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Art Source
Natural Ties
Sanja Rescek is an artist based in Zagreb, Croatia. Her artwork is a beautiful fusion of love for nature and family. With her art featuring in more than 120 published books and card collections Sanja is an exciting voice in the greeting card and publishing worlds. Here she shares her story.
“I was born here in Zagreb, Croatia and this is where I discovered my passion for art. As long as I can remember, I always loved to draw. It was just a natural progression from a child who was simply fascinated with the art world to continue with my passion. I attended the School of Applied Arts and Design and after that Academy of Fine Arts here in Zagreb where I studied graphic design and painting. My illustrations are often described as a blend of depth and intricacy. I see nature as an endless source of creative inspiration and the time I spend outdoors, with my family, has been fundamental to my artwork. My love for animals and flowers is evident in my illustrations, and they frequently take centre stage in my creations. The beauty of nature and the close bond I share with my family are what resonate with me the most. As an artist, I strive to create pieces that reflect my feelings and experiences. I want those who receive my designs, perhaps on their birthday or their anniversary to feel a connection both with their loved ones and my art. Recently, I've been fascinated by old herbariums, butterfly collections and cyanotype art. I find something captivating about these mediums, and I'm exploring ways to incorporate them into my cards and textile patterns. Above left: Sanja is equally at home using a pretty pastel palette as she is with bolder colours. Left: A love of nature makes its appearance throughout Sanja’s work, be it through a fern pattern or subtle petal depictions.
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Far left: Sanja Rescek is inspired by nature and family love. Above: A playful jewel coloured palette works well with this design. Left: Contemporary Summer cheer Sanja style. Below left: An intimate cute design by Sanja.
I'm excited by the potential of combining these sources to create new, experimental and stunning textures, overlappings and colours. I believe this could lead to something truly special. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate enough to work with many greeting card publishers and my work has been featured on designs for American Greetings, Papyrus, UNICEF, Noel Tatt, Paper Rose and many more. I have had many highlights in my career but creating the Kaleidoscope range for Paper Rose and a floral range for Noel Tatt, which they affectionately named Sanja, are certainly among them - along with a fabric collection with Robert Kaufmann fabrics. These achievements have inspired me to keep pushing the boundaries of my creative expression. To me, my work is more than just illustrations, it's a celebration of the natural world and the ties that bind us to our loved ones. My art is a reminder of the simple joys of life - the beauty of a flower, the flutter of a butterfly and the warmth of family love. My advice to any up-and-coming artist, would be to get a good education. Master the technical area of your work and simultaneously develop your own creative and artistic niche. Try to be yourself, a little bit different and always try to be as objective as possible. Walk away and give yourself some distance from the things you made, then come back and see if you would do anything differently. Don’t be afraid to experiment and be inspired by things around you. Even the smallest things, particularly in nature and everyday life, can be a fantastic source of inspiration. l Sanja Rescek is represented by the
Bright Agency for licensing.
If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 47