Biennale of Nations 2022: I Want to Paint - An Interview with Giulio, Isabella Malika Diamante, and Emma!

I Want to Paint: An Interview with Giulio, Isabella Malika Diamante, and Emma!

Congratulations on your success!

These three children are the youngest 
participants admitted to the 

Biennale of Nations 2022
 

      Isabella Malika Diamante

GM: What is it like being one of the youngest participants selected for Biennale of Nations 2022?
IMD: Well, it is the result of such constancy. I don't think I was selected because I am the best young artist, but because at my age (I am 9 years old) few children think of participating in international art exhibitions and do whatever it takes to get to the end.

GM: Tell us about Biennale of Nations 2022:
IMD: The 2022 Biennial of Nations is an art exhibition that allows admitted artists to present their works in Paris, London, Barcelona and Venice and to publish their images in catalogs intended for gallery owners and museum directors.

 
GM: What is your favorite art medium?
IDM: Some of my paintings are material, made with recycled materials such as old clothes, gauze or wooden sticks. The materials are then painted with acrylic or oil colors. I have not used materials for my other canvases, but only colors applied with different techniques.

GM: Who is your favorite artist?
IDM: I started painting when I was very young and I could only let the color drip onto the canvas. I was still using washable colors, which are quite liquid. My first canvas was therefore somewhat reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's dripping, so he was the first artist whose works they introduced me to (https://youtu.be/gWifxTIdlyE). Then I discovered Banksy and l visited exhibitions about Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dalì, the Pre-Raphaelites and female artists like Tamara de Lempicka and they were all really a great emotion.

 
GM: Do you have a muse or other inspiration that propels your artistic success?
IDM: I like creativity as a means of expressing myself. It is more natural for me to write or paint than to speak. I don't have a muse because "I live in my world". I have all my projects in mind, not just artistic ones. I am a child and I want to have many beautiful experiences. The 2022 Biennial of Nations is one of them.

Isabella's Artwork

Isabella's Artwork

Giulio 

GM: What is it like being one of the youngest participants selected for Biennale of Nations 2022?

Giulio: It means being a "special" person who follow his dreams to make his projects come true.

GM: What is your favorite art medium?

Giulio: I let myself be inspired by my intuition and what I see every day. I prefer drawing on paper, in black and white, with pencil. Black and white for me represent all colors.

GM: Who is your favorite artist?

Giulio: I don't have a favorite painter. Canaletto amazes me for his concrete realistic representation.

GM: Do you have a muse or other inspiration that propels your artistic success?

Giulio: Since I was a child I drew with my great-uncle, an architect who is very artful and, having traveled all over Europe, he passed on this passion to me. Now that I'm older and 9, I also enjoy watching video tutorials by contemporary American painters.

Giulio's Artwork

      Emma

GM: What is it like being one of the youngest participants selected for Biennale of Nations 2022?

Emma: I am very excited and happy, but also a little worried that my works may not like it or that people do not understand what I wanted to express with my drawing. I don't really like showing my other works because they reflect a bit me and I am a shy child who is often afraid of the judgment of others.

GM: What is your favorite art medium?

Emma: I generally draw any white surface with a pencil, even the desk and school books. I like to use tempera and watercolors on canvases, using my hands or various objects of nature or objects that I have at my disposal in addition to brushes. For example, for the picture with the flower I used cotton buds and a real flower.

GM: Who is your favorite artist?

Emma: At the moment my favorite artist is Joan Miro, because her paintings are very colorful and creative full of details and with simple lines, I really like the eyes present in her paintings. I tried to reproduce his works and the house that I like best and that can be enriched with details invented by me... I like to include cats.

GM: Do you have a muse or other inspiration that propels your artistic success?

Emma: I don't have an inspirational muse I like to draw because it relaxes me, sometimes I find myself drawing without even realizing it, other times drawing and coloring for me means isolating myself from everything, not hearing the noises that surround me and entering my world (my parents call it Emma's fantastic world).

I realized that my drawings are also influenced by my mood, for example if I am a little sad I like to draw colorful and cheerful things (like rainbows and flowers) while if I am calm I like to draw human or animal silhouettes and faces.

Emma's Artwork

150 Mandalas for Stress Relief and Relaxation: Coloring Book for Adults by Freya Bree

 

150 Mandalas For Stress Relief and Relaxation

by Freya Bree

 

This coloring book comes with 150 uniquely designed mandalas to help one relax and it can be used as a way to meditate as well. Mandalas are sacred circles that have long been used as a healing tool for meditation and art therapy. The simple act of coloring geometric circles can be quite beneficial in relieving stress and anxiety.

Connect with the world around you as you relax, find inner peace, and let your stress melt away with these beautiful Mandalas.

It’s time for you to focus on you. Relax, take your mind off the day, week, month, or even all of 2020 and 2021 while grounding yourself in the moment. Coloring has been proven to help calm and de-stress us while allowing you to rediscover your inner artist and nurture creativity.

Life can be stressful—combat the day-to-day strain with this adult Mandala coloring book with 150 unique designs!

Relax, unwind from your day, and enjoy these unique Mandalas—the perfect adult coloring book for de-stressing.

With these 150 Mandalas, you can lose yourself in restorative meditation while taking a break from your busy daily routine. Express yourself, promote self-care, and do something kind for your mind—you’ll thank yourself later!

Product Details:

• Each mandala is uniquely designed by the artist.
• Premium glossy cover finish that keeps stains away and always maintains the clean fresh looks.
• Perfect for all coloring mediums.
• High quality 60 pound paper stock.
• Large format 8.5" wide x 11.0" tall pages.

Looking for the perfect gift for that tightly-wound family member or friend? Look no further! Life is tough, but we can get through it together. So grab a copy for yourself and someone else and discover a sense of peace and the boost from helping out someone you love. Scroll up and one-click buy now!

Available in Paperback HERE!

About the Artist

Memories of childhood have been coming back often lately in Freya’s mind. Gone are the days running barefoot in the Tibetan mountains and learning mediation for the first time in an old mountaintop temple far away from all the noises of life. Those days, Freya regularly found herself daydreaming in the world of never-ending flows of colors and patterns in her own mind and in the flows of energy only a child can see and feel.

Many years later, entwined deeply in the financial world of one of the most vibrant cities in the U.S., the memories of the innocent days come back more and more often. Freya knew she needed to do something to calm her inner child. She allows herself to see colors and patterns and to feel the movement of energy again. This time, the overflowing colors and patterns appear in various mandala forms – the oldest Buddhist practice to experience transcendence of Self and the universe as well as the impermanence of life.

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Abieto Art: An Interview with Emi Olin

Abieto Art: An Interview with Emi Olin

with Gina McKnight, Monday Creek Publishing

Looking at The Athens News several years ago, I saw a photo of Emi Olin at the local Rathacon. She was signing her award-winning art and interacting with the crowd. A graduate of Alexander High School, currently attending Ohio University, Emi has won several accolades at the local and state level. At the age of 14, Emi won Ohio’s Doodle 4 Google competition (read the article in The Athens News here!). We are thrilled to have Emi as a Monday Creek Publishing artist!

Welcome, Emi!

GM: Describe your studio and where you like to create...

EO: My studio is a small, simple drawing space filled with anatomy books, plants, and fairy lights over the wall. I like to balance the lighting from the screen to my surroundings without using too much of a harsh single source (like a lamp). Sometimes, when I'm referencing a certain object, I'll try to have it right beside me until I finish the piece!

GM: I adore your magical art. What mediums do you use?

EO: I use traditional ink and digital work as a main form of practice!

GM: Who is your favorite artist?

EO: Frank H. Netter is an anatomical artist I hold true to my heart for his illustrative narrative for medical research and illustration.  I also love an artist named Janice Sung, for her abstract art focusing around women, plants, and abstract conjectures throughout the work.

 

GM: Do you have a muse or other motivation that inspires your creativity?

EO: Whenever I create art, I like to think that I do it for someone. I often look to my friends for artistic input, and simply to be around them and feel encouraged, happy, and content with what I create. While in college, I also do my best to incorporate my skills for professors to view, constantly gaining new insight, opportunities, and skills to further aid me in my goals to become a children's book and medical illustrator!

 

GM: Of all the pieces you've created, do you have a favorite?

EO: One of my favorite pieces so far, is a piece called Honeycomb. Throughout my artistic career, I have very strong bonds towards symmetry, complex detail, and contrasting colors. I completed this piece first as a study for faces, which ended as one of my first details of a human face. I continued to flesh out the details, made mistakes, and found those mistakes as new insights to the layering processes available I had never considered before. The stark contrast and heavy uniform of symmetry constantly brings me a sense of organization, and suddenly with a twist of ununiform color schemes. It reminds me that even if I want to organize my entire life and all of its contents, things will always blend, things will spill, and it reminds me to do my best and breathe.

 

GM: You have a large local (as well as world-wide) fan base. People enjoy seeing your art. Are you currently exhibiting? Where?

EO: Yes! Currently in 2020, since March and in the Summer (2020), I will have a showing in Casa Nueva, Athens, Ohio, where originals will also be available for purchase! I chose this space specifically for the ties I hold to the restaurant, the staff that has known me since I was small, and as a way to give to their business.

 

GM: What are you currently creating?

EO: Currently, I am in the process of creating a project with Mark M. Dean, author of Doggy Deck Day and Fancy Flowers by Faye to create another book titled, Habit Rabbits, which explores narratives teaching children how to teach themselves healthy habits to keep themselves and others healthy. This book was originally prompted to start later in our book series. However, given the current pandemic of COVID-19, this project was brought to the front-grounds in efforts to get the book out and give to children to help parents teach their children about habits without scaring them of the current world situation.

 

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

EO: 1.) When I was younger, I was allergic to orange juice. However, I loved the stuff and would steal it every moment I could and would break out in horrid hives the next day. It was always worth it. I have since gotten over this allergic reaction, but I miss the scheming days of asking for orange juice the moment my mother looked away, chugging it down as fast as I could, hiding the evidence, and playing with the other children as nothing happened.

2.) I have the ability to lucid dream! I managed to achieve this ability by keeping a dream journal, where I detail all of my experiences in a visual form. Although, it's very dear to me, and not many are allowed to see it.

3.) My favorite color: Periwinkle!

4.) I can fire spin, and love to spin fire over the summer when the grass is damp (don't want anything catching on fire!!)

5.) I made my own major in my university! I was originally Pre-Med, but I decided that I wanted to go into iconographical illustration, but still focusing on anatomical thematics. As a result, it took me a while, but I managed to create my own Medical Illustration major! So far, I am extremely happy

6.) My favorite season is summer! The warm sun on my feet, going to ponds, hiking up hills to watch the subset, campfires with friends, fireflies at night, fresh fruit and vegetables? Sign me up!

7.) I have moved (so far) in 19 houses in my life, which means that for every year of my life, I have lived in a new house! It's a great way of keeping chapter memories of my life

8.) I use Painttool SAI vers. 2 and Photoshop as my digital software!

9.) Favorite food? Inarizushi! It's a bean-paste soaked in sweet liquid in a can that you can open up down the middle, stuff with rice (with a dash of rice vinegar) and eat with a little topping of red ginger! My grandmother made it every time we came over for events, and I remember eating them so fast, I would choke on the rice. I still do, but at least now I have a cup of water close to me when it comes.

10.) I love sewing clothes and animals! I'm terrible at ceramics, however. But! I've always wanted to make my own bowl and plates collection.

Connect with Emi…

Instagram

Fancy Flowers by Faye

Doggy Deck Day 

My Journal: Thinking Too Much

Painting Horses: An interview with Charlotte Hannaford

Painting Horses: An interview with Charlotte Hannaford

By Gina McKnight

Archived from the April 2020 Issue of Florida Equine Athlete magazine.

No duplication without permission.

Currently attending Middlesex University, London, England, Charlotte Hannaford loves horses. Pursuing her BA in fine art, Charlotte has a “strong passion for curating equine art where she is able to show the true beauty of the animal, capturing it in one moment.”   

Growing up, surrounded by many horses and other wildlife, Charlotte would sit for hours drawing with her mother. Now, running her own Prestige Artwork, Charlotte paints horses using a plain background “so the viewer’s eyes are drawn to focusing on the horse, allowing you to forget about all of your surroundings and just focusing on what is there.”

GM: Welcome, Charlotte! I love your art. You grew up in England, with horses. Tell us about your horse history and when you met your first horse...

CH: I have grown up around horses all my life I was always surrounded by a field of them. I loved to photograph and sketch them.

GM: Your art is gorgeous. You capture the essence of the horse beautifully. What mediums do you use?

CH: I use oils on stretched canvas.

GM: At what age did you realize you wanted to become an artist?  

CH:  Ever since I was a child I’ve loved to draw, but I decided to take on commissions and start doing my own work and selling it when I was 14 years old.

GM: Where do you find subjects to paint? Do you accept commissions from photographs, or would you rather be up front and personal?

CH:  I find some photographers on Instagram who specialize in equine photography, but I also use some subjects closer to home. I do like taking my own photos as I know exactly what I want and how I want to portray the emotions of the horse. Sometimes I can’t find that with other photographers.

GM: Describe your studio...

CH: It’s in my bedroom - so quite a small place, but perfect for me at the moment. 

GM: When you graduate from Middlesex University, what are your plans?

CH:  My plans are to become a full-time self-employed artist where I’ll then have my own studio space where I can create larger oil paintings. Making me push myself as well as my boundaries. 

GM: I love your 2020 calendar! Are you selling it in the USA?  

CH: Yes, I am! The calendar is a LIMITED EDITION so it won’t be available much longer, but not to worry, I’ll bring out a 2021 and you can just buy through my Facebook page. 

GM: Besides painting and horses, what else do you like to do in your spare time?

CH: I mostly paint. I don’t really have much time for myself. I’m either travelling every day to London, commissions, marketing or doing my own artwork, so if I have a spare moment, I love a gin in front of a movie. 

GM: Of all the horses in the world, which is your favorite breed?

CH:  My favorite is a dappled gray hunter. They are beautiful and elegant but very powerful and sometimes unpredictable. 

Connect with Charlotte…

Prestige Artwork

Meet Illustrator Çağlar Özgün!

Meet Illustrator Çağlar Özgün!

“I am a 29 children's book illustrator and Event Caricature artist. I live between Bursa, Turkey and Cairo, Egypt. And I love white chocolate wafers!”    

GM: At what age did you realize you wanted to pursue a career as an artist?

Ç Ö: 11 years old. After watching Heidy I started to write my own stories and draw them. Then I started to characterize people into drawings, when my old neighbor asked me “Do you draw caricature?”, I had no idea what was it! Back then when there was no internet available in each house I went to an internet café and wrote on google “Caracature”, google corrected me “Do you mean Caricature?” I clicked on it and found a whole world of art I had no idea about. I said to myself “OMG that’s exactly what I am doing” then started to research more and more and develop a style of myself.

GM: Describe your studio and where you like to work...

Ç Ö: It’s more of a home-office, I have a large desk with 2 screens and Wacom tablet. Printed on walls my previous works and some caricatures of my family. I have bookshelves where I keep the Children's books I illustrated and old Caricature magazines and comics.

GM: What mediums do you like to use?

Ç Ö: I basically use Photoshop and illustrator for my digital illustrations. In live events, I use soft pastel with piece of cloth and matte photo paper. Sometimes I also use food colors and brushes.

GM: Who is your favorite artist(s)?

Ç Ö: May sound cliché but of course Walt Disney and Peyo! Their perspective of the world and their works are so inspiring that it widens the imagination of whoever watches them.

GM: Do you have a muse or other inspiration?

Ç Ö: When I illustrate children books my inspiration is always my desire to open up children's minds to the world of imagination and pushing them to be themselves, telling them there is more in life than they can imagine.

When I go on live caricature events my inspiration is definitely the smile or laugh the people I draw have on their faces when they see my caricature POV of them.

GM: What is the key to creating an illustration that will resonate with a lot of people and keep them captivated for more?

Ç Ö: We always remember the character that looks like us, that have some of us in them. For example:  always have “Simba” on mind because we have those impulsive moments when we run after our desires and curiosity, and many times we fail to satisfy them, still we want them so badly that we keep chasing them. The point is: creating a character that touches something in us and being creative with it is always the key.

GM: Do you have advice for novice artists?

Ç Ö: Never put limits to your imagination. Always read, watch and analyze. And NEVER give up on it.

Need illustration? Email Çağlar: azcaglar@gmail.com

Follow Çağlar on instagram

An Interview with Fine Artist Deborah Hayhurst

An Interview with Fine Artist Deborah Hayhurst

by Gina McKnight

From Ohio, USA, Deborah Hayhurst brings new children’s literature Twillaby Pond to life! Hayhurst’s renditions of the Twillaby Pond characters – from the little wee pock to the water-blue pret - are endearing and kid approved! Hayhurst is a talented illustrator, creating fine art for all generations to enjoy.

Welcome, Deborah!

GM: Your art is beautiful. What mediums do you like to use?

DH: I love watercolors.  I’ve been working in this medium for almost 40 years and still learn something with each painting.  In Twillaby Pond I also used pen and ink to give the characters definition and an illustrative quality.

GM: Describe your studio and where you like to work...

DH: My studio .... Well I had my attic converted to an art studio and my third bedroom could be a studio, but I prefer to paint at my kitchen table.  The natural light is excellent and I like looking at my pond and back yard garden.

GM: Your illustrations for Twillaby Pond are beautiful. How did you come up with characters, concepts, and ideas for the illustrations?

DH: I was thrilled and nervous about creating the 13 imaginary characters in Twillaby Pond. I read and re-read the passages many times and the images just came to me from their names and personalities portrayed in the poem.

GM: Of all the characters in Twillaby Pond, who is your favorite?

DH: My favorite is the little wee pock.  I saw a very shy, naive and trusting friend.

GM: Do you feel the author, Patricia L.H. Black, allowed you to have creative license to create the characters the way you imagined?

DH: Yes, Patricia was so generous and gave me free reign to create what I envisioned in her prose.

GM: Do you have advice for novice artists?

DH: My advice to novice artists is too never judge your work too harshly.  If you create something and don’t like it, tear it up and start over.  It’s quit freeing and you’ve learned something for your next attempt.

GM: What plans do you have for future projects?

DH: In the future (being newly retired), I hope to write and illustrate several of my own stories.   

GM: Besides illustrating children's literature, what other artistic endeavors do you have?

DH: I also want to explore other avenues of art such as glass and metal, but I’ll always paint!

Twillaby Pond... Available from Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Art From the Heart: An Interview with Artist Diana Manitu

Art From the Heart: An Interview with Artist Diana Manitu

with Gina McKnight

From USA, meet artist Diana Manitu! The proprietor of Art From the Heart, Diana offers eclectic art. Whether it’s creating through henna paste, charcoal, and/or chalk pastels, Diana is a “person who wants to sprinkle little parts of her soul throughout the world around her and hopefully positively impact those whom her art reaches.”

Welcome, Diana!

GM: When did you realize you wanted to become an artist?

DM: I never really "realized" I wanted to be an artist. I was more-so influenced in wanting to do art of some sort by art history and architecture in our everyday lives. Art has a way of simplifying things, and so when I would see that some complicated subject or very involved matter could be easily drawn out or explained via a singular image, it was essential for me to be able to impact others in the same manner. Art gives me that option. I was also largely influenced by my Pawpaw, Boyd Hiser, and his work as a realist and folk artist.

GM: Do you remember the first piece of art you created?

DM: My work is greatly influenced by Eastern cultures (particularly Eastern Indian). Henna and the designs associated with that practice is what first "drew" me in toward that specific style of art. The first quality piece of art I made was for a friend that wanted a psychedelic piece with lots of recurring designs and patterns. When I started on it, I thought, this is gonna be crap. Why would he ask a novice artist like me? However, as the image began to develop as I worked on it, I started to believe in myself a little more. Apparently, it was a success, because he still has it hanging in his home. That is one (of many) important things that art has taught me, that there will never be a time you are ready for people to see what you create, there is no comfort zone that you reach before you are able to present your work - and that's a good thing, it ensures you to learn acceptance of and with yourself, and that applies to so many other areas of your life!

GM: What mediums do you like to use?

