It took me 2 years to finish and I couldn’t get rid of it out my head during that time. It’s also the most successful series of mine. It has been exhibited 7 times in the most prestigious galleries, that my works have ever been exhibited.
So in that perspective it’s also the most satisfying. But personally for me, to watch and to be proud of the achieved effect is “Cosmic Perspective”. It’s quite difficult for viewers, but, you know – the Universe is not there to satisfy your aesthetics, nor the art is.

Would you like to share any more information with our readers?

Don’t get me started 😉

How can our readers contact you or find your art?

Everything is on my website, also links to my social media:
http://impurephotography.eu

An Artist Feature by Chriselda Barretto

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Feb 27, 2020

Krzysztof Ślachciak on ART-IS-IN….

Coming soon to -chriselda.blog!

Feb 5, 2020Sep 20, 2020

Artist Feature # 8 – Javier Casanueva

About Javier Casanueva

Javier Casanueva was born in Avila the 17th April of 1995. He graduated in Fine Arts at Salamanca´s University. That degree allowed him to study the Painting Master of the Basque Country University, Bilbao and later to continue studying his PHD.

His first exhibition was in Avila, at the Jose Hierro´s exhibition hall, in the Episcopio, when Javier was 21. Commemorating that exhibition the book “Shapeless” was published. In that book, Javier collaborated with the poet José María Muñoz Quirós, which lead to a close friendship. They have since collaborated on many other occasions in the magazine called “El Cobaya” and in other publications, like the “2017 Poetic Round of Ávila”.

Since the first exhibition, Javier Casanueva has done three more solo exhibitions in different cities, like Vitoria and Pontevedra, and has participated in some collective shows, like the Painting Biennial of Ourense or “Caminos y duendes” – an exhibition where other participants included Jesús Mari Lazkano, Joseba Eskubi and Genoveva Linaza, to name a few.

Recently, Javier has worked as an Invited Artist at the Bodin KDA Skole, Bodo, Norway; where he taught a Creative Painting Workshop and made a benefit auction with his painting to assist the center with their humanitarian work.

Hi Javier, could you tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

Well, I am Javier Casanueva. I was born in Ávila, a small city close to Madrid, Spain. Since I was a child I have been always interested in drawing, painting and anything I could do with my hands; so I studied the Art Degree at Salamanca´s University.

Currently I live in Bilbao, where I´m doing my PHD studies that I combine with my exhibitions and art production.

Tell us about your art style or process.

I started painting landscapes, so there´s where everything started. If you look at my first series, Shapeless and BrokenShapes, you will find abstractions that are almost landscapes. After that I started to go deeper in meta-painting, I mean, gestures, textures and composition, so I took some distance with the nature. Now I am more into pure abstraction, close to minimalism.

About the process, I paint in an impulsive way. I usually start and finish pictures without pauses, just observing the changes that appear in the surface of the canvas and working on them. Then I reach a point when I feel is finished.

You have collaborated with the poet José María Muñoz Quirós for the book “Shapeless”. Could you share this experience with us?

José María was my teacher when I was 14. He is an important poet here in Spain and I have always admired him. When I was preparing my first exhibition, I invited him to my studio, and we decided to make a book with his poems and my pictures. The experience was great because we shared most of the process and pieces, fitting and creating new things.

It was so good that for my second exhibition at Ávila, “La Pompa Negra” (The black bubble), we decided to make another book, “black and white”, where you can find one of my texts talking about painting, pictures, drawings and of course José´s poems.

We have also collaborated in different art magazines and we are preparing a big project for the 100 years from Miguel Delibes birth. Collaborating with him is always great, I learn a lot and have fun also.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I understand inspiration like a part of the work. I remember a phrase from Pablo Picasso, who said: “Inspiration comes, but it must catch you working”. My inspiration comes from the own process of painting.

Tell us about other artists/role-models or books that played a key role on your artistic journey.

I have a lot of reference artists, from the great artist like Rothko to teachers I had at the University, like Joseba Eskubi. One artist who changed my way of seeing art and image was José Ramón Amondarain. Blinky Palermo is a great artist to look at too.

Talking about books and theory; Antonio Machado and his writings about intra-time are a pillar of my thinking. Gilles Deleuze has also great books about painting. Ortega y Gasset has an essay talking about Diego Velázquez that has also impacted me. There is a lot of great books I have read for my PHD, I couldn’t choose just a few of them.

