1/10/2017 Interview with Artist Leila AtayaAHC: Can you tell us a bit about your process, themes & inspirations? Leila: I usually start with ideas, I do quick little sketches in my work book and if I’ve decided to go along with one of them I sketch it out larger and in more detail. I then prepare the board and start working on the painting. Sometimes I see something that will inspire me to create a painting or sometimes I will get an idea first and then do some research on the topic. I work mainly with acrylics on board. Many people and galleries confuse them for oils on canvas, but they are painted on board as I prefer to work on smooth surfaces as I really like to paint in high detail. AHC: What first drew you to art? Was there a specific moment in your life or turning point where it became clear to you that you were being called to create? Leila: For as long as I can remember myself I was always drawn to art. My mum told me that from a very young age she could just give me some paper and a pen and that would occupy me for hours and keep me quiet. In fact our whole apartment ended up being turned into one continuous wall mural that reached up to my height. As a child the first thing in the morning I wanted to do was draw. When I got a little bit older my parents would enroll me into different art classes like drawing, traditional Russian art, decorative art, ceramics etc. Later, when I became even older I went to art school in Moscow and when I came to New Zealand I went to Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland and did my under and post graduate studies there. So as you see it was always a natural progression. AHC: Who are some of your artistic influences? Is there anyone outside of the art world who has had a huge impact on your work or who just generally inspires you, writers, filmmakers, musicians etc? Leila: It’s very hard to point in any one direction for me because everything that I see, touch, smell, hear can give me a creative idea that can later develop into an art work. We are constantly bombarded with imagery so sometimes I feel that it just layers up and later my thought process turns it into something else. I also think that I am inspired by colors and color combinations can create their own imagery in my mind. Even colorless pencil drawings that I create I see in color in my minds eye. In Russia I studied Palekh miniature painting and Iconography and I guess they still influence my art especially painting techniques. AHC: What is the first work of art you encountered that took your breath away? Leila: I remember being about four-five years old and coming across an art book, I don’t even remember what it was called but the two things that really made an impression on me were ceiling painted by Michelangelo and Dali’s perfectly painted melting clocks and eggs. When I was 8 or 9 years old I saw an exhibition of paintings by Konstantin Vasiliev that really made an impression on me as well. AHC: Are there times when you become blocked creatively? What do you do to rekindle inspiration? Leila: I learned to almost avoid the total blocks and I’ll explain how. I get different ideas at really unexpected times like when I’m eating or talking to someone on the phone etc so I would just quickly sketch it down or even just make a note and later when I need to work on something and nothing comes to mind I would just look at my notes and start to develop one of the ideas. I usually can envision my next work while already working on something. It can be a bit different when working on a commission as usually I would be working within certain frames that are set by a person that is ordering the work. If i’m working on something and I feel stuck I just leave it and start to do something else like another painting or a drawing or even cleaning out my studio and then the solution would just come on its own. It’s like trying to remember something - the harder you try the less likely you are to remember it but as soon as you give up it just pops into your mind. AHC: Do you have any upcoming exhibits or new projects you'd like to tell people about? Leila: I have a few different shows coming up this year some in New Zealand and also other countries like US, UK and more. I usually announce them a few weeks or days before the opening on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Leila-Ataya-Artist-394519295800/ Next show I will be taking part in is called 'Cat Portrait' First International Exhibition-Festival, which will be held at Saint-Petersburg Union of Artists Exhibition Centre, 38 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. For more visit www.leilaataya.com/Welcome.html All images © Leila Ataya Comments are closed.
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