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#6 APRIL 2020
#5 March 2020
ArtBaazar is a curated online art marketplace and we are delighted to be bringing you the latest updates from the many gifed artsts on our platormm
This Months Artst Interviews Love and Landscapes – with Phyllis Mahon Captured By the Colours of Brazil – with Bigui Find Your Own Way - with Christel Haag
Featured Artworks • • • • • •
Sokratis Evgenides
• •
Emma Cownie
Sahar Zuher André Baldet Min Zou Michael Neamand Dee Brown Thu Nguyen
Front Cover - “A Messenger from a Golden Land” by Phyllis Mahon Back Cover - “My Fair Lady” by Rafail Aliyev
If you are interested in an artsts work and want to fnd out more, email us info@artbaazar.com
“Santorini Magic 6”, Sokratis Evgenidis, Oil on Canvas, 60cm x 100cm, 2020
“Santorini Magic”, Sokratis Evgenidis, Oil on Canvas, 60cm x 90cm, 2020
View – Online Art Gallery of Greek Artstt Sokrats vnenidis
“Tell My Name”, Sahar Zuher, Mixed Media
“Dear Lucy”, Sahar Zuher, Mixed Media
“Just for Me”, Sahar Zuher, Mixed Media
View – The Online Art Gallery of Sahar Zuher
“Lisbon-02”, André Baldet
“BANGKOKbynight-15c”, André Baldet
“Lisbon-01”, André Baldet
“BANGKOKbynight-14c”, André Baldet
View – The Online Art Gallery of Andre Baldet
LOV AND LANDSCAP with Phyllis Mahon
“A Message from a Golden Land”, Phyllis Mahon, Watercolour, 2016
Phyllis Mahon is a professional artst and illustrator who studied Paintng and Printmaking at Belfast College of Art in the 1970's and afer living in London untl 1993, has based her studio in the Lincolnshire Woldsm Throughout the ninetes, illustratng large Tarot and Astrology projects for a local Colour Therapy Company immediately brought her art to a worldwide audiencem Over the past forty years she has exhibited extensively in the UK and Ireland and was one of seven Northern Irish artsts representng Ulster in a group exhibiton in Hong Kong, as well as having a solo exhibiton in Georgia USAm Women and lovers have always been her fascinaton, but more recently the Lincolnshire landscape with its dark skies and layers receding for miles has made a strong impression on herm It initally provided a pastoral backdrop for her subjects, but she now depicts rolling skies and light-flled trees as landscape pieces in their own right - a perfect metaphor to convey emoton and spiritualitym Phyllis favours the mediums of watercolour, acrylic and pastelsm Ten years ago Phyllis received an Arts Council East Midlands Award which enabled her to learn stone-carving, and she now loves carving in the local limestonem Since her last exhibiton at Gallery at Stm Martns, she was commissioned to create nine illustratons by a Danish author, and has contnued to add to her comprehensive list of artworks available onlinem Phyllis Mahon's works are in collectors in Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the USAm What initally drew you towards becominn an artst? It wasn't something that I'd consciously planned but I had been encouraged to draw and paint since I was a small childm It was only when I was approaching my A levels that my Art teacher at school pointed me in the directon of Art Collegem How would you describe your own personal style? Romantc sometmes Spiritualm What pushed you in that directon and how can you see your work evolvinn in the future? I am mid-way through my sixtes now so I am not sure how to answer that! I just want to createm It was a huge afrmaton and confdence booster being a successful recipient of a small Arts Council Northern Ireland Award just afer I lef college and then when i was ffy, an Arts Council East Midlands Awardm I'd just come through a long period of illness so it was a
lovely boost to what I was determined to believe was half-way through my careerm (I'm assuming I'm going to live to 100!)