Javier, you have worked as an invited Artist at the Bodin KDA Skole, Bodo – Norway, teaching a Creative Painting Workshop? Could you tell us something about this?

Yes. This was something amazing, definitely one of my best experiences. All started when I went to Norway with my family to visit a friend who lives there. On that trip I visited the Bodin KDA Skole and the quality of Norwegian education surprised me, so I started to talk with the school to plan the workshop. I based the classes on the creative process of the students and we made a little exhibition with the works at the school. In addition, I made a painting for the school in order to do a benefit auction. I hope to go back again soon, but my PHD also takes up a lot of my time.

Sandpapers, 10x15cm, Mixed media on sandpaper

How did you learn/acquire your technique?

I started painting and drawing classes when I was five or six years old in a small academy. When I was 11, I started to go to the Ávila´s Autonomic Art School, where my three teachers taught me a lot. Later with the Art Degree and with a lot of practice I learnt the rest.

How has art impacted your life?

Art changes any life. I am thinking about my series, my concepts and looking for more and more, all day . I think that art gives you a different point of view and it is a job totally different to any other. I can’t explain it, but other artists will tell you the same.

Shipshapes 002, Mixed media on canvas, 225x150cm

Tell us a bit about your last work.

My last finished work is Beltza. Well, I want to continue with it, but trough sculpture. Beltza means black in Basque. I was looking for the painting that is not image at all. The purest abstraction trying to find a way to reconnect with the primitivism of the human being, investigating about painting as a human fact.

What is your current WIP?

As I said, I am working with José María Muñoz Quirós for the 100 years from Delibes birth. I´m going back to landscape through the humanism and intimism of the author. We are doing a reflection about Delibes work using painting, drawing and poems. You will see more soon, at this moment I only can say that it will be a book and two exhibitions, but we are talking with the promoters and still working on it.

What does the future look like for you and your art?

My closer personal project is the thesis. I want to finish my PHD because I love to teach and I would like to be a University Teacher in the future. For my art, I am preparing two exhibitions for the Delibes projects and I am also investigating with sculpture and installation. It is difficult to imagine a far future because I work on it daily and changes are very progressive.

Any words of advice to aspiring artists?

My first advice is to be patient. Art is something really complex and needs lot of time to develop the skills and the knowledge that it requires. But being patient also means to be a hard worker; you need to be focused and accept critique.

My second advice is to enjoy. Art is a marvelous world, don’t miss the process looking at the goal.

Your art is amazing! Which project has been the most difficult or satisfying?

Beltza. It was hard to find a balance between esthetic and using black with no mixture, but it was also the most satisfying.

Would you like to share any more information with our readers?

Just tell them to keep an eye on this year 2020. Great things are coming on the projects.

*Fragmented paintings, 50x70cm, Mixed media on paper*

How can our readers contact you or find your art?

They can see my finished projects at my website: www.javiercasanueva.com

If they prefer to see my daily work, they can follow me on Instagram: @javiercasanuevaartist

And if they have any questions or are interested in my art, they can find me at:

javiercasanuevart@gmail.com

Also, if they like a work on my website and it´s sold, or is too big or too small…I take orders too, so I can make something similar for them.

An Artist Feature by Chriselda Barretto

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Dec 7, 2019Dec 7, 2019

Artist Feature #7 – Michael Nette

I am so happy to introduce ART-IS-IN’s first young, upcoming and super talented artist “Michael Nette” – Discover more about him and his art below…

About Michael Nette

Michael Nette is an 18-year-old Photographer based in Melbourne Australia. He graduated High school last year and is now studying Photography at a tertiary level and starting his career as a photographer. He considers himself a portrait photographer primarily , but he also shoots landscapes and more recently wildlife.

Hi Michael…Could you tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

I come from a family of artists. My father is musical but it’s through my mother that I developed my love for photography. My sister is a musician and my brother is also quite musical. One of my grandfathers was a painter and sculptor and my other grandfather was a potter. One of my grandmothers was a theatre performer, and further back in my family tree I have more painters and an author. So artistry seems to be in my genes. It was in Year 10 (2016) that I began taking photography seriously. And as my secondary schooling progressed, photography was really the only thing I connected with. After leaving school, photography has become more about self-expression and creativity, discovering and enjoying colour, shape and tone – as well as the technical side of digital editing. For me it’s all about exploration and emotion, which I feel is evident in my work.

