Rossella Paolini
Hello Dear Rossella Paolini. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?
Hi, thank you for this opportunity, it's nice to talk about my artistic passion, now my full time job too!
Unfortunately,the 2020 lockdown penalized live exhibitions. I was unable to do a solo show in my city and various live shows in the United States, but my creativity was not affected, quite the opposite!
Painting for me is like meditating, I connect with the most intimate part of my being, the intuitions flow through my brush and are transformed on the canvas.
Creating fantastic worlds is very fulfilling for me and keeps me away from bad thoughts!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?
Certainly, with pleasure. I have always drawn since I was a child and as a girl I started painting in oils by attending private courses with a teacher.
I have participated in many group exhibitions in my area and I have organized several on the theme of fantasy, I continued to attend painting courses where I learned various techniques: acrylic, airbrush, watercolor and etching.
In 2010, however, a new and enchanted path opened up for me ... that of illustration for children and from that moment my style has changed.
In 2014 I did a solo show "Dolls" with my new surrealist pop style, it was a success! So I decided to dedicate myself only to art and to turn my passion into a job!
What is your background as an artist?
As a child I was in love with fairy tales, especially with enchanted and detailed illustrations, I spent hours and hours contemplating them. I loved Walt Disney animated films but also science fiction films, historical ones and those full of witches, dragons and other supernatural characters. Dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt have always fascinated me,
my first painting exhibition in 1988 represented these themes, and I believe they are not very different now!
Is there anything you do today that you wish you had known years ago?
I would say no! All things come at the right time!
We saw “pop surreal” interaction in your artworks. Can you talk a little bit about pop surreal art and how is affects on your art?
I love pop surrealism very much, there is a wonderful international community of artists who enchant me with their work and I am proud to be part of it.
I discovered this style with childhood illustration through two talented internationally renowned illustrators, their subjects are women and animals in surreal contexts and these are my favorite subjects in painting, what I liked most about pop surrealism are the proportions of the bodies which are the same used in the illustrations of children's books: large heads, small hands and huge eyes.
We saw a lot of characers named like “Saint Raphael, Saint Lucia, Saint Agata” in your artworks. Can you tell us more about why you choose the Saint names for your main theme?
I started the "Santibelli" collection in 2019 and I believe later to continue it by painting mainly female figures. I wouldn't mind doing a solo show one day.
The titles I have given represent real women who later became Saints and Archangels who are sometimes called Saints!
These characters have been part of sacred art for a long time
and their symbols: the caduceus for S. Raffaele and the eyes of S. Lucia are distinctive signs that represent them, I added my pop touch with spaceships, planets and galaxies.
What is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?
The mystery, the other dimensions, the unknown worlds, the characters that inhabit them, the fantastic world of fairy tales and legends. In any case, I try to paint the beauty of life and to give a little awe and wonder to those who look at my works.
What is your dream project?
Only one? There are at least three! Do a solo show in one of my favorite galleries, publish one of my children's book projects, illustrate a Tarot deck.
What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Rossella Paolini?
Certain! I am painting a Tarot card for a Minor Arcana themed exhibition to be held in January in an American gallery where I have already exhibited once.
I am thrilled with this theme that I love, I have chosen to portray the Queen of Cups.
Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?
Yes, only that I am grateful to be able to make art and to share it.
Thank you for your time!
It was a pleasure, thanks to you.
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