|
Selina Fenech:
1. Tell me a little bit about where you were brought up and the area you now reside at. I was born
in 1981 on the East coast of Australia near Newcastle, and have lived here ever since. It's a beautiful area and while
I love to travel I'll probably always remain here. My father is Maltese so I often feel homesick for the mediteranean! 2.
What are the basic steps to becoming such a wonderful Artist? Practice, practice PRACTICE! Like any other area, there
may be a tiny bit of natural talent or skill, but all the rest comes down to hard work and plenty of it! You have to love
it, why else would you sit and shade with a lead pencil for hours on end? 3. If you were stranded on a
desert Island, what things would you want to have with you? Would I sound obvious if I said sketchbook and pencils?
Being the scavenger I am though I'd probably settle for a good old Robinson Crusoe life style than take anything fancy or
smart with me, like a satelite phone! 4. When did you develope the first piece of art that you were truely
proud of? What was it? My first artwork I was really proud of is actually a series of artworks, Fallen. I created
this 18 page fully illustrated silent story about an angel when I was seventeen and finishing my highschool certificate. Looking
back, I don't know how I did it! It was a whole lot of work, and pretty good for my age. 5. What are your
biggest inspirations? Nature. I just love it! Seeing the colours of a sky at dusk makes me want to run to a canvas
and hopelessly try and capture them! 6. Do you listen to music when you paint? What kind? I
don't actually listen to music when I paint, and if I do I barely hear it. I get completely absorbed in my work and everything
else gets blocked out. 7. How many hours a week do you devote to Art? It depends what you mean by
the term. If you mean actually sitting at a table painting, then a few hours a week. But if you include all the time thinking
about art, studying art, promoting my art, talking with other artists, planning my next and so on.... then almost 100% of
my time 8. What is some sound advice you'd give to the up and coming young Artists out there? Same
as my tips above. Practice. And don't give up. Some people are cruel to artists, but never let it get you down. If one person
doesn't like your art, the next person might love it! Most importantly it's what you love to do, and it doesn't have to be
for anyone but you. 9. How do you see Art changing for the future? Hopefully getting better! I hope
to some day achieve the beauty and realism of the preraphaelite era artworks. That's what I'm working towards. 10.
Who are your favorite Artists? Brian Froud, David Delamare, Alphonse Mucha, Maxine Gadd, Stephanie Pui-mun Law... How
many do you want? I could go on and on. 11. Anything that I may have missed that you'd care to comment on? I'd
love to give a plug for the Australian Fantasy Art Enclaves site at www.australianfantasyart.com and all it's wonderful members and artworks.... but that would just be selfish of me ;) 12. What's in the future
for Selina? Like so many others I dream to one day earn a living doing what I love. Maybe, hopefully, in the
future I will be able to do this with my art. Well, I hope that is at all interesting! Thanks again for choosing me! Selina
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Herve Flambert:
1. First off, a little history. Where were you born and raised?
1 - I was born in Paris,France the 1st february 1959 and raised in the suburb where I still live.The
little appartment where I work is devoted to books,paintings,music and cats.
2. Tell me why you choose Art. What kind of instruction did you have?
2 - I never went to an art school and I learned art techniques by myself.I first was a musicien ,a
punk rocker in 1977.I made several records,some singles and two lps,I opened for the Ramones,Johnny Thunders,Sham 69...on
theirs french concerts during the eighties.But it's quite impossible to live on rock'n'roll in France so after a few years
I began to paint and as I sold my first paintings,I kept on and I sharpened up my technique which was first quite naïve and
improved after two or three years to be what it is now.I wanted to paint the way the romantics,the preraphaelites and all
the painters did before the coming of the impressionists.And I discovered medium used with oil which makes all colours so
bright and so translucent.I always thought Fantasy deserved artists as brilliant as writers like Pöe,Lovecraft,Ashton Smith....And
that's what I'm now trying to be!
