MIRUNA IVANESCU

Gallery

My name is Ivanescu Miruna Liana. I am 20 years old, I was born on the 10th December 1989, in Romania during the communist revolution. I spent the first 14 years of my life in Transylvania where I visited a German school. During my high school years I moved to Jassy, the cultural center of the country. The main subjects I studied there were math, computer science, physics and German. At the moment, I study computer science at the University in Jassy. I also work in the artistic department of a student association.

Although I have never had any professional education in art, it has always been one of the loves of my life. I try to incorporate art into every aspect of my life, not only while creating a new work. I have loved to draw for as long as I can remember. My stepmother is the one who helped me start, she explained to me proportions, balance, how to create a good composition, how to mix colours etc. I was 8 at that time. Since then, I have experimented with all kinds of media: painting, watercolour, ink, charcoal, collage. I had loved doing portraits for a time. I discovered digital art three years ago and I have been fascinated by it ever since. I am still experimenting with different techniques because I feel like I'm not ready to settle down to a specific style yet.

I am aware of the fact that some people have their doubts about digital art and believe that traditional art is a truer form of expression. In my opinion, art is about expression, it should convey a strong emotion or message. The way in which this message is delivered is less important: if technology comes to the aid of artists, we should embrace it. I like digital art because it offers endless possibilities, but also, because it allows me to make changes whenever I feel like I want to change something about my work.

My inspiration comes from a lot of things. Most of my works are metaphors of concept, a feeling or a state, which represent the starting point. Then I start exploring and twisting the concept, until I am satisfied with the final result. Literature is a very important source of inspiration, novels and poetry alike. I rarely depict characters, I try instead to depict one of the ideas of the book that I found interesting. The thing I like about good books is that they offer a different perspective on the world.

There are artists who are an important source of inspiration for me: E. Munch, Dali, Klimt, Paul Klee, Magritte, Modigliani and many others, including contemporary artists like Ray Caesar and Nathalie Shau.

But what I call my true inspiration, and the only thing I’m not able to create without, are images which come together inside my head and represent the starting point of my work. I usually make a quick sketch afterwards, to help me remember all the details. Of course, the final result isn’t identical to the image I see in my head. I improvise and experiment a lot along the way, but I need it to help me bring everything together.

Sometimes, inspiration leaves me for months, and I’m not able to create anything new, every new project I start working on is a mess, and I end up abandoning it. Ironically, most of my ideas come when I’m extremely busy with something else, like working on a bigger commission or during exams period at the university.

My favourite style is surreal, because I see it like an escape from everyday reality. Surreal art is like a dream: it might seem strange and absurd at first, but it actually comes from a hidden corner of your mind, from your deepest feelings or thoughts. I also like this style because it helps me encrypt a message, keep it from being too obvious, and instead offer various keys of interpretation.

When I’m creating something, colours are the most important thing. I can’t work in grayscale, although I admire those who can. Colours are my first form of expression, they help me set the mood and create the atmosphere. The first key to the interpretation of my works lies in the colours I use. During