"L'Amour Fou - Crazy Love", Phyllis Mahon, Linoprint, 1994
What inspires you in your work; is there a drivinn factor that draws you to the easel? These days my work is a litle more objectve - literature and landscapem In my early career I'm afraid it was like a visual diary - looking back as I went along I could see how happy or unhappy I was in my love life! It was always about love and romance for mem
Are there partcular individuals who have encouraned / inspired you alonn the wayt friendst familyt teacherst maybe even other artsts? First: the wonderful, dramatc, totally unusual nun who taught me at my Convent Grammar School in Strabane, Northern Irelandm Back then we had to atend on a Saturday morning to take the Art Class, so everyone including her was dedicated to being therem She was the one who pointed me towards Art College in Belfastm Second: when I was litle I spent a lot of tme at my grandmother's house in Tyrone; she had it flled with not the usual Irish Catholic 'Holy pictures' but large reproducton prints of Italian Renaissance artworks like Bellini and Leonardo's Last Supperm In the 'best room' that no one ever used were large black and white Pre-Raphaelite engravingsm To a small child these were amazingm Third: when I was a young exhibitng artst, my siblings occasionally bought my works through the galleries I exhibited in - now I appreciate that this was a lovely gesturem Four: my ex-husband gave me a lot of support by beautfully framing my works - back in the eightes they were mostly very large pastels, so he really presented them wonderfully - and made a successful career change for himself toom Now my son also frames for me on occasionm Five: last but not least, shortly afer we got together in the ninetes, my second husband, a furniture maker, made three-dimensional pieces for me to decoratem I think working in three dimensions sparked of the idea to try stone-carving in my ffiesm When it comes to creatnn your workt do you have a preferred mediumt certain types of brushes or tools you love to use? In my early career when I was in my thirtes, I drew with pastels all spring, autumn and winter and in the hot summers I would tend to cut the huge lino pieces that I created at that tme (heat made them easy to cut) and I would print them in the autumn when it was cooler! Since 2010 I've started to paint in acrylic, especially liking to work on unbleached linenm I stll love using chalk pastels toom But since 201e my obsession has been with handmade grey and blue paper made in India; it is simply wonderfulm Brushes always have to be good quality. I like using a rigger occasionally to achieve long sweeping lines.
"Hope - Awaiting a New Day", Phyllis Mahon, Chalk Pastel, 2020
When it comes to the subject mater of your workt what draws you to those themes? As I mentoned before - my emotonal state of mindm Now that I paint landscapes as well as fgures, and the fgures have become not euite so 'centre-stage,' there is stll that element of my works illustratng my life - but to a much lesser extentm Could you describe the process behind your art? How do you net from concept to executon?
In my personal work I just never know what the image is going to be; I am happiest when it is a pleasant surprisem When it comes to illustraton, that's a completely diferent approach as I put ideas into 4 or 5 rough sketches that inevitably progress and evolve fairly euickly between myself and the commissionerm
" �Three Graces on the River of Time", Phyllis Mahon, Pastels, 1988
Could you describe your normal day as an artst? Have you set routnes and rituals or is it more a case of when the moment is rinht you work?
I work hard and I love working whatever it is - and I certainly don't wait for inspiraton; I'm sure this is made easier because I have always basically 'lived' in my studio - I've always worked from my own home; I've never "gone out to workm" So I usually start mid morning and maybe work untl very late if it's bright enoughm I rarely work by artfcial light so I suppose I do diferent things at diferent tmes of yearm My litle paintng room is cold and bright, with a massive window, east facing so not direct sunlight; it's just of my kitchen which is great toom I'm in there more in Spring and Autumn (in the Summer I'm in the garden with a table - or in the yard stone-carving, because I adore being in the sun)m In the Winter I do watercolours more than anything else, on a litle folding table in a warmer room by a windowm I've lately realised that I've always been lucky to have had a reasonable amount of spacem In my early years in London, I worked in my home that was actually short-life housing/studio space provided by ACME an arts organisatonm This put me in the mind-set of my home-life revolving around my studio not fing my studio into my home! It wasn't unusual because the whole street was such, with many other artsts all my age in the other housesm It was euite a unieue set up and very habit-forming but I couldn't see that at the tme untl I came away from itm Also, it had been a very fuid situaton with me, a young mother of three in my early thirtes, trying