What is your art style or process about?

Portraiture when it comes to portraits is hard to pin my work in one style as I love to express my emotions through creative angles and vivid colours. Part of my process is keeping the essence of my model inside the image so I generally try to keep posing looking natural and maintaining a connection throughout the shoot, otherwise the model can appear cold and disinterested. It is important to stay focused on the image you want while taking it and just as important to keep the model focused. Wildlife Wildlife photography is so fascinating to me because we get to see the sides of animals we would otherwise never get to in day to day life. When I shoot wildlife my aim is to show the animals personality and the individuality of each animal because most people don’t tend to think of each animal as an individual and mainly just what species it is.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from a few different sources; one being social media – I tended to gravitate more towards portrait photographers when I first started out and since then I have reached out to a few of the photographers that really inspired me and have since become friends. I also draw inspiration from other forms of media such as movies, books and a lot of time I find ideas in day to day conversations.

Have there been other artists/role-models or books that played a key role on your artistic journey?

Brandon Woelfel was the first big inspiration for me as in his portraits he creates a very magical feel in day to day places. When I saw his “before and afters” of his editing it really put into perspective how he does his work and the power of editing. Another photographer I have taken a lot of inspiration from is Drue Schnelle (@druephoto). Drue was one of the first people to respond back to me when I reached out and he answered the questions I had about portrait photography and helped me out a lot over the past 6 months. His photos are very creative, and he loves to play with angles and reflections so I could definitely relate to his style. The third biggest inspiration for me would be David Attenborough’s Earth documentaries (Planet Parth, Our Earth etc.) as the cinematography is phenomenal and it really inspires me to take wildlife photos while also teaching me a lot about what angles are good to shoot from and how to properly interact with animals to help create the image I am after. a few more inspirational Photographers: @brandontonlu – @benjammixn – @rye_whiskey – @BEACASSO – @masashi_wakui

How did you learn/acquire this technique?

I learnt a lot from Kai Wong (@kaimanwong) through youtube and A LOT of trial and error with various types of photography. I started out taking a lot of photos of flowers and nature by experimenting from different angles and environments. After I felt like I had taken enough photos of flowers I began to experiment with portraiture by going to the city with a few of my friends and getting them to model for me, which was a lot of fun as neither of us really knew what we were doing. Since that first shoot I was constantly curious to what I could do with portraiture so I was always asking my friends if we could do a photoshoot together and eventually I started to get the hang of it and in the process I learnt how to work with models and the importance of keeping them comfortable, how to bring out the emotion I want out of my model and how to think creatively about the space that we are in to really get every angle.

Has art impacted your life and how so?

I have always appreciated art and liked going to galleries when I was younger but over the last 2 years art has really taken over my life (in the best way). Photography has taught me how to see differently and how to view art artforms from a creator point of view rather than an audience point of view, and what I mean by that is I will think about how they created it and the emotion behind the art work rather than purely the art itself. I find that once you start creating art (of any form) you begin to see other artforms differently as art is just as much about the artist than it is the art.

Tell us a bit about your last work.

My latest work was inspired by masashi wakui where I went to the city for some street photography and my theme was to have a red umbrella in each image to link them and to tell a story. The shoot was very successful and I found a new love for street photography so hopefully you can see more in the future.

What is your current WIP?

Most recently I am beginning to expand my brand and split my business into 3 sections. I will be starting an online print store where I will be selling my street ,landscape and potentially wildlife photography prints. I will be continuing to do private portrait sessions which will generally be more on the creative side (depending on client) and I will be diving into the world of product photography by doing contract advertisement work for businesses. If you want to stay updated you can follow me on Instagram or twitter @miggmedia or check out my website to which I will be updating over the next few months.

What does the future look like for you and your art?

I am very inspired to work in all kinds of photography (portrait, wildlife, landscape, product) so the future of my art will be very versatile. Hopefully at the rate I am currently learning, the future is bright for my artwork and since I am only 18 and starting my business, I feel as if I have a bit of a head start moving forward in my career. I hope I can continue to grow as a person and an artist and obtain the success that I strive for.

Any words of advice to aspiring artists?