3. If you were all alone on a desert island, what would you wish to have with you?
3 - Some hooks and lines,a knife would'nt be useless,I suppose,some poetry books from Baudelaire,Pöe,Rimbaud,Chawner
Brooke, I would spell under starry south sky.
4. What was your very first 'Masterpiece'?
4 -.I would say that a painting called the Goddess of Capricorn which I did in 1981 was quite good
if I believe the ones who saw it,naïve but good!Technique is nothing,its just a way to free you,to give to your thoughts a
perfect shape but you don't really need it to create a masterpiece!It was a portrait of my first singer.A girl,a cat,nothing
really fantasy but the mood was! I shall show it on my web site which will soon be on line...
5. What are your biggest inspirations for your Art?
5 - So much things!I read a lot,my mother was one of the few people in France to read fantasy literature
in the thirties.She made me discover Matheson,Hodgson,Lord Dunsany,Blacwood,Arthur Machen ... when I was a teenager and I
also put my interest on poetry.When I was at school ,I wanted to be a zoologist or a paleontologist if I would'nt have become
a punk rocker I should be now one of these scientists.I also used to collect insect and butterflies as I was a kid. Later
on I studyed egyptien hieroglyphs and occult sciences.I suppose one can find all these influences in my paintings but most
of them are inspired by some kind of visions coming in my mind even when I'm not asking for.So I guess my inspirations are
a mix between knowledge and visions.
6. Do you like to listen to music as you paint? Which kind?
6 - As I told you I was a musicien some twenty five years ago so...I painted a lot listening to music
like T.rex ( Marc Bolan is a genius of rock'n'roll ),the New York Dolls,the Ramones,the Damned,the sex pistols but also the
pioneers :Elvis Presley,Chuck Berry,Cochran ,Vincent...The british bands Beatles ,Stones,Kinks....When I began to paint each
and every day I discovered opera,romantic Opera and I've been working a lot on Wagner ,Donizetti,Verdi, Bellini, Puccini or
Richard Strauss.To give you an example, I painted my last oeuvre on the Beach Boys,the Beatles ,the Creedence and Toots and
the Maytals (A classic Reggae band)!
7. How much time do you devote to your art?
7 - I paint 5 hours each and every day since 1984.
8. What useful bit of information could you pass on to up and coming young artists?
8 - If you wanna be an artist you have to devote yourself to Beauty like the ancient ones ,to devote
yourself to your Art!You have to accept to be poor and unknown because Fantasy is not considered to be Art.You may make money
with illustration,I don't know that market but it's really difficult with art.Well things may change with time and maybe before
I'll die fantasy masterpieces will worth more than Wahrol or abstract art.Success does'nt mean talent and so much genius died
without money and fame,so never mind about it!
Anyway Art is great because it means Freedom and you'll be the happiest guy on earth to do exactly
what you want devoting to your Muse!
9. Where do you see art evolving to?
9 - Official art is becoming crazy,today at the school of Beaux-Arts in Paris one does'nt teach you
painting anymore ,students are studying now video...I know someday Fantasy will gain its place in the art history.I also know
that painting like writing will always exist because they are the cheaper ways to do art,you don't need expensive techniques
to do it,you only need talent.
10. Who are your favorite Artists?
10 - I like the classics Van Gogh,Utrillo,The preraphaelites brotherhood,Waterhouse,Alma-Tadema,Delacroix,Géricault,Jean-Léon
Gérôme,Moreau and the moderns Giger,Beksinsky and the french painter Gérard Di-Maccio that you can find on http:// www.museummorpheus.com.
11. What's in the future for Herve?
11 - I'm now painting a cover for Darkanimus,an australian pulp magazine which you can find on www.darkanimus.com.Some
of my paintings were used as cover but I never did illustrations to be a cover. I wanted to try so I hope the editor will
like it!Later on I shall try to learn digital art!