out the various rooms untl I had the best spacem Afer my divorce, when I moved to the country, in essence to someone else's house, my working spaces suddenly became smaller and more doted around the house - (I have four small rooms much to my husband's amusement) but as I strongly feel that it is imperatve to have an adeeuate space to work in, I'm obviously stll a bit selfsh when it comes to grabbing rooms! I was probably inspired by Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own! When you workt do you focus on one piece at a tme untl completon or are you workinn on multple pieces at the same tme? Almost always one piece at a tme; I get very absorbed and to do otherwise would seem odd to mem When I sometmes illustrate, my favourite projects are ones that involve a series of images and when I am in that zone, none of my personal work gets done or even thought aboutm That doesn't happen a lot though, only every couple of yearsm
"Brightness will follow Darkness II", Phyllis Mahon, Watercolour, 2016
“Listening to Trees (A Face, a Memory”, Phyllis Mahon, Acrylic on Canvas, 2018
How has your art evolved to be where it is today? Looking back I can see certain things happened that were so important and such good fortune: 1mthe dedicated teacher at school 2mgeing a few pieces in an exhibiton just before I graduated which made it easy to approach a gallery afer I lef college in that I knew the procedure 3mgeing into short-life studio space in London which meant we could live on a minimal rent and so I could devote myself to my career 4mapproaching a small publishing house because I fancied trying illustraton and being commissioned - and the very occasional commissions further freed me fnancially 5mnever experiencing, or probably more accurately, not notcing discriminaton emmoving in blind faith to the country, away from what was my beloved city environment and almost immediately aceuiring a fve year illustraton placement that brought my work to a worldwide audience - albeit it a certain limited audience - and learning computer skills as a spin of from this job 7meventually acceptng the countryside’s peace and traneuility and its inevitable infuence on my imagery; realising that that where I am is where I should bem That was a defning moment for my outlook on lifem Which of your artworks are you most proud? I really cannot saym Periodically I think I'll never part with this one - or that one - but I do and a favoured one always replaces it for a whilem So it would be impossible to say for surem Is there a fellow artst alive today that you admire? If sot why? Artsts whose works I admire most right now are: Fabienne Monester’s semi abstract watercolours of trees, John O’Grady’s emotve landscapes, Catalin Ilinca’s strong fguratve works and Richard Cartwright’s lyrical fguratve/landscape worksm If you could travel back in tmet is there a partcular artstc period / era that you would like to have been involved in? Paris at the turn of the 20th Centurym
"Out in the Night", Phyllis Mahon, Acrylic & Oil on Canvas Board, 2017
What challennes do you feel the 21st century artst has to overcome? Unless you're wealthy and have someone to do it for you, I think it's hugely important to be able to work digitally even if it's just photographing one's work to enable uploading to an online gallery or building one's own websitem I love computer work and luckily can work in Photoshop and InDesign - this is a result of the fve year Illustraton job that I was involved in shortly afer I came to live in the countryside in the ninetes, and it was the last thing that I expected to happenm If I hadn't been fascinated by seeing the workers in the company's graphics ofce enhancing my imagery, and I felt that I could do that too, I wouldn't have experienced this huge interestng online world! What advice would you nive to a younn aspirinn artst currently studyinn art? Believe in yourself - each person's story is as valid as the next'sm Despite havinn developed your own distnctve stylet is there another style of art that you are immediately drawn towards and admire? Why?
Abstract art - it is fascinatngm Some days I think I would love to do an abstract paintng but somehow I just don't and I've got no idea why I don't trym
"Homage to the Serpent"
"In the Pursuit of Passion"
The above are large monochrome linoprints created by Phyllis Mahon's in 1991m We have all heard of the unfnished masterpiecet even Da Vinci laboured away at the Mona Lisa for years and yearst have you works that are in a contnual process of evoluton? When workinn on an artwork do you fnd it hard to let no? Knowinn when enounh is enounh? As I mentoned before, my works are not planned - usually a huge surprise! They appear on my canvas or paper and I work intensely and that's thatm In pastels or acrylic pieces, I would change something only very, very occasionally at a later datem However in digital imagery,
Photoshop gives endless permutatons in its layers and I can drive myself mad with too much choicem Working in stone - or linoprints - one doesn't have the choices - and maybe that's for the best for someone like me?
