' +
'
What inspired you to create artwork and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
There came a time when not painting became more painful than taking the risk of changing one's life. Art was no longer a choice; it had become a vital necessity, like breathing.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with to date?
My artistic journey is one of ionate reconversion. After years in law, I dared to follow my creative instinct, which had been whispering to me since childhood. Drawing has always been my secret language. But it was the discovery of painting that truly triggered my transformation.
I am a self-taught artist and I love to constantly experiment. I started with acrylic paint, which remains my main medium, then watercolor, Indian ink, ballpoint pen, markers, charcoal, oil pastels, and recently acrylic ink. I also enjoy mixing these techniques and incorporating collages.
My favorite subject is portraiture, trying to capture the untold stories behind each face. I also paint landscapes and completely abstract works.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
The fact of not having any artistic training allows me to have an authentic language, a personal and singular approach to painting.
My controlled doodling technique involves creating characters from seemingly chaotic lines, where each stroke appears random but actually contributes to the construction of a coherent image. This method creates a visual tension between disorder and precision.
Color as raw emotion. I use color very instinctively. My blood red, electric blue, or intense pink backgrounds, for example, are not decorative but carry the emotional charge of the work. This chromatic approach creates a dialogue between linear delicacy and colorful intensity, giving my works an immediate energetic presence that calls out before we even understand what we are looking at.
These three elements combined create a visual language that is uniquely my own.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration stems from this fascination with what lies beyond appearances. When I look at someone, I don't just see their face; I see all the invisible paths that led them there, all the experiences that overlap like transparent layers. This is exactly what my lines attempt to capture: this invisible complexity of being.
The street and chance encounters are my main sources. A shared glance, a fleeting expression, those moments when emotion shines through despite social masks. I collect these moments of raw authenticity, when people forget to "play" their role.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations, or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
My approach is to reveal the invisible through the visible. I start from the principle that we are all layered beings—composed of thousands of experiences, repressed emotions, masks we wear and remove depending on the circumstances. My creative process mimics this complexity: I begin by laying down seemingly anarchic features, then slowly, a face emerges from this chaos. This is exactly how I perceive human identity—something that gradually reveals itself through life's accidents.
I seek to reveal what we don't see at first glance, to show that behind every smooth face hides a complex emotional geography, made of invisible scars and secret beauties. My tangles of features are my way of saying: "Look closer, there is so much more to see."
What is the creative process of your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technique, inspiration from art classics or other)?
My works require a certain amount of time to mature. I make preparatory sketches and choose my colors according to the emotion they evoke. Then I let my hand wander.
Each work is a balance between thoughtful gesture and freedom of line, between rigor and sensitivity.
Do you use a particular working technique? If so, can you explain it?
I construct my portraits with intertwined lines, sometimes nervous, sometimes delicate, with a marker or in ink with a pen.
For the background colors, I apply acrylic using different methods (impasto, glaze, etc.) or ink either before or after the drawing.
Are there any innovative aspects to your work? Can you tell us what they are?
I create a hybrid visual language between figuration and abstraction.
I play on strong contrasts - between empty and full, control and spontaneity, monochrome and bursts of color - to bring out the human figure in an almost poetic tension.
It is in this balance between expressiveness and meticulousness of the line that lies, I think, the singularity of my work.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? If so, why?
I work on canvas mounted on a stretcher. The canvas has a slightly rough texture that perfectly captures my lines. It also offers a subtle resistance that nourishes my gestures. I need this micro-friction that makes each line require effort, intention.
The thickness of the canvas is also crucial for my background colors, especially for superimposing layers, playing with transparency and textures.
Where do you produce your work? At home, in a shared studio, or in your own studio? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
I set up my studio in a dedicated room in my home, a space I designed to foster both concentration and creative freedom. It's an intimate, bright space where I can work in peace and quiet at my own pace, fully immersed in my own world.
The organization of my studio reflects my creative process: apparent chaos but internal logic. I have several creative spaces—usually two or three canvases in progress at a time. When I get stuck on one piece, I move on to another, and often the solution emerges through cross-contamination.
Does your job require you to travel to meet new collectors, for trade fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
My work hasn't yet required me to travel regularly for trade shows or exhibitions, but it's something I'd like to explore. Until now, I've mostly worked independently, focusing on building my artistic world and portfolio.
However, I consider meetings with the public, collectors, or other artists to be essential moments that nourish reflection, stimulate creativity, and open up opportunities for exchange. Participating in exhibitions or artistic events is a step I look forward to with enthusiasm, as it allows me to bring my works to life in a context of dialogue and visibility.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I hope my work evolves in both form and scope. Artistically, I'd like to push this tension between chaos and revelation even further, experimenting with new formats, perhaps monumental works, incorporating other media, and transposing my technique to other subjects. I want to continue exploring the balance between figuration, abstraction, and personal visual writing.
At the same time, I would like to further develop the public dimension of my work: exhibiting in various venues, participating in residencies, collaborating with other artists or cultural organizations, and reaching out to the public. Opening myself up to these experiences would allow me to enrich my approach while affirming my place in the contemporary artistic landscape.
In the longer term, I see myself building a sustainable artistic practice, linked to curatorial or educational projects, and continuing to develop my creation in a constant dialogue between introspection, personal expression and openness to the world.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
My latest work is a portrait of a woman that blends expressive figuration with dynamic graphic lines. It is part of a research project exploring identity, the inner gaze, and the complexity of human emotions.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I haven't yet had the opportunity to exhibit my work in an official setting, but it's one of my projects. Until now, I've focused my energy on building a personal and coherent artistic universe. I'm actively preparing to share my work with a wider audience, whether through group or solo exhibitions, in order to open a dialogue around my creations.
If you could create one famous work in the history of art, which would you choose? And why?
I would have loved to create Edvard Munch's The Scream. This work touches me deeply with its ability to express an intense inner emotion in a raw and universal way. It transcends realism to achieve something almost visceral, deeply human.
What inspires me in this painting is its power of immediate communication, its expressive language beyond words, its way of leaving a mark on the viewer's mind. It is also a work that shows that art can be a mirror of anxieties, but also a powerful outlet. I aspire, at my level, to transmit this same emotional intensity in my own creations.
If you could invite any famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest they spend the evening?
I would like to invite Frida Kahlo. Her deeply intimate art, her strength of character, and her way of sublimating pain through creation fascinate me.
I would suggest a simple and authentic evening, over a home-cooked meal, at my home. We would talk about painting, freedom, and resilience. I would like to listen to her stories, show her my works, and gather her impressions, as well as her silences. It would be an exchange between two women, two eras, but with the same vital need to create in order to exist.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli 
