Zhana Viel is an artist who spent her youth exploring nature and freely discovering the great outdoors. As a teenager, she studied photography and design with the American photographer Giovanni who catalyzed her outgoing passion for art making. She has numerous private collections in the UK, Europe, the United States and Australia. Viel's artworks have been used on the covers of books, CD albums and Vernon Proms Classical music festival visuals. At the present moment, she lives in London, UK. where she studies Psychology and uses art therapy techniques to create some of her most beautiful, expressive and thrilling visual art.
1) Which art movement do you consider most influential on your practice?
I am generally interested in surrealism and am also influenced by the Dutch Golden Age. I also enjoy highly textured abstract art.
2) Where do you go and when to make your best art?
I'm working in my studio. After 4 p.m. is my favourite time to create. I'm just naturally inspired by evening time.
3) How do you describe your 'creative process'?
My creative process is a dance between my unconscious and conscious thoughts. I use a limited colour palette to produce my portraits, which are dominated by dark tones and cloudy highlights. In my portraits, I try to emphasise the subjects' faces and hands; the clothing and environment are unimportant, blending into a plain background.
4) Which artist, living or deceased, is the greatest inspiration to you?
Rembrandt's use of Chiaroscuro, the natural mixing of light and shade to produce a dramatic effect, has always intrigued me. In addition, the self-portraits he painted during his life have often inspired me.
5) If you weren't an artist, what would you do?
I enjoy helping people so I believe I would have been a psychologist or perhaps a teacher.
6) What do you listen to for inspiration?
Classical music, particularly large-scale symphonies from the nineteenth century. This music was almost meant to put you in a state of flow.
7) If you could own one artwork, and money was no object, which piece would you acquire?
Rembrandt's ‘Self-Portrait with Velvet Beret’.
8) If your dream museum or collection owner came calling, which would it be?
Not quite a museum or collection owner but I indeed had a dream about an English actor (Tom Wilkinson) wanting to buy one of my paintings.
9) What is your key piece of advice for artists embarking on a fine art or creative degree today?
Don’t be afraid to try something new and be your own teacher.
10) What is your favourite book of all time (fiction or non fiction)?
‘The Last Poem’ by Rabindranath Tagore.
11) If you could hang or place your artwork in one non traditional art setting, where would it be?
I see one of my paintings enlarged and stretched out as a zeppelin balloon.
12) What was the biggest lesson your university course or time studying taught you?
To have a limitless mind!
13) And finally, if we were to fast forward 10 years, where would we find you?
my painting ‘The Man Without a Hat’ on the international space station he-he.
Learn more about Zhana and discover her collection of paintings.