Thank you and good luck to you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kajsa Flinkfeldt:
1. Tell me a little bit about where you were brought up and the area you now reside at.
I was born and raised in a small town on the Swedish eastcoast. It is a beautiful place where nature never ceases to inspire
to watercolor landscapes. It is the sea of course, with stones and rocks, and dark pine forests mixed with open fields...a
great place to live in!
2. What are the basic steps to becoming such a wonderful Artist?
When I was a little girl I loved to draw, like most children do. Every time I had finished a drawing I would run to my
mother and show it to her. She would tell me what was great but also how I could improve the drawing. My mother, who is an
illustrator, was my first mentor and I learned very much from her. I have spent around six years of my life on various art-schools.
The most important tool I aquired from those years must be basic knowledge of color theory. I also ran across Betty Edwards
theories on drawing on the right side of the brain. Very useful! Everyone should read about it!
3. If you were stranded on a desert Island, what things would you want to have with you?
What THINGS? My watercolor equipment, tons of chocolate and pile of good books!
4. When did you develop the first piece of art that you were truly proud of? What was it?
I can´t really remember the first one. I do remember a number of pencil drawings that I did at the age of 14 or 15, of
a rock-idol I worshipped at the time. (An Australian singer called John Farnham). I did a lot of drawings of him!
5. What are your biggest inspirations? Which are your favorite Artists?
Book covers and novels. Old masterpieces by Ingres, Roslin, Zorn, Vermeer, John Bauer. I also like the works of Christophe
Vacher, Linda Bergqvist, Steve Ferris and lots of other artists on Epilogue.com
6. Do you listen to music when you paint? What kind?
Oh yes! I listen to "middle of the road" kind of music, basically what is found on the charts, anything that I can bawl
along with! Enya is also a favourite, but I mostly listen to her when I read.
7. How many hours a week do you devote to Art?
Well, I teach Art 40 h a week. Whenever I find the time I do my own work. I don´t know what that adds up to...
8. What are some do's and don'ts that you can give to the up and coming young Artists out there?
Do´s: draw everyday. It´s all practice! LOOK at other artist´s work, you can learn so much from it.
Don´t´s: COMPARE your work to other artist´s. It will kill your creativity. Learn from them instead.
9. How do you see Art changing for the future?
More digital art maybe?
10. What challenges do you have yet to fulfill in your life?
I want to become an illustrator of books!
11. How would you describe you style of Art?
Whimsical, realistic, contrasting, searching for perfection and beauty...
12. Do you have a style that you like over your other styles?
No.
13. What other studies, hobbies or learnings have assisted you in portraying your Art?
I teach aerobics classes, so I get to learn about how the human body works. Rhythm, movement and so on.
14. Tell me the history behind what I consider your best piece of art.... Kajsa2 (one of your fantasy art pictures...or
if you're not sure which one it is, just comment about the history of these pictures in general).
OK, about the Kajsa2 piece...it´s a selfportrait drawn with pencil. I made it five years ago as a visual aid to use when
I was to introduce a portrait course with my eight-graders.
The fantasy pieces was something that I began with last christmas! I ran across Elfwood and decided to make some paintings
to upload. The response was overwhelming, so I painted some more!
15. Tell me about the time you usually spend on studying your subject matter.
I don´t know...it varies from one subject to another. I work a lot from photo references.
16. Do you feel as if you'll be leaving a legacy behind for other Artists and Art lovers to cherish?
Ahh, not really!
17. Where would you direct me if I wanted to buy some of your works?
E-mail me if you are interested in originals. Prints are available at www.printsandthepauper
and www.deviantart.com
18. Anything that I may have missed that you'd care to comment on?
No.
19. What's in the future for Kajsa?
Hopefully a career in the field of illustration!
20. Is there an English translation for your name? It's very pretty.
Thanks! Kajsa is sort of a nickname for Karin or Karen, but it´s my real name! It should be pronounced Kysa.
Thank you and good luck !!
|