The best advice I can give is to study your artform. Do this by following likeminded people, watch videos on youtube about the aspects you want to learn about and most importantly CREATE! The best thing you can do as an artist is to create, no matter your skill level you must gain experience and the only way to do so is to put in the time and effort to create. Go out and take photos of things that catch your eye. Go into nature and bring a canvas and paints and just paint what you see or even what your feel. You can create art in your bedroom,studio,garden or even at the top of a mountain. Stop creating excuses and start creating art.

How can our readers contact you or find your art?

You can contact me via twitter or Instagram @miggmedia or send me an email: miggmedia.michael@gmail.com

Also find me at www.miggmedia.com

An Artist Feature by Chriselda Barretto

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Sep 29, 2019

Artist Feature #7 – Michael Nette

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Sep 1, 2019

Artist Feature #6 – Murielle Xhrouet

About Murielle Xhrouet

Murielle Xhrouet is Belgian living near Liège, claiming ownership to that spontaneous, warm city. She turns 52 this year and has been a stewardess for over 30 years. Murielle thinks that she was really made for the job as she prefers meeting new people from all over the world. She is passionate about other’s lives, she learns and grows through them. She has two children; a boy and a girl aged 19 and 22. She started painting about 3 years ago and it has changed her life.

Her grandfather and her father painted. As one of her two brothers is blessed with the talent of drawing, she never dared to express herself and considered ‘the place’ to be already taken!

Until she got depressed a few years ago and needed something to get out of it. Murielle started to paint at night (so no one could look at her), on the freshly repainted white wall of her living room. She cut, ripped, glued, painted and at first, it surprised her kids in a bad way! But when it was finished, they loved it including her partner, who immediately bought her some canvas. Her brother saw the wall and said : “Murielle, You are the artist of the family.” Those very simple and innocent words gave her the boost she needed. She finally gave herself the permission to become an artist!

Hi Murielle, welcome to ART-IS-IN! Could you tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

Hi Chriselda! My high sensitivity has made me suffer a lot but I am working in the acceptance of it. I know it gives me my creativity. I am very extravert but getting older has given me a quieter personality and I can sometimes be very discreet to give place to others. Humour is one of the most important thing to me, I am always looking for fun or even wacky people. I have no patience and everything has to be entertaining at a certain point with the risk of losing my attention. To get bored is the worst for me. If no one makes jokes, I will take the place. I have no confidence in myself and even suffer from the syndrome of the impostor because I am a self-taught artist. But I love to laugh about myself, it de-dramatises everything. I need emotions and art is the best place for them.

Tell us about your art style or process.

I like to say about my paintings that they have a high filling rate and it is your turn to decide if it is chaotic, tiring, tormented, troubled or on the opposite colorful, peaceful, telling stories, joyful. One sure thing is that one painting has two sides : one from far and one from close. Being far from it gives you an expression of an emotion and being close reveals a lot of details sometimes shocking, sometimes fun, sometimes serious. I usually use collages and acrylic together.

My photos are different, they are more simple and I take pictures of things you would never make a picture of. I am not interested in nature or large views. I love to add a nano-fiction that I write myself, it is a little text, like I took it out of a novel. I really would like to make a book out of it. The combination of a photo and a short text gives a higher emotion, at least in my work.

I have many projects and I have decided to stop exhibitions for a while to concentrate on the phase of creation. I am busy at the moment with some new collages that I will put under a plexi in a smaller size of what I usually do.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I paint the moment, I paint my feelings and my emotions. I don’t calculate anything. If I don’t like what I have done, it is simply that it is not finished. I express myself spontaneously.

I am very much of a feminist in the sense of women should have the same respect and consideration as men, as simply as that. I find religions not helping women. But as a paradox, I love religious art and I love to mix my anger and my love of its art. I have never understood how people can truly believe that their religion is the right one, that the god they pray to is the right one. Isn’t it arrogant to be sure that the other millions of people are wrong when you have chosen your side? I am an atheist but I am not sure if I am right.

I also like putting sex in my paintings because it is too much a taboo. I also have a problem with Mickey Mouse and I love to mock him and Disney in general as a symbol of the right-thinking people and as a symbol of the easy solution to make your kids good little soldiers in the capitalist world. It is also a way for me to mock us, parents giving too much to our kids without being able to say no. Saying “Fuck Mickey” is refusing things that are too smooth, too conventional.

Have there been other artists/role-models or books that played a key role on your artistic journey?

Abstract expressionism is my first influence.

With my job, I have been walking everywhere where I could find art. Museums, exhibits, galleries, streets, shops… It is impossible to say who I love, there are too many but Egon Schiele comes first with Gustav Klimt.

If I had to choose two contempory artists it would be the Japonese Chiharu Shiota for her delicacy and patience and the Brazilian Henrique Oliveira for the strength of his art and the complicated task he has.

How has art impacted your life?

Other’s art have always had an impact on me. I cried in front of some paintings, art is one of my reason to live. When I enter a museum, I get excited like when I was a kid just before going on vacation.

My art has a good impact of course but it is still too new for me. It gives me joy but don’t imagine it makes me happy. It gives me pain too when I am falling asleep with my doubts and my questions. If I have one hundred people saying what I do is beautiful and one saying the opposite, I will keep in my mind on that one. Even if I know that not everybody can like my work it is still painful when I have a bad critic. Sometimes, I wish I wouldn’t see the people looking at my paintings.

My biggest dream would be to be able to live ( at least a little bit) with my art but to get known is a very very long way and exceptional. You need talent (and talent is not even enough), originality, chance, opportunities and a good contact network. To be in a good gallery, you need to be famous. To get famous you need to be in a good gallery. Do you see the difficulty of it? I will probably never be famous at all, it is not the objective. All I want is to share my emotions … and sell a little bit so that I don’t have dozens of paintings in my little house!

Tell us about your last work.

My last painting is completely abstract. I really enjoyed making it because it gave me the pleasure of being completely spontaneous and of feeling free. I didn’t have to think, I just grabbed the coulours and let it out. I want to start again, that’s for sure.

One of the pictures I published on Instagram was taken at an exhibition and I took a photo of a photo (a naked woman laying on a bed base, photo taken by Nathalia Edenmont) with the reflection of my partner and me in it. It gives a strange feeling like we are watching her…like peepers, like voyeurs. That’s our world now. And the text I added is quiet cruel.

What is your current WIP?

Like I mentioned earlier, I am busy making some collages that I put under a plexi. When I travel, I always come back with some old and dirty posters that I take off the walls. I never touch a new one, I only take ripped and damaged ones. I use tape too and even fabrics sometimes. What I love is giving something raw with no finishing touch. Women are usually my main subject, but only pieces of them. I love to rip papers and cut the real picture my way. I would love to use my own pictures but it is not possible.

What does the future look like for you and your art?

I need to work and work more. I am a too young artist to have a legitimate claim to a precise future. My dream is really to work with a real gallery and to publish my photos-nano-fictions.

Any words of advice to aspiring artists?

How could I give any advice as I need some myself…except this : Let it all out!

How can my readers contact you or find your art?

My web site :https://xhrouet.com

On FB : Murielle Xhrouet and my page is “But Darling your hair is pink”

Instagram : Murielle Xhrouet

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An Artist Feature by Chriselda Barretto

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ART-IS-IN

Aug 29, 2019

Featuring Belgian Artist – Murielle Xhrouet

Coming soon to ART-IS-IN

Artist Feature #6

Read her interview on “chriselda.blog”

Artist Feature #6 – Murielle Xhrouet

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Aug 22, 2019

The story so far….

My stars on ART-IS-IN!

Yoshi Shimizu
Amate
Alexander Radtke
Richard Bernabe
Natasha Lalla

Are you keeping up? Read their features HERE

Artist Feature #6….coming next!!!

Stay tuned!

Aug 15, 2019Aug 15, 2019

Natasha Lalla – Artist Feature #5 on ART-IS-IN

Natasha Lalla – Artist #5 on ART-IS-IN

Read her interview here

Aug 8, 2019Aug 8, 2019

Artist Feature #5 – Natasha Lalla

About Natasha Lalla

Natasha Lalla has been painting for over two decades. She has developed a distinct style of her own, which involves painting with her fingers. The artist has never owned a paintbrush and makes use of vivid colours to create stunningly abstract pieces that unleash a host of creative and universal energies.

Natasha’s use of colour and her unique style of painting is unmatched. She has a deep understanding of how colours impact one’s overall sense of well-being!

In the Artist’s own words: “Colours have healing properties and the method of treatment that uses the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases is called chromo therapy. A centuries-old concept used successfully over the years.”