"Earth Angel Magenta Glow", Phyllis Mahon, Chalk Pastel, 1990
Many people see artsts as storytellers or advocates for a causet do you believe that it is an artstt’s responsibility to shine a linht on a partcular subject / themet or do you create purely for the sake of expressinn your creatve nature? It's defnitely the later for me but I appreciate that works created for the former reason are as wonderful and valid as anym There is no responsibility to have to be a storytellerm What are you workinn on at the moment? Recent illustratonn: In 2018 a Danish author commissioned me to illustrate 10 images for her book “Hellige Hjerte Essensen� (Sacred Heart Essences) which was published in late 2019m It was a lovely link back in tme to the spiritual illustratons I used to so enjoy doing for Aura Soma between 199e -2001: The AuraSoma New Aeon Tarot, the Goddesses Astrology series, personifying the Numbers 0 -9 for a Numerology book (that was partcularly adorable to do!), Buterfy imagery, Angel imagery etc
Recent personal workn: Through 2019 it’s been watercolours, some large pastels of landscape, women, loversm My son bought me a pack of beautful heavyweight A4 handmade paper for my birthday last November and that sparked of a litle personal project of 20 Tree images, some loosely painted, some very fnely painted, some with fguresmm
"The Bright Field", Phyllis Mahon, Acrylic on Linen, 2017
Have you ever been part of an artstc nroup / movement? How did your work beneft from that experience? In 198e-7 I was part of a printmaking group for a year or so; it was called Rouge Press and had been organised by another ACME artst Elaine Kowalskym There were eight of us and that was the frst and only tme I'd worked in a groupm We produced a limited editon linoprint portolio which was launched by the Curwen gallery in London and toured UK and Ireland - it was an interestng experience and set me of on years of intaglio printng and wood-engraving which were mediums that I had not worked in since college days ten years before thatm
“Rainbow in her Hair”, Phyllis Mahon, Acrylic on Paper, 2019
When is your next exhibiton? Is it a solo or nroup exhibiton? Could you tell us a litle about the exhibitont when and where it is? Right now I'm very content with just having my artwork online and I put a lot of tme and efort into it, hugely enjoying reaching a worldwide audiencem So I don’t have any plans for exhibitons in the near future - I guess if I make it to be 80 or 90, it’d be very nice to have a retrospectve in Ireland, partcularly in County Tyronem
View - The Online Art Gallery of Phyllis Mahon
"What is Hope?", Min Zou, Oil on Linen, 2016
"Redness", Min Zou, Oil on Linen, 2013
"The Blue", Min Zou, Oil on Linen, 2013
View - The Online Art Gallery of Min Zou
“The Wrath 1” Micheal Neamand
“The Wrath 2” Michael Neamand
“The Wrath 3” Michael Neamand
“The Wrath 4” Micheal Neamand
“The Wrath 5” Michael Neamand
“The Wrath 6” Michael Neamand
View - The Online Art Gallery of Michael Neamand
CAPTUR D BY TH COLOURS OF BRAZIL with Bigui
“Fruit Mix 2020”, Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 120cm x 120cm x 3cm, 2020
German artst, Bigui is hugely inspired by colour and forms that exist in fruits and fowersm This came about as a result of living in Brazil and its vibrant colours have led to her creatng a collecton of large artworks that have a striking presencem
Bigui has been an artst since 2000 and has lived for several years in Brazilm At the moment she lives and works as an artst in Germanym During her career Bigui has received invitatons to both natonal and internatonal exhibitons as well as art fairs and art eventsm Bigui was honoured to receive the Palm Art Award in 2017 and also in 2018m Objects of the nature fascinate her and she loves their intense coloursm When it comes to the creaton of her artworks she does not know how long she spends working on each piece of artm It is a creatve process that is built up layer by layer untl a certain polished fnished comes to the workm For Bigui efect is not important in her work, for her the importance lies in the expressionm "So I said to myself – I´ll paint what I see – what the fower is to me but I´ll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking tme to look at itm“ Georgia O´Keefe 1939
"Blackberry", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 50cm x 50cm, 2018
What initally drew you towards becominn an artst? I was highly inspired by the tme I lived in Brazilm I was captured by the vibrancy of it allm I loved and I am loving those intense colours and felt drawn to paint themm
How would you describe your own personal style? I work passionately to exaggerate all the fne details and textures of natures beauty and to bring those elements to life on the canvasm What inspires you in your workt is there a drivinn factor that draws you to the easel? Objects of nature fascinate mem To see an apple with his loving intense coloursm The simple details of the daily life inspire me, the arrangement in a basket of fruit in the market, like a tomato, peppers, all coming together with their beautful colours and formsm
"Paprika", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 50cm x 50cm, 2019
Are there partcular individuals who have encouraned / inspired you alonn the wayt friendst familyt teacherst maybe even other artsts? Yes my teacher Nanci Bastos in Brazil, other artsts in Brazil like Adelio Sarro and my family, and acknowledgement I receive from my customers :)
