What inspired you to create art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
I always wanted to be an artist. My father encouraged me to draw and paint. When I was 10 years old, he gave me a small easel and a box of oil colors. Ever since I have been addicted to painting. I have followed my own strangely curved path. First, I studied 2 years in Cracow, Poland 1981 – 1983. They were very complicated years for Poland due to international boycott and embargo, but very inspiring years at the Academy of Fine Arts for an aspiring artist like me. Later I stayed ½ year in Lofoten, Norway enjoying and sketching in this marvelous nature. 1988-89, I stayed 2 years in Mexico. It had been a dream since childhood to explore the different ancient cultures and especially this stay became a game-changer for me. Here I started working with colors in a totally new way. Today travelling has become an established part of my working process.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
The tactile surface of a work has always intrigued me. When I started, I made my own paper, glued it on canvas and then painted on top. Gradually the paper however became unnecessary, I found other ways to experiment with the surface, an ever ongoing process to end up where I am today working with tiny spatulas creating a kind of low relief in my paintings. All this to explore the possibilities of light and colors. The many tiny shadows created in the surface of the painting tend to make the color “alive” with the changing light of the day and thus support my idea. Apart from my paintings, I have collaborated on several occasions with Royal Copenhagen Porcelain to create unique pieces of porcelain. I have designed series of objects and later decorated their surfaces. Ceramics on a large scale I have made in collaboration with ceramic workshops in Denmark and Spain. The craftsmen at the workshop produce the objects according to my design – and I work the surface. Glass painting, I also have enjoyed doing. It gives you unique and different possibilities to work with the light. Also the structure of the surface you can manipulate depending on the temperature you decide to use in the kiln.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
To me painting is like a laboratory. I am always on the search of new possibilities. What makes my paiting stand out is their surface, the way the color is applied and later perceived; the colors; strong, vivid, and almost sculpted on the surface. And finally, the light. I try to give my paintings their own light, again creating this by the way I apply the paint and decide on the colors. So, surface, color, and light. Together these elements create a contemplative environment.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from nature. – Nature being the city as well as the forest and the fields. My inspiration comes from my travels, the people I meet, the different flavors of the food, the music, and the lines in the landscapes.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
My desire is to leave a contemplative and optimistic impression in the mind of the spectator. When you return from a busy and stressful day at work you may sit down to look at one of my paintings and let your mind take you back to good moments in your personal life.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
When I start to prepare for a new exhibition or a commissioned work, I travel, take notes, make sketches, and take photos. The process of creating a painting in the studio is rather slow because my pictures are constructed in so many layers, so many hues. Technically this means you will need to leave the piece to dry from 1me to 1me. Therefore, I ofen work in series or at more works simultaneously.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
I don´t know of anyone who works in the way I have described earlier.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
I especially enjoy working in oil on canvas, but I also take great pleasure in collaborating with graphic and ceramic workshops. It is good sometimes to change the solitude of the studio into a vibra1ng workshop with exquisite crafsmen.
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?
I had my studio constructed about 25 years ago in the middle of nature in a remote corner of Extremadura, Spain. – I move between this and my smaller studio in Copenhagen – between the rural Spain and the capital of Denmark.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
Part of being an artist is to connect with people. I always try to be present at my exhibitions on certain days. I enjoy meeting the collectors as well as speaking with them. The personal contact is very important.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
My work will continue to develop as it always has. You never reach your goal. When it seems to be within reach, you unconsciously push it father away. A never-ending investigation. A never-ending chase. For my career, I obviously hope it continues to grow, opening new doors in new places that allow me meeting new people with challenging new ideas or commissions.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
Right now, I am working on a large commission for the headquarters of a Danish company. It consists of 18 large paintings. Their impact will totally change the surroundings of these offices. The paintings will be mounted in place early spring 2024. I am looking forward to the reactions.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I have exhibited in many places all over the world, but of course some exhibitions have been more important than others. I would like to mention my exhibition at the Biennale of Sao Paulo back in 1991. My participation here was a great personal experience and gave me good contacts in Brazil and Japan. 2003 I exhibited in Museo Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. My exhibition was part of a Danish official visit to Mexico and was opened by our, at the 1me, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In 2008 I came back to Mexico, invited to make an exhibition in the Museum of Fine Arts in Guadalajara. Finally, I have had a couple of individual exhibitions in Chelsey, N.Y, in the D.C.A. gallery. Each of them was important and very succesfull.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
It is impossible to answer, but why not “Las Meninas” of Velasquez or the dark paintings of Goya to aim high.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
I would like to invite the American artist, Joan Mitchell. I would love to hear her point of view on the history of the New York art scene in the 50th as well as talk about her later years in France. Talk about colors, light, nature, and dogs and maybe on the lack of women on the art scene.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
