Our very first interview for the group is with the talented artist Patricia Ariel.
One of the things that I really love about Ariel’s work is the deep meaning behind each work of art, which is what this group is about: meaningful art to help heal the world or spread a powerful, important message.
It was such a pleasure getting to know her better and the creativity behind her art.
It was such a pleasure getting to know her better and the creativity behind her art.
I hope you enjoy this journey into Ariel’s art as much as she enjoys working on it and sharing it with all of you.
Your name or artistic name.
Patricia Ariel
What medium do you usually work in? (Ex: oils, pastels, mixed media, etc…)
Now, I am into mixed media and using everything valid to achieve my aesthetic aims… I’ve been mostly mixing hard pastels, watercolors, acrylics and graphite. I am really into water media, I love the unexpected, ethereal results, and I have a lot of fun discovering new effects and colors… Art has to have this playful character!
How long have you been painting?
Although I’ve been drawing and painting since I was little, I didn’t really have any ambition of building a career in painting… It just happened a little over one year ago. So, I’m still crawling in this market. I was more into illustration, fashion design, teaching, and of course, performing arts. I guess I finally took the definitive path, after so many years… Funny, because it was the first artistic language that showed up in my life.
Tell us about your artistic vision, the message you express through you work. Your purpose to paint these images.
My vision of art is profoundly linked to my spirituality, visions of future and beliefs in a more conscious humankind. I have this strong impulse of spreading the word about the new paradigms, to help destroy the established values that don’t work anymore. I talk a lot about the connections of man with nature and the Divine, about the meaning of the feminine, about metaphysical and spiritual concepts. Some of my paintings are very hermetic and consciously understood by few, but I have had the happiness of being able to connect to the most varied levels of understanding through a sense of beauty and energy. I feel very blessed for that.
How long do you take to complete a painting?
It depends on the size, complexity and of how perfectionist I feel at that moment…. Many times I will conceptualize a painting for days, even weeks, but between the first sketches and the completion, it may take from one to two weeks for the larger ones. And I rarely am into a single project at a time.
What is your inspiration to keep on painting?
I could say that there’s no inspiration, just a necessity. I just HAVE to create. It’s part of what I am. Myself and my art are one, there’s no separation. If I was not painting, I’d be performing, writing, whatever, but I need to express myself and tell my stories, otherwise I’d be a living dead.
Who are your favorite artists/painters?
So many… I am really drawn into the late 19th/early 20th century movements, and heavily attracted by the Symbolists of all times. Klimt comes first, as everything can notice – I love everything in him, from the elaborate aesthetics to the powerful, true way of portraying women. I have a total identification with the symbolism in his works. Schiele is also a great source of inspiration. I have a fascination for the Pre-Raphaelites, mainly Dante Rossetti, Waterhouse, Evelyn De Morgan and Burne-Jones. Art Nouveau, the Jugendstil and the Arts & Crafts movement attract me for the strong sense of design; the glassware of the period is so inspiring! I love Mucha (who doesn’t?), Albert Bearsdley, Charles Mckintosh, Margaret McDonald… Other favorites of all times: Rafael, Michaelangelo, Boticelli, Munch, James Ensor, Jean Delville, Picasso (Blue phase), Kahlo, Magritte, William Blake, Carlos Schwabe, Puvis de Chavannes, Marc Chagall, Van Gogh… Some artists attract me more by their ideas than actually by the aesthetics, like Kandinsky and Beuys – love these guys. In the contemporary times, I’m a fan of Alex Grey, Dave Mackean, Amanda Sage, and Audrey Kawasaki.
Which of your own paintings are the most meaningful to you? Which ones are your personal favorites?
I tend to like the ones that are less popular. My favorites are Ascension and the two The Waterman, which was supposed to be a triptych, but my sense of perfectionism and eternal search for new and better stylistic solutions made me interrupt. Those paintings are way richer in symbolism than the other ones, and this is why I like them best.
Weaving My Heart is simple but strong. Hecate is the closer I could get from a flat and modular aesthetic that I’ve been forever pursuing. I also like Totem #1 and The Mirror
Tell us something about you we don’t know. Something that makes you who you are.
Oh, my god, I guess that’s the most difficult question in this interview… I think I am a simple, but complex person at the same time. My spirituality blends with everything else in my life, as well as my creativity… I have this dualistic personality that appreciates and sees the beauty in both the dark and light side of life… I think I have a good balance between my feminine and masculine sides… A free thinker, who doesn’t like rules or being tied to systems I don’t believe in… A bit eccentric, and very intense and passionate… A mom, totally silly and devoted to her offspring… I like rock’n’roll, good beer, books, being in communion with nature, and think that love and freedom are the only things worth fighting for in this world.
Pick six artworks you’d like to share and talk about.
For this I’m going to pick 3 of my personal favorite and 3 of my most popular…
My favs:
Ascension
About cultivating universal love and compassion as a means to spiritual evolution and freedom. I think the figures are quite expressive and I was very pleased with the stained glass style.
The Waterman: Unio Mystica
About the full development of the human creative capacity in the figure of the Christ. This work has several symbolic nuances, and I intend to revisit it in the future. I like my naked, free and at the same time powerful Jesus, and this is how I see him.
Weaving My Heart
A small painting that brings a simple message about taking responsibility over the transformation and healing of your inner self. It’s, in my opinion, my most balanced work, with colors and composition in sync and great mood. Stylistically, I consider it a model to be followed in my next works.
3 popular ones:
Persephone
It’s a depiction of Persephone in the solitude of the Underworld. I like how the figure came out, the composition and the palette, and it could be one of my favorites if not for some details that bother me deeply.
The Peacock
Made in a rush to meet a show deadline. Simple symbolism, linking the peacock feather to the inner vision (3rd eye) and deep spirituality and renewal. It made me fall in love with peacocks and adopt the peacock feather as another item for my personal iconography (the others are the skull, the mask and the butterfly.)
Lilith
I was more concerned about depicting Lilith as a symbol of female empowerment than portraying the goddess herself. I thought it came out really strong. I’m very pleased and surprised that people enjoy it so much.
Is there anything you’d like to tell other artists? Any tips suggestions, words of encouragement? Any final thoughts on art you’d like to share?
Art for me is part of life. We are all creative beings, since we are made after a creative Divinity/Force, and it’s through creativity that we get connected to it, to our true essence. I think that artists must do what they love and love what they do, independently of trends or the demands of the market… Just be true to your art and it will connect to other souls.
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