When it comes to creatnn your workt do you have a preferred mediumt certain types of brushes or tools you love to use? I am currently paintng with original Brazilian colours and canvasm I love to use Brazilian canvases, acrylics and brushes, they are of a high euality and easy to work with when it comes to creatng my fnished worksm Could you describe the process behind your art? How do you net from concept to executon? Once I have decided on the object emgm cherries, I then move to thinking about some compositons, trying to fgure out what works best on the canvasm i generally sketch out various optons before I transfer it on to my canvasm I create my artworks by paintng layer by layer up to the certain moment - untl a gloss appearsm The euick moment is not important important its the expressionm
"Orange", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 120cm x 120cm, 2017
When it comes to the subject mater of your workt what draws you to those themes? I am drawn by the Magic of Art: In my understanding art should transport happiness and sun into the hearts of the peoplem
"Raspberries", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 110cm x 110cm, 2018
Could you describe your normal day as an artst? Have you set routnes and rituals or is a more a case of when the moment is rinht you work? I love to be in my studio in the morningm When everything is nice and euiet and the day starts and I am full of energy and ideas, from there is either a case of contnuing what I was working on or the exploraton of new ideas for future worksm
When you workt do you focus on one piece at a tme untl completon or are you workinn on multple pieces at the same tme? I general work on multple pieces at the same tmem Some fruits, some fowers, a colourful mix of everythingm How has your art evolved to be where it is today? I tend to leave this judgement to my art friendsm Which of your artworks are you most proud of? Lately my cherries, but I have some paintngs from the few last years, that when I see them, I'm glad that I created them and satsfed with the fnished productm What advice would you nive to a younn aspirinn artst currently studyinn art? Listen to your own heartm
"Lily", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 110cm x 110cm, 2018
"Apples Diptych", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 2019
“Strawberries 2020”, Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 2020
We have all heard of the unfnished masterpiecet even Da Vinci laboured away at the Mona Lisa for years and yearst have you works that are in a contnual process of evoluton? When workinn on an artwork do you fnd it hard to let no? Knowinn when enounh is enounh? Oh yes the tme to say, now it's done, that's very very difcultm Sometmes I have put aside an artwork feeling that it is fnished and when I return to my archive and get it out, I start to change it againm Other tmes customers feedback confrms it for me and I tell myself 'Birgit, your artwork is ready' : )
"Cherries", Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 110cm x 110cm, 2017
What are you workinn on at the moment? I'm currently working on new ideas based around banana plants and tropical fowersm
Have you ever been part of an artstc nroup / movement? How did your work beneft from that experience? I tend to work alone a lot, but I like geing to know other artsts through public engagements at exhibitons and interactng with themm
“Hibiscus�, Bigui, Acrylic on Canvas, 100cm x 80cm, 2019
When is your next exhibiton? Is it a solo or nroup exhibiton? Could you tell us a litle about the exhibitont when and where it is? I have some plans lined up for exhibitons in the next year, and I am currently in the preparatory phase so it will be later in the year before I can confrm exact datesm
View - The Online Art Gallery of Binui
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“Mondriaan Blues”, Dee Brown, Textured Acrylics
“Red Label”, Dee Brown, Acrylics
“Savage Reds”, Dee Brown, Acrylics
View – The Online Art Gallery of Dee Brown
“The Red Roofed House” Emma Cownie Oil on Linen
“On Eighter Island” Emma Cownie Oil on Linen
“The Pigs Back ( Mucklish Mountain, Donegal), Emma Cownie, Oil on Linen
View – The Online Art Gallery of mma Cownie
FIND YOUR OWN WAY with Christel Haag
“Little Flirt”, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Paper, 2018
Christel Haag is a self-taught abstract artst, who has travelled extensively, she has spent several years in Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Singaporem Today, she lives and works in Munich, Germanym She has previously worked as an Instructor, Consultant for Foreign Students, as well as Public Relatons Ofcer at Universites in Germany In 2002 she decided to follow her heart and dedicate more tme to developing her skills as an Artstm Although predominantly a self-taught artst she contnually takes classes by leading and well-known artsts at prestgious art insttutonsm This included studies at the European Academy of Fine Arts in Trier, the Summer Academy of Blieskastel, as well as a stay in Provencem Haag has a deep passion for creatng abstract artm Nature inspires and drives her workm Whilst the many marvellous impressions she takes home from her travels freeuently appear in their abstract form in her paintngsm Haag also expresses the mood and feeling of a partcular moment in tmem It is frst and foremost the joy of paintng, of colours, of the creatve process itself and of the energy of being that drives her artstc creatonm What initally drew you towards becominn an artst? It is probably fair to say that I had an instnctve calling towards