Hello Natasha, could you tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

I do not know where to begin about my journey. I think it started as a child. I just knew I was different and my unconscious would reveal to me what I should do and as I grew up I just learnt to trust it totally. Complete surrender is what gives me this unique gift to do what I do. I have had no formal training in art but just a love for it since childhood.

I have never been a religious person but a spiritual being. I also believe there are no coincidences in life.

Horizon IV – 89cm x 94cm – Acrylic on Canvas

Tell us about your art style or process?

My canvas is my smorgasbord where I unleash a host of creative and universal energies. Abstraction in acrylic is what I derive in my paintings which to a lame-eye can be summed up as exuberant harvests of blending colours and finger strokes.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Painting in free form, stream of consciousness is a form of artistic meditation that reflects the style. I have a unique way of reflecting spiritual and sublime experiences by expressing images from my subconscious onto canvas by swirling finger strokes.

Horizon XXIV – 97cm x 143cm – Acrylic on Canvas

Natasha, are there other artists/role-models or books that have played a key role on your artistic journey?

Kandinsky, one of the first abstract painters, was keenly interested in colour in art and developed many theories on the properties of colour in art and how they are best used. Many traditions and cultures, such as Chinese, Ayurvedic, Theosophist and ancient Greek and Egyptians believe in the healing power of colours, based on the effect their vibrations have on the body and mind. I have a vivid use of colours.

My gallerist and curator Jalpa H. Vithalani draws a parallel of my art style to be something on the lines of the famed artist Rassoulli; whose work has been quoted as “The little realities we can’t see or the art that dances… without dancers”.

Artist Natasha Lalla with Jalpa H Vithalani, Creative Head and Director, Cosmic Heart Gallery

Wow! That is an impressive comparison. How did you learn/acquire this technique?

My technique is completely self taught and it keeps evolving.

How has art impacted your life?

For me painting is a form of artistic meditation. I feel it is important for people to see the artist through the works. Painting centres me and bring peace and balance into my life.

The recent most exciting development, was that Cosmic Heart Gallery was invited to participate in Art Bahrain Across Borders, Bahrain’s International Art Fair. This was under The Patronage of Her Royal Highness, Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife Of His Majesty The King Of Bahrain. Cosmic Heart Gallery was one of the 16 international galleries which had a presence.

My gallerist chose to commemorate the work of two Indian artists at this prestigious exhibition and I was one of them. I understand that my work was widely appreciated there and is even with the royal family in Bahrain.

Horizon XIII – 112cm x 86cm – Acrylic on Canvas

That must have truly been an unforgettable experience for you. An achievement actually! What is your current WIP?

I just got in a fresh lot of colours and expanded my pallete and created a beautiful blue and gold work. I always send in images to Jalpa, as I am in the process of creation. This somehow stimulates me and encourages me, to get to my next level each time. I value her feedback and input. She always remarks that this is my work and your gallery.

Horizon XXVIII – 234cm x 110cm – Acrylic on Canvas

What does the future look like for you and your art?

I am completely in the moment, but when you ask me this question I would say the future looks bright. Cosmic Heart Gallery and I share a common vision of bringing beautiful and affordable art into people’s homes. So many people can not only appreciate my paintings, but also afford to buy them. God has been kind and Cosmic Heart Gallery has hosted seven solo shows of my work and curated my art in twelve group exhibitions in a period of seven years. My work has reached people around the world.

Do you have any words of advice that you would like to share with aspiring artists?

Believe in yourself and trust the process. I have been lucky to find a gallery and curator who understands my work and believes in my talent. There is huge synchronicity in the way we work together.

*A remark from ‘Cosmic Heart Gallery‘ Creative Head and Director – Jalpa H. Vithalani on Artist Natasha Lalla!
“It is an absolute delight to watch Natasha create one of her signature pieces with her fingers. This is one in a million artists who does not own a brush.”

How can my readers contact you or find your art?

Readers can contact me on my gallery facebook page, my personal page or instagram handle @natashalalla

They can come and see my works at Cosmic Heart Gallery, New Marine Lines.

Readers can read more on – http://www.cosmicheartgallery.info/artists/NL/natashalalla.html

View artworks on – http://www.cosmicheartgallery.info/artists/NL/natashalalla_artworks.html