Dinis Mota: "Creating makes me happy"

Dinis Mota is an illustrator from Lisbon, Portugal. With tradeyourtalent he speaks about vivid colours and why creating makes him happy.

Dinis Mota, dinismota.blogspot.com/

What inspires you to your vivid colours and lively art?

We all have certain preferences, tastes and attitudes but sometimes we can’t perceive immediately why to choose certain colors. Of course you can reflect about the subject and say that color is used because it conveys joy or the other because it gives us the feeling of freshness and lightness. Even the fact of living in a sunny country may have some influence on me. However the vivid and bright colors I use in my illustrations are not a way to achieve a certain goal. The truest explanation to have a preference for brighter colors is quite unconscious. I like them, simply.

dinismota.blogspot.com/

What does inspire me? My inspiration mainly comes from contemplation of all that surrounds me and makes part of my life. Sometimes a book, a movie or just the blue sea may be the most inspiring. Other times, admiring the paintings of extraordinary painters like Hieronymus Bosch or Bruegel.

dinismota.blogspot.com

If you could plan a project with any artist in the world,who would you pick?

There are many illustrators I admire profoundly, such as Pablo Auladell, Cneut Carll, Rebecca Dautremer, among others. I wish we could work together in a project, but above all, I’d like to learn from them. I have great admiration for their incredible work.

dinismota.blogspot.com

Why did you decide to become an artist? I decided to become an artist because the act of creating gives me pleasure, makes me happy... I realized this a few years ago. It's one of the best things in life.

Paul Madonna "Sinking feeling, burning need"

  "There's only the sun and a feeling ... ... that you're simultaneously doing all the right things ... and completely wasting your life."

When I read this quote and looked at Paul Madonna's beautiful pen-and-ink style I was mesmerized - Paul Madonna writes and draws the weekly series  All Over Coffee, which is published in the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com, and Small Potatoes for TheRumpus.net. He is the author of two books, All Over Coffee (City Lights 2007), and Everything is its own reward (City Lights 2011), which won the NCBR Recognition Award for Best Book in 2011. I discovered his work through my last interview with Ester Wilson. I was really indecisive when I had to choose work to go along with this interview - this is why I really recommend for you to stroll over to his site paulmadonna.com and have a look around. He observes cities like no one else can - each pencil stroke filled with devotion and passion to the detail.

paulmadonna.com

What inspires you to your work? 

Paul Madonna: A sinking feeling, and a burning need to contribute to society. 

paulmadonna.com

When did you decide to become a full-time artist? 

Paul Madonna: The decision to be a full time artist happened before I was conscious enough to know it. In practice, I have been a full time artist all of my adult life, but for many years I had to be a part time employee at jobs to support being a full time artist. And professionally, I've been supporting myself on my own work for eight years now.

paulmadonna.com

 If you could collaborate with another artist, who would you pick?

Paul Madonna: I've actually been doing a series of published collaborations with professional writers. Those can be found here, and there are more in the works, all with people I'm excited to work with. One person I would love to work with though is Argentine write Cesar Aira, and I've been meaning to write him for over a year, but I just haven't. I don't know why.

paulmadonna.com

paulmadonna.com

paulmadonna.com

paulmadonna.com

Ester Wilson "Watching art happen"

Ester Wilson is an artist from Atlanta, Georgia. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about letting your imagination run wild and why she can't imagine a life without creating. 

esterwilson.blogspot.com

What inspires you most when you work on a piece of art ? 

I'm inspired by the creative process itself. Making a drawing or a painting usually starts with a small thought, or one basic feeling that I'd like to see come alive. The feeling grows and becomes more exciting as decisions are made in the process, leading to a stronger conviction about where I'd like to take the work. In a way, the artwork seems to draw itself and I am just watching it happen. It resembles playing as a kid, letting your imagination run wild and knowing that anything you can dream up is valid and acceptable: playing was exciting and it grew on its own... art is the same way, in my mind - it's fun and self-inspiring.

esterwilson.blogspot.com

Your work is very colourful and full of energy. Has art always been your passion?

Very much so. My mom often jokes about how she never worried about me as a child, because I was fine to spend all day in my room with paper and pencil, no need for anything more. I can't imagine a life without creating.

esterwilson.blogspot.com

esterwilson.blogspot.com

esterwilson.blogspot.com

esterwilson.blogspot.com

For more art work by Ester Wilson visit 

web: www.esterwilson.com

blog: esterwilson.blogspot.com

Sirio Magnabosco: "A Series of Unexpected Meditations"

In his study "3.3 billion" the Italian photographer Sirio studied the relationship between people and the presence of nature inside cities. I like the way he portrays one person in contrast to a vast scenery. Sirio attended the Joop Swart Masterclass in Amsterdam, you can see more of his photos in this book.  He currently lives in Berlin.

