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What inspired you to create art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
I've been drawing since childhood, like most artists, but I never thought about art as a profession.
I've loved to draw for as long as I can . I was good at it. I drew funny pictures of my friends, I drew cartoons of teachers at school, I drew posters, I drew creative works for myself and friends. To my shame my textbooks and notebooks were always painted. I was one of the best in my art school class. That said, I had no idea that it was possible to choose art as a profession. I was just a girl who was good at drawing. I liked complex problems back then, I liked math and economics, and drawing was easy for me. At that time a lot of people became lawyers and economists, I got into economics too.
When I came to the university, I had a folder of paper with me and I sketched people in the subway. In the dormitory, I met some guys who were artists and thought: "Wow, you could do that, why didn't I think of that before".
In the building where I studied, there was a painting department one floor above, sometimes I went up there and enjoyed the familiar smell of paint. I was still drawn to art.
Then I worked in a bank and an office and didn't paint. One day I was taken to a painting workshop. It was terrible, but I realized there that painting was what I wanted to do. Life brought me back to where I started anyway. It's just that my path wasn't straight, but with a huge loop. I envy those who know right away what they want to do.
I started my art journey nine years ago. While I was looking for my style, I painted flowers and skyscapes in a minimalist style. It was my tribute to the beauty of nature, but I find more opportunities to express myself in surrealism.
Art is my way of sharing my experiences, my emotions, of telling what's important to me, of showing what I find beautiful and amazing.
What are your artistic experiences, techniques and themes that you have experimented with?
My first works were closer to impressionism in style. I painted landscapes, flowers, as the beauty of nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. I painted a lot of people, I see beauty in faces. I tried my hand at abstraction - it didn't work, so I ire abstractionists. I tried working with liquid acrylic, it was interesting, but it wasn't my thing. I had a series of minimalist paintings with celestial landscapes, where only the sky and the horizon line, the beauty of the sky fascinates me. My painting in the beginning was more pastel. Now I like to paint in thin layers.
After a year of artistic experimentation, I began to work in the genre of imaginary realism (magical realism or surrealism), which is the genre in which I continue to work.
In addition to painting, I'm easily into any kind of needlework. At one time I liked beads. I started using translucent beads in my art by sewing them onto the finished painting. I like to follow the refraction of light and the shadow of the beads on the canvas. By sewing the beads onto the painting, I damage the canvas by piercing it with a needle, through this destruction a new work of art emerges. In addition, the beads are a conduit between our physical world and the world depicted in the painting.
What are the 3 aspects that set you apart from other artists, making your work unique?
What a difficult question. I guess all artists are as different as they are similar.
The subjects in my paintings are my own personal experience and inspiration, I come up with them myself, that's what makes them unique. Other real creators do the same, that's what makes us similar.
The creatures that inhabit my paintings are unique. The rules of my universe created for them apply to them.
I think my color palette is recognizable. I don't know if I would call it unique.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I have several sources of inspiration. Drawing a piece from each of them, I end up with a whole picture.
I am inspired by what I see and find beautiful. It's the sky, nature. There are so many amazing creatures in the world. I feel a connection to nature, and that connection is present in my paintings.
I am inspired by the way my emotions are transformed into visual images.
But the final plot of the painting is born as I'm working and often I can't predict it. I don't wait for the inspiration to start working; I know it will come when I pick up a pencil.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, feelings or sensations do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I want the viewer to feel the subject matter of the paintings and have their own story behind them. I want my paintings to evoke contradictory feelings and ask the viewer questions. I think an emotional response is the most valuable thing.
What is the process of creating your work? Spontaneously or with a long preparatory process (technical, classical inspiration, etc)?
I used to start a painting immediately on canvas, but because of that I had to redo a lot of things. Now I have a lot of preparatory work before I take the paints.
First I do a lot of sketches to fix the idea. Then I take reference photos to do more detailed sketches. I take photos of myself and different objects that will be in the painting or are similar to them in order to position the light and shade correctly. Sometimes I mold figures out of plasticine and take pictures of them. I have a plasticine head of a girl who is the heroine of my paintings. When there are enough photos, I again sketch and transfer the final sketch with pencil on canvas.
My painting is layered. I usually paint several pictures at the same time so I don't waste time as the layers of paint dry. I spend a long time on each painting, as if living through it.
Do you use a certain technique? If so, can you explain?
My technique is to put a thin layer of paint all over the canvas so there are no white spots, then paint in thin layers, working out the details.
Is there any innovative aspect to your work? Can you tell us which ones?
For the "Shards" series of paintings, I started to sew translucent beads onto the canvas. I want to combine painting and physical objects. To release the subject matter from the painting into the physical world of the viewer.
Do you have the most comfortable format or medium? If so, why?
I prefer oil paints and fine grained canvas. Oil takes a long time to dry and allows you to work on a painting for a long time. It is forgiving of mistakes.
Where do you produce your work? At home, in a shared studio, or in your own workshop? And in that space, how do you organize your creative work?
I paint in my apartment. I have a corner in my room where there is good light and I can put my easel and chair. I like the smell of paint and the fact that I surround myself with art. Sometimes it gets messy when several paintings are drying at the same time, but that bothers my family , not me.
Does your work cause you to travel to meet new collectors, fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does that bring you?
Yes, I participate in fairs and exhibitions. For me it's a place to meet viewers and other artists. The face-to-face interaction is very valuable, people are more open than on social media. Artists share their experiences, viewers share their emotions. It's all very ive and inspiring.
How do you envision the evolution of your work and career as an artist in the future?
It's hard to say how my work will change. I am curious and open to new things. I plan to keep painting and participating in exhibitions. I hope their geography will expand.
What is the theme, style, or technique of your most recent artwork?
My last work, "The Secret Door," was on a large format for me, 65x155 cm. I gave so much of myself to it that I haven't yet started anything new after it. In it, a jellyfish girl searches for a secret door behind which the world is safe and secure. She launches her hand in there, someone takes her by the hand and lifts her up. It is a closed system, the girl pulls herself out.
It's a painting about finding your place, your home, about help and rescue.
Tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
Every exhibition experience gave me something important. Probably the most memorable experiences are the solo exhibitions. I usually write slowly and it takes a lot of time and effort to create an exhibition for me. But the payoff from visitors afterwards is tremendous.
If you could create a famous work in art history, which one would you choose? Why would you choose it?
I would choose Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. When I first came across this work I was amazed that it was painted in the early 16th century, so ahead of its time. So much detail and so many questions. Every time you look at it you see something new and surprising. I am close to a lot of Bosch's imagery.
If you could invite a famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
I would love to spend time with Salvador Dali at his Theater-Museum in Figueres. I was there a few years ago, it would be great to go back there with his author. We would walk through the rooms of the theater and Dali would tell me their secrets. I would have liked to get to know him better, how he thought and what he breathed.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli 
