How much does your art depend on the space you work in?
I learned not to depend too much on the location. Sometimes I feel like a mobile studio, where I end up living, the space turns into a studio, it is inevitable.
Techniques: stolen, learned or applied?
Speaking of technique, more learned than stolen. I had as my first mentor a lady in Oradea who was teaching as a visual arts teacher at a high school in the neighborhood. I was 12 years old, I had been painting in acrylic colors for about three years but I knew that my creative imagination needed an ally, the technique. I spent the next two summer holidays with this teacher in a village in Bihor drawing, getting acquainted with the technique of oil painting. I remember that for hours at first I drew only lines, circles, ellipses. Years later, during my time at the University of Art in Bucharest, and then in Cluj, I found out how vital it was to steal the technique…
Name three artists you like.
Paul Gauguin, Francisco de Goya, Tal R.
How do you motivate your self to paint when I have no inspiration?
I imagine that the next day I am no longer alive and then I suddenly try as hard as I can, I know there is no time to waste! But it also works with good music that I can eventually dance to.
How do you feel in isolation?
Given that I am in a village in the mountains of Switzerland, I do not have the same restrictions as other artists in the country. Isolation on the other hand is a good companion for me, I was more focused during this period and therefore more creative.
What do you miss the most in this social distancing context?
In the context of social distancing, I miss my parents, my friends from the country, and wandering around the artists’ workshops.
How has isolation changed the way you create?
What I discovered during this period is that I can have more patience with my art. As the art store in the neighboring town was closed, I resumed the canvases painted here in the last 4 months. I realized that I could improve them, I completely restored three of them, then I switched to cardboard boxes, filled notebooks with sketches and drawings. At the same time, I think that art is almost like a meditation that kept me away from panicking, from fear. I felt focused and connected with those around me.
Do you think this special social context will be a game changer in the future art production?
I believe that in the future artists will be more aware of their art, its power and will be sure that in case of ruin, art is our ally. Sometimes the only one we can really have.
Facebook: Brânzaș Anca