DM: My preferred mediums are pencil, henna paste, charcoal, and/or chalk pastels. I use paints as well, but feel most comfortable and adept at those particular mediums. When I want to push boundaries with myself, or I feel like I need to decompress and get out of my own skin, I will use mediums that make me a little uncomfortable and doubt myself. It is a way of accepting the way I feel about things, purging them, and maybe the art I am creating in the process will actually turn out decent! Haha!

GM: What are you currently working on?

DM: I am currently working on Christmas presents! Haha! Starving artist is a real thing, and so everyone is getting some sort of small art piece instead of a bought gift. I am the oldest of 8 kids, and each one of us has a very unique personality. I plan on doing a collection of silhouettes - one from each person, and at all different angles - and then adding a mane of the different things that embody their personality. I love working with silhouettes because of the generality it gives an image, but then adding extremely personal notes, to create a piece that could be androgynous, but you know it isn't, because only those particular traits are associated with only THAT person. Aside from that, I am working on base line sketch ideas for an Alice in Wonderland tarot deck I want to eventually develop fully and have printed.

GM: Describe your studio and where you like to work...

DM: My workspace is more of a drafting table in the corner of a room than it is an actual studio. Even then, I won't always complete a piece at my art desk. My studio is anywhere I feel like being. When I sketch, it's normally on the floor or ground; when painting, I sit outside; when working on a piece to sell or that is a present, I complete it at my desk. My corner is a creative little space. It has my art desk and supplies, a red leather swivel chair (that doesn't go well with the desk at all, but I love it because it is unique), and vintage style anti-war propaganda (which I collect). I have a special piece my Pawpaw did in his younger years adorning the other wall next to my desk (as he was an artist and a big inspiration of mine), as well as a stereo system and incense burners to help me relax, jam out, and get in the flow.

GM: What drives your inspiration and motivation to be creative?

DM: Everything inspires me! My happiness, the world's goings-ons, trauma, time, peace, everything inspires and motivates me. The biggest motivation for me to create is the understanding it helps me achieve within myself. I feel healed when I am working on a piece and that gets addictive.

GM: Do you have advice for novice artists?

DM: The only advice I would give novice artists are certain things I wish I could have someone say to me, haha! They are to never stop working on a doodle or sketch or art piece because you feel like it could be better and you start doubting yourself. It goes back to that comfort zone point said earlier - there will never be a time you get "good enough" to feel completely content with putting your work out there. But it is imperative that you do continue to work on it and you do not stop because what YOU have to offer the world is unique to the person that you are and you have every bit as much right to put your work out there as anyone with a degree in art or anything of that sort. Creativity isn't measured by any social construct - creativity just IS.

GM: Do you have a favorite piece of art of your own creation?

DM: I do not have a favorite piece of my own. I have a difficult time genuinely loving the work I do personally, and so that makes it difficult to pinpoint which piece I like the most. Additionally, I feel like my art is always changing, my ability is always growing, and therefore it makes older pieces of my work seem less special to me. (Art is a way to process my dislike for a lot of different aspects of myself.)

GM: Who is your muse or favorite artist?

DM: I do not have a specific muse. If I had to choose my favorite artist, it would be Salvador Dali. His perception of the world is palpable through every single one of his works, his is unashamed and forward-thinking, and his execution is clean, precise, detailed, and unbiased to any particular color scheme, theme, or subject matter. You can see him oozing from the paint in his art works, and those are traits that I really vibe well with.

GM: Are you available for illustration or work for hire collaborations?

DM: YES! I am available for illustrations and work for hire collabs!

GM: List 10 things that your fans may not know about you...

DM:

1. I have 7 younger siblings!

2. I have a Halflinger horse named Avalon.

3. I have a fascination with mushrooms and snails.

4. I do not throw away receipts from doing activities with the people I love.

5. Purple is my favorite color.

6. I first got interested in henna tattoos through belly dancing.

7. Autumn is my favorite season, because of the contrast between the gray trees, dying grass, and very colorful leaves.

8. I am terrified of caterpillars.

9. I love to write slam poetry.

10. I am a cheese connoisseur, and LOVE to cook.

Connect with Diana…

Facebook – Art From the Heart

Email: flowerchilddmd@gmail.com

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