Daniele Vincenz's portrait series "Global Faces" was very well received at the vernissage on September 15th. The expressive, large-format paintings evoke emotions and tell stories. Stories of strangers that visitors write themselves while looking at the pictures. Who is the person in the picture? What are they thinking? Where do they come from? Through the playful spinning of ideas, each individual work of art becomes a highly personal experience.
Behind the artworks is Daniela Vincenz, a very special artist from Switzerland who doesn't like being in the spotlight but is nevertheless an incredibly interesting conversation partner. In the interview, she reveals details about her creative process, her inspirations, her preferred painting techniques and her motivation to continue to dedicate herself to art.
Alivia 2015
Ms. Vincenz, what is your specific approach to the creative process? Do you usually work with models or do you first create templates in the form of sketches?
Since the process of creating a picture sometimes takes several weeks, I cannot work with real models. My portraits are also fictitious people who constantly change and evolve during the process, taking on a different expression depending on my mood.
Do you sometimes use templates (e.g. from print media) that inspire you?
The daily impressions and impressions that I capture with my cell phone camera serve as the basis for my work. I also get inspiration from magazines, books, brochures... in short, all visual impressions that touch me.
Which tools do you prefer to work with?
On the one hand, I naturally use all the classic tools such as brushes, sponges and spatulas, but also some of my own creations that I have developed over the years and that make my application style unique.
Do you only paint with acrylic paint?
At the moment, yes. But I also have some mixed media paintings in which I used a mixture of water-based oil and oil pastels. Painting is a constant process and I find experimenting with new media very important and extremely exciting.
Are you working on one piece or on several pieces at the same time?
In the early stages I often work on two images at a time, but as I get closer to completion I can concentrate on just one image to achieve maximum effect.
How long do you usually work on a piece?
This varies a lot and depends entirely on whether the chosen motif suits me, which unfortunately only becomes apparent during the work. Sometimes I get the desired result within a week. Then there are pictures that demand a lot of me and have to be painted over again and again. This can sometimes take several weeks, some are never finished...
When do you know when a picture is finished?
Ha! The question of all questions! That is the most difficult thing for me... There are pictures, unfortunately only a few, where I know from one second to the next that this is it. But most of the time I have the feeling dozens of times that the work is finished and yet I always find a spot in the picture that I want to rework again.
Which artists inspire you? Do you take inspiration from certain painting styles or approaches?
The artist Niki de Saint Phalle, as a strong female figure in art. Mogliani with his portrayal of portraits, but also contemporary artists such as Malcom Liepke, Harding Mayer and many others inspire me again and again. The list is long.
When / how did you find your painting style as it is today?
I have been painting for as long as I can remember. The style I paint today is one I have developed over many years and will certainly continue to develop.
Did you attend art schools or workshops or was it an individual development ("work in progress")?
My art is always a work in progress. I have attended schools and courses from time to time and learned some techniques and applications, but I found my style through painting itself.
What feeling determines you when you pick up your painting tools?
All the feelings of one day. I always paint, no matter what emotional state I am in.
What do you want to bring to the screen? What is your motivation?
Creativity is an urge that I give in to. Art is my life and my identification. I try to bring what I see and my imagination onto the canvas and paint realistically in an abstract form
Do you have a specific painting concept that you follow?
After I have the picture in my head, I put together the color concept and mix all the colors I need in advance. Then I make a rough outline of the picture and paint in many thin layers, almost like two-dimensional modeling.
Can you imagine working with other color media and tools or have you perhaps already done so?
I am curious about new things and can imagine anything. There are many techniques and media that I would like to try out. Experimenting is important to me.
Can you imagine working with strong colors and clear lines?
I love the infinite variety of mixed colors. I find the many nuances of colors between the pure primary colors exciting. I call them the colored achromaticity.
Do you have a different relationship to nature than to people? How does this affect your desire to capture it on canvas?
My preferred subject is people, mostly women. However, natural subjects are no less demanding than the human body or a facial expression. It is perhaps even more difficult to give the picture tension.
What role do you think women have? What do they stand for?
When it comes to portraits of women, it is much easier for me as a woman to bring emotions and expression into the picture, to reflect myself.
And finally: What do you want to evoke in the viewer?
Identification! A positive feeling! Especially with portraits, the expression should touch the soul of the viewer and he should be able to lose himself in it or perhaps even recognize himself.
Thank you for the interview.
Isolde 2017
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