the creatve side of my personality since a young age, during my formatve years in educaton I was always drawn towards the creatve elements of paintng and drawingm However, upon entering University I made the decision to follow a line of study outside of Art, possibly a decision made more in line with the economic practcalites of life rather than trustng the artstc instnct inside mem This led to a number of years where my creatve instncts were lying dormant, always there in the background, bubbling up but not acted upon, a desire but not necessarily a priority in the busyness of my life at that tmem At what point did you allow your creatve side to re-enter your life and why? It is hard to deny your inner drive, your basic instncts are always there, knocking on the door, asking to be releasedm There is only so many tmes that you can suppress it before your creatve instncts start to eat away at you, demanding to be acted onm It difers from person to person and in my case it was the need to be creatvem I realised about 15 years ago that I had to express myself creatvely, the waitng for the right moment to appear was an unrealistc choice, so I picked up my brushes and started my creatve journey with commitment to exploring my artstc selfm Despite it being a natural inner drive I also knew
that I needed to take courses to develop my skills and understanding of art, both at home in Germany and whilst I was living abroadm It was an excellent learning curve when it came to learning diferent technieues but also when it came to fnding the most efectve means of expressing myself as an artstm
"Find Your Own Way", Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2015
Besides the natural inner drive to express yourself creatvely was there any other elements that helped you move in the directon of becominn an artst?
I believe that many artsts are curious by nature, observing everything around them, trying to make sense of the world in which we live, as a passionate traveller I found that my experiences abroad always fed my imaginatonm Maybe it is the freshness of new environments opening your eyes, maybe it is your senses opening up to the new
experience, but I would, and do stll, feel invigorated by travel on a creatve levelm Looking back at the numerous places that I have visited each locaton has lef an impression on me that needed to be expressed creatvelym This reach a turning point afer a stay in Malta, on my return I felt compelled to turn those experiences / impressions into works of art and before I knew it I had created a series of maybe 14 paintngs as a result of my tme therem So, on a personal level there can be no denying that travel impacts on my creatve side, opening my eyes and artstc mind at the same tmem
"Birdy", Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2017
How has your art evolved to be where it is today? What inspires you in your workt is there a drivinn factor that draws you to the easel? What pushed you in that directon and how can you see you work evolvinn in the future?
Once I made the decision to open the door to my creatve urges, I felt that I had to go back to the beginning to discover who I really was an artstm If I was going to move forward it was critcal that I start by remaining open minded and willing to experiment with colours, shapes, textures etcm It was as if I granted myself the right to be free again, free without boundaries or pre-existng ideas of who I should be as an artstm The freedom that this gave me led to a truly energising period, where I approach everything with the natural enthusiasm of a child, everything was possible and everything was there to be exploredm I started to play with various media, I examined how diferent tools created varying efects on the canvasm I played with colour schemes to learn how they interacted with each otherm As I came across a new technieue in another artsts work, I wanted to see if it worked for me as a means of personal expressionm Although this period could be viewed as a tme of playful expression, it was also a tme where I was subconsciously peeling away the layers and discovering who I truly was as an artstm All this combined to help me fnd a means of creatve expression - a style, a method that is evidently minem
"Little Secrets", Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2017
How would you describe your own personal style? My artwork is evidently Abstract in its nature, but its more than that, I would like to think that my love of colour comes to the fore when someone views my work, and that the energy with which I approach my work translates well onto the canvasm I hope that the expressive elements of what I do lead to the uplifing of a viewer’s mood when they engage with my artworkm Are there partcular individuals who have encouraned / inspired you alonn the wayt friendst familyt teacherst may be even other artsts? If I am honest I would say I have always been more inspired by colour rather than by individual artstsm Certain Art Movements have had a more profound efect on me, for example, I have always been instnctvely drawn to the works of the Impressionists and Expressionists, the freedom with which they explore colour and approach their subject mater has always fascinated me, even when stll in educaton my room would be covered with prints of their works, a possible reminder of my deeper desire to be creatve??? When it comes to creatnn your workt do you have a preferred mediumt certain types of brushes or tools you love to use? My methods and means of working have certainly