What inspired you to create art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
A compulsion that has come and gone since childhood.
What is your artistic background? What techniques and subjects have you experimented with so far?
I am self-taught, working with oil and acrylic paint.
What are the three aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
I’m not sure, but perhaps the intensity of surface treatment. I hope my work feels part of the English tradition (1945-1975).
Where does your inspiration come from?
From the act of painting itself.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations, or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I believe in the authenticity of the work.
What is the process of creating your works? Is it spontaneous or does it involve a long preparatory process (technical, inspired by art classics or other)?
Usually spontaneous—sometimes I do a thumbnail sketch, occasionally use a photograph, but once I have an idea, I need to start as soon as possible.
Do you use a particular work technique? If so, can you explain it?
A lot of scraping back and sgraffito.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
I incorporate fragments of destroyed paintings into new work.
Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop, or in your own studio? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
I work at home in a conservatory—not ideal, as I’ve ruined the carpet.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I hope to keep surprising myself and to keep going as long as possible.
What is the theme, style, or technique of your latest artistic production?
Abstraction that suggests unknown places or planets.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
As a teenager, I was a big fan of Velázquez, Camille Pissarro, Picasso, and Fernand Léger, among others. In the 1980s, I saw a Raoul Dufy exhibition in London, which had a positive physical impact on me. Again, in 2015, I saw Peter Lanyon’s gliding paintings, which had a similarly powerful but very different effect.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why?
Las Meninas—it says all that needs to be said about painting.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest spending the evening?
Many famous artists aren’t the kind of people you’d want to invite to dinner.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
| ArtMajeur Magazine
