Art
is a beautiful medium of expression; it is a method of communicating one's
deepest feelings when words fail. It is amazing how a brushstroke can turn into
a thousand words and can create a beautiful memoir of emotion so close to the
heart. Our artist in conversation today is Thilini De Simon, a wonderful artist
who creates some of the most exquisite pieces of art which speak more than
words.
How
long have you been painting?
My happiest memories of
childhood are when I was painting, so I could say I have been all my life, but
I took up painting full time 3 years ago. My father was always good at drawing,
and my mother encouraged and supported me in my artistic journey. I remember
being taken to art classes and workshops by my parents and how they taught me
to appreciate nature. So, my parents certainly laid the foundation for me to
become the artist I am today.
Who
are your greatest influencers?
Apart from my parents, renowned artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, David Hockney, Frida Kahlo, Sujeewa Kumari, and Nuwan Nalaka are a few of the many that come to mind.
Did you have a formal education in art and painting or are you self-taught?
I am a
product of both, as I am self-taught when I was young, and I followed a diploma
course in fine art at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Art later. I am currently
following a master's degree in Fine Art at Kelaniya University, Sri Lanka.
Do
you have a particular style? How did you become so passionate about this
particular style?
Well, I mostly like to paint using the
impasto method where you apply the paint thickly on the canvass and the brush
stroke is visible and the mixing of colors mainly takes place on the canvas
itself.
What
are your other passions other than art? How have these passions contributed you
to becoming the artist you are today?
I
love nature and traveling, traveling and nature are two of the best ways to
observe the world and learn.
Could
you walk us through your process? Percentage-wise, how much time do you spend
preparing for the painting, and how much time on the actual painting itself? Is
preparation an important part of your process?
Preparing
for an artwork takes a long time as a topic must be found, the composition must
be made and then the drawing of the artwork, personally for me I prefer to do
conceptual art, so coming up with a concept or an idea that I want to share
with the viewer and how to best portray it takes a fare share of the time.
Are
you engaged in new artistic adventures? How is artistic exploration important
to you as an artist and to your process? How do you then decide what to
incorporate into your style and what to leave as pure fun?
Art
to me is an adventure, mixing different media and experimenting with what looks
the most appealing or what will carry the message most effectively is
creative and a lot of fun.
Was
there a particular moment where you could tell that your skills had just
crossed over into being an exceptionally good painter instead of a pretty
good painter? What did you do to make that leap?
Well,
I think it happens to all of us as we practice painting or drawing, daily,
similar to everything else in life.
How
do you push yourself? Do you set goals for yourself? And if so, what are those
goals? Do you think setting goals is important for an artist in his/her
artistic journey? If so, why?
Yes,
I think setting goals is extremely important as an artist as it then acts as a
guide to what I want to achieve in a particular year, so for next
October 2023 I am planning an exhibition with a few fellow artists and
that would be my goal for 2023
How
is your experience working with Aartzy? Do you think it's a useful platform for
artists?
Platforms
like Aartzy are very helpful to an artist as it helps the artist get his or her
work out into the market, help the artist and the work to be seen, and take the
pressure off the artist to do the advertising and marketing on their own which
leaves so much more time to think, be creative and to make art.
Aartzy (2023)
Thilini de Simon's entore collection can be viewed HERE