evolved over the last ffeen years, today I work almost exclusively with acrylic paints on canvasm I fnd a fexibility in the use of acrylics but due to its euick drying nature I feel that it encourages me to work euickly and with energym I believe that this need to get my ideas onto the canvas euickly is well suited to my style of paintng and personal expressionm When it comes to the tools used in geing paint onto the canvas I can be euite free, switching between various types of brushes, grabbing a spatula, seueegee or even a cloth, by not commiing myself to only one tool I fnd that the spontaneity of my work gets transferred to the canvasm Do you need to work from your studio or can you be equally creatve in whatever environment you fnd yourself? Have you set routnes and rituals or is a more a case of when the moment is rinht you work? The most important thing for me is having place to paintm Whereas, having a designated studio brings a certain comfort and familiarity within the work space, all I usually reeuire to start paintng is a well-lit room with a table and my usual eeuipment of paints, brushes, canvases etcm Once all that is in place, it is a case of freeing myself enough to engage with
that inner urge to paintm I guess some artsts might describe this as connectng with their musem It is a balance between having the right environment, the tools and the desire to actm
“Rückzugsort (Retreat)”, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Paper, 2019
"PickNick", Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2005
However, experience has taught me that sometmes acton is the best means of engaging with your creatve juicesm If I only acted when the desire was bitng me I would be far less productve, like many things in life, once you start the process tends to take on a life of its ownm The act of puing paint on the canvas is in itself a key to creatvity which unlocks the door to fnished artworksm Once the actual process of paintng commences, it is as if I am transported into a zone where nothing else maters, tme ceases to exist and everything comes together where my work seems to fow of its accord, each acton bringing me closer to creatng an artwork that is in tune with my inner self in that momentm On a personal level, I really enjoy what I do, I get a real sense of satsfacton from paintngm It is as if a whole myriad of thoughts and experiences are coming together in that momentm Generally speaking my work is inspired by the beauty of nature and diversity of the world around mem That in itself is the main driving factor in my work, being able to express all that
brings me joy in what I do, having said that some of my work is refectve of the normal worries and woes you have as an ordinary person, the personal ups and downs, the disheartening stories we hear from around the world, they too deserve their voice and if this is what needs to be expressed in that moment …m I paint itm
“New Beginning”, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2017
We have all heard of the unfnished masterpiecet even Da Vinci laboured away at the Mona Lisa for years and yearst have you works that are in a contnual process of evoluton? When workinn on an artwork do you fnd it hard to let no? Knowinn when enounh is enounh? As an artst I do not have a defned means of dictatng whether a work is fnished or notm It can be an ongoing relatonship with some works and then others instnctvely feel fnished
and I have a personal sense of contentment in that moment when I step away from the canvasm It difers from one work to the next, it is hard to describe in words, it is a bit like a baby bird fying the nest, some are ready to leave real euickly and others need to be nurtured, before you feel confdent that they have what it takes to stand alonem Of course, there is a balance, because when it comes to paintng you can hold on too long, over think it, over paint it and you end up going past the point of no returnm There is a fne line between leing go and hanging on in hope, but over the years I have become beter eeuipped to judge when the moment is rightm
“SonnengrĂźnâ€?, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2005
“Decamerone”, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2006
Which of your artworks are you most proud? I am driven by the desire to express myself, to create, when working I am leing my feelings pour into my workm It is personalm Even long afer I have fnished the artwork I stll recognise a part of me on the canvasm I do not necessarily have an artwork that I would say I most proud of, I do, however, feel that I am handing a piece of me over to someone when they aceuire one of my paintngs and there is certainly a moment of inner satsfacton when the buyer recognises that, it would be dishonest of me to say that in that moment a sense of personal achievement doesn’t exist, it’s like a meetng of mindsm If there is pride in my work, it is more about the connecton with the viewer being achieved rather than in an individual workm Each and every work can bring about a diferent reacton from viewer to viewerm For me it is about connectng with the viewerm That is the point of happiness in my workm
View - The Online Art Gallery of Christel Haan
“They Look Alike”, Christel Haag, Acrylic on Canvas, 2018
"Beloved", Thu Nguyen, Oil on Panel, 2018
"Remember Me", Thu Nguyen, Oil on Panel, 2018
"I Want To Put a Ding in the Universe", Thu Nguyen, Oil on Panel, 2018
View – The Online Art Gallery of Thu Nnuyen
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#6 APRIL 2020