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

Sirio, http://www.mrsirio.com/

"Escape from this world"

http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

Gemini is a French illustrator who loves lemon pie and old good musicals. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about growing up in a small village and why glamourous ladies inspire her. 

What inspires you when you create your art? 

I would say that my art is inspired by what I see, or what i hear. It sounds very girlish, but I like painting and drawing pretty things, glamourous ladies. I grew up with old american musicals, and while I was a kid I thought when I will become a woman I will look like these beautiful actresses from the 50's, so I think I want to  keep a little of this gold time in my art. 

http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

Why is art your passion? 

When I was a little girl we were living with my sister and my parents in a small village and we didn't have anything to do outside (and I must add we were living in Normandy, so for those who don't know-  the weather is the same as in England). Luckily my grandparents were printers so we had all the paper we wanted for free. And step by step it became the only way we had to escape from this world.

If you could work together with a famous artist, who would you pick? 

I think I would like to work with the "father" of all these movies which gave me the desire to become an artist and  gave me so many happy moments:  Glenn Keane. 


For more by Gemini please visit: 
http://www.gemini.illustrateur.org

http://www.spottedandswing.blogspot.com

In Memory of Dana Maor

I started this blog one year ago - many of you know that I decided to do this because I lost a very dear friend of mine due to a tragic accident. Dana Maor was an amazing artist and this is why I decided to go on a journey, partly to remain close to her but I also had a sudden urge to find out what really inspires artists, how they create their artwork and why they decide to pursue their dreams every single day.

It was Dana's birthday in November and this is why her family and friends created a beautiful exhibition for her in Israel. I would like to show you her artwork and talent. These are photos taken from this exhibition with her artwork, and art that her friends created. Most of the artwork on the photos is hers, except when you see someone painting in the picture.

Mariana Santos: "The way you deal with confusion"

Mariana Santos is a 15 year old artist from Portugal. She is an Urban Sketcher and likes to sketch everyday and she loves to paint from concert photos. In this interview with TYT she speaks about creating something new and why art is about not being afraid. 

Mariana Santos

What inspires you to your art?

I started drawing everyday stuff in my sketchbook because of the group Urban Sketchers, I got really inspired seeing all that fantastic work and decided to get my own journal, I started drawing every day and that really helped me to develop my drawing skills. Before I had a sketchbook I did some portraits of my favorite musicians, I got into drawing because I got into music and photos of concerts really inspire me when drawing a musician, I love to paint in black paper from those concert photos.

Recently I’ve had some ideas and done some studies for a different kind of paintings in which I’m trying to move a bit away from sheer representation of reality and to play with color and shapes even though they’re based on real subjects.

Mariana Santos

Your work is mainly about music and everday life.Which moments fascinate you most?

I think regarding my sketches on everyday life I’m more fascinated and enthusiastic while traveling. While I’m not traveling I lately tend to draw a lot of portraits of my friends maybe because I spend so much time with them, I also draw a lot on the subway, in the classroom. My sketchbook ends up documenting my life. I’m also fascinated with the possibilities of shapes colors and lines, the composition within a page.In my music drawings I draw my favorite musicians from photographs, usually what fascinates me is the action and the contrast.

Mariana Santos

Do you have favorite artists?

 I love all kinds of things and I change my favorite artists very often.Concerning the subject of everyday sketches and visual journals, I really love the work of Danny Gregory, Tommy Kane, Lapin, Eduardo Salavisa, Richard Câmara, Nina Johansson, John Woolley, as well as other Urban Sketchers correspondents.

The painters I’ve gotten pretty interested in recently are Egon Schiele, Basquiat, Touluse-Lautrec and Eric Fishell, I also love Andy Warhol, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Oskar Kokoschka and lots more.

Mariana Santos

Mariana Santos

Would you like to become a full time artist after you finish school?

 Yes, I’d love to become a full time artist when I finish school but I’m keeping my mind open.  I think nowadays in the art word you have to do a bit of everything in order to survive. Those things still feel very complicated to me so for now I’ll concentrate on my art, what makes me happy.

Mariana Santos

Creativity is…

To combine the things you know and create something new, everything comes from somewhere. To be creative is not to be afraid. Creativity comes from hard work, dreams, involvement, confusion and the way you deal with that confusion.

Mariana Santos

If you'd like to have a look at more of her work, check out Mariana Santos Blog and on Flickr