Tag: painting

Estefania Clotti

Estefania Clotti is an Argentinian artist creating colourful drawings and paintings filled with different characters and inspired by social reality and her own platonic universe. We chatted with Estefania to find out more about her work, background and future plans.

www.facebook.com/DibujosdeEcloT

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and education.

My name is Estefania Clotti and I was born in Rosario, Argentina. I studied Cinema and Animation, but I think my ‘big education’ took place at high school where I learned about the different languages of art. I also find important the education I received from the workshops, drawing and painting classes – they had a great influence on my work.

When did you become interested in drawing?

I started drawing when I was studying cinema. Back then, I started to do the storyboards and concepts for shots and I realised that it was the thing I liked the most about my course. After that, I attended animation school and never stopped drawing and creating animated short films.

How would you describe your work?

I consider my work ‘free’ and with no prejudices or, at least, that’s what I try to communicate with it. Lines, points… everything comes from experimentation. I like to play with it and change the pencils and paints; use different materials such as wood, cardboard and paper; try different formats from big to tiny; experiment with fanzines, animations, comics.. everything in the graphic world inspires me and allows me to constantly develop my work.

What inspires your illustrations?

I have two sources of inspiration that sometimes merge, but typically I get inspired by social reality, which I associate with cleaner lines with very little colour and the second inspiration is more introspective and related to my platonic, ideal world, with lots of colour and invented characters.

Is there any project you’re working on at the moment? What are your future plans?

I’m currently working on an animation and a series of large format paintings and drawings. The idea is to display them in different locations across the city. In the future I’d like to publish a book with all my works.

April 26, 2016
Kristin Texeira

Kristin Texeira is an oil painter originally from Massachusetts. From her studio in Brooklyn, Kristin creates abstract colourful paintings to capture, document and preserve memories. We chat with Kristin to find out more about her earliest memories of painting, the influence of colour in her work and what happens on a normal day at her studio.

www.kristintexeira.com

Studio photographs by Julie Simon.

What are your earliest memories of painting?

I remember as a very young child a pair of feathery paintings above my mother’s couch. I would subconsciously study them – the way the colors and shapes interacted and overlapped, comparing and contrasting them. So, it all started with looking.

After that I can remember passing my hours filling coloring books – my strategy was to use as many colors from the crayon box as possible. I had little watercolor sets and my grandmother would let me paint on her walls and windowsills. I loved color from a young age. I would take the paint palettes from my classmates and mix their colors together to watch them all blend before washing them.

Please take us through a normal day at your studio and tell us a little about your work process.

I’m a big list-maker. My day usually starts with a coffee and a “to-do” list. There is a lot to balance between the act of making art and the business side of things. So, my lists usually include a few business oriented tasks: emails, updates, applications, and then there’s the good stuff – what I will make that day.

Most of my paintings begin in the form of writing. I try to free write everyday in search of inspiration. Writing helps me to preserve the present and unlock memories that I haven’t visited in a while. My paintings are these stories retold through the language of color.

Colour is clearly an essential aspect of your paintings. Please tell us in which ways it influences your work.

My life is categorized with color. Colors are evoked through interactions. I make playlists based on the colors of songs. I know certain friends will get along with each other based on their colors. I see colors in scents and sounds. It helps me define moments in time.

I paint to provide proof – for myself and others – of existing in these moments. Painting keeps me present and allows me to pay homage to the past. I gather colors daily as a reminder to remain awake and I paint the colors of the past to remedy nostalgia.

What other elements are an essential part of your work? Where do you draw inspiration from?

Travel plays an important role in my work. I’ve noticed a pattern where I never have a sense of my present home until I reach a new destination. Interacting with new environments allows the past to become a memory and therefore something I wish to preserve through painting. Being in new places and listening to the stories of strangers serves as great source material for my pieces. My desire to learn through travel and my artistic practice are intertwined.

What are you working on at the moment?

Though I look outwardly for inspiration, my work over the past few years has been mostly personal. I am continuing the search for beautiful interactions but, I am starting to gather other people’s memories as well.

I have had strangers come to me with memories that they want to preserve through paint. There have been families that have to sell their grandparent’s home and want a tangible map to remember. There have been couples that share a great adventure in a faraway place, walking me step-by-step through their memory, asking me to put it into paint. It’s amazing some of the stories people have shared and beautiful that they trust me with something so precious. I’m hoping to continue my own adventure and help many people along the way with remembering theirs.

November 16, 2015
Evie Cahir

We recently discovered the work of Evie Cahir, a Melbourne-based illustrator who has worked for clients the likes of Vice and Neon Magazine and is inspired by drawing on public transport.

Evie says that there isn’t a technique as such in her work. She simply layers coloured pencils, applies weak watercolour washes and peels off strips of masking tape until she feels that the work is complete.

We especially like her project Mapping Melbourne – developed on her many trips across the city – and also her self published zines.

www.eviecahir.com

August 10, 2014
Interview: Oamul Lu

Oamul Lu is a Chinese illustrator whose colourful, adorable drawings and animations have been shared all over the internet in the past few months.

We were lucky to meet Oamul during his recent trip to the UK a couple of weeks ago. He had just arrived in Edinburgh after spending a few days in London and was ready to explore the Highlands and find some new ideas for his work.

During our meeting, Oamul told us about his main inspirations, took us through the Chinese tradition behind his project “The 24 Solar Terms”
and showed us his first book, “I Found a Star“, which he’s planning to publish in English really soon. We also asked him a few questions to find out more about his work.

What are the main inspirations in your work?

I think everything I see in my life is an inspiration, including this recent journey.

You do a little bit of everything: GIFs, animations, paintings… what do you enjoy doing the most and why?

I like all these formats to present my ideas, I think they are all connected somehow. When I draw a painting I want to make it more lively and that’s why sometimes I turn my illustrations into GIFs. After that, I also hope they can become longer animations with a whole story behind them.

Could you name a few artists you like?

Two of my favourites artists are Van Gogh and Oliver Jeffers.

What has been your favourite thing from your trip around the UK? Do you think this trip will influence some of your future work?

I really liked all the galleries and exhibitions. I also went to see the musical “The Lion King” and it was really interesting and moving. Of course, I was also impressed by the delicious desserts and the beautiful scenery. This trip has had a great influence on me and I’m really eager to create some illustrations inspired by this lovely country.

www.oamul.com

October 22, 2013