AN INTERVIEW WITH GIOVANNA

ART AND YOUR LIFE

Tell us about how you became interested in art, a bit about your life.

Before starting this kind interview, I like to thank Karen for this great opportunity.

Being interested in art has been a must from the first days of my life. I always like to say that together with my mother's milk I took in music, the smell of wood of some old theatres, the power of some unforgettable books, and everything linked to art.

Unfortunately, because of my rebel spirit, I have followed my own way with a soft, but constant, sense of guilt.

I was born in Genoa but have lived almost everywhere in Italy, with a period in Oxford, England - a family mandatory step to improve my studies. I moved to Rome at the age of 20 and rented my own flat in the centre of this wonderful and full-of-history town! After many years I met Renzo and followed him to a small village just a few minutes from where I used to live. I am still there with Renzo and my six dogs and a bunch of cats, pretending to be a farmer - making wine and olive oil as people did in the old days - and enjoying some small things I never knew existed.

There, having more time to think to myself and to where my life has taken me, I decided to revisit a hidden part of my heart - where the music and the drama and the colors play. I needed to do something 'artistically good'. I needed to come back home, to find again the theatre in my soul.

What traditional media, if any, have you used in the past to create your art?

I used only a pencil...if it could be considered a traditional medium. Yes, the maximum I did has been to sketch some funny figures and stories on my schoolmate's diary.

HOW DOES PAINTER FIT?

How, when, and where did you discover Painter? How does it fit into your art life?

I found Painter (Essentials 3) on the Internet about a year ago. I started making some lines into that white virtual screen, using my mouse, without knowing anything... just enjoying looking at some effects and trying to put as many colors as I could in it. Then I discovered the Wacom tablet. Oh my, what a miracle! I started doing some shapes, enjoying all my little results.

It was time for me to invest in Painter X, time to learn more, time to look inside myself and say, "Ok, now you can start your journey, Gio". I did it in my own way, and I am happy now because I understand this journey shall never end.

WHO ARE YOUR ART HEROES?

Contemporary artists? Artists from history? Most inspirational Painter artist(s)?

My heroes? Every artist who can do what I can't! Those who can bring my attention into their paintings with a joy of staying there, like in a theatre scene. I could mention some artists I follow here in the forum, as well as Picasso, Modigliani, Monet, Rembrandt or Matisse...but it's always the immediate feeling I receive which makes the difference.

Of those I mentioned, I am most fascinated by their minor works, some fast sketches they did. It's so personal the reaction we can have looking at a painting.

I don't see the name before thinking if I like it or not! Just an example, I have a hidden favorite artist: Egon Schiele. Yes, a controversial artist, a free thinker, not understood or accepted by his peers. But for me, looking at his work brings an immense joy. I do love that he followed his own rules. I like the freedom of his lines and that he painted for himself.

FROM THE PAINTER CAN TO THE EASEL

What's in your personal pack of brushes that you don't ever want to lose? The ones you reach for first or can make a whole painting with?

The first brushes I used came with my first set of Jeremy Sutton DVDs. I still experiment them each time I draw. The Sargent brush is my favorite, the one I can't avoid to use. I tried several times to change it...but, at the end, I always finish there.

I am starting a new course on Brushes, because I have to explore other possibilities and I want to learn to use them all.

Are there other tools in Painter you consider favorites as you create your art?

Just few simple ones. I enjoy the opportunity I have to use textures, to fix a background, to add some lights or a different mood just changing a composite method. I know I have still to learn a lot, and maybe in few months I shall add other interesting tools.

Do you paint from your own photos? (If so, what is your photo source?) Or do you prefer to start from a blank canvas? Or do both?

When I approached Painter for the first time I thought that I would have to use only pictures. I started using pictures from free sites, then I continued with mine. But I got more good results once I decided to go by myself, opening a white sheet and starting to talk to my soul.

I know I chose a difficult path, but it's another aspect of my temper. I have never made my life simple, so why to start now?

WHAT NOW

What do you want the viewer to feel when they look at your art?

Ah, good question! I would like to establish a sort of intimate conversation with my viewers, something close to an emotional feeling, uncertain and mysterious.

OK, that's what I would like, but a simple smile is more than welcome!

How do you feel that you are paving the way for digital art to have a real impact on the art scene?

Honestly...I have no idea! I only try to demonstrate that digital programs can't turn a bad painting into a masterpiece, that creativity can't be achieved pushing a button. I do hope that my drawings, together with the ones of other artists, can contribute to have a serious place in the art scene.

Where do you want to go from here with your art?

As I said, I can't see an end. I perfectly know why and where I started. I know for sure that I want to improve my style, I want to be fearless and free to express myself, I want to learn and to see a light.

It's my dream that one day my paintings shall be considered art.

Giovanna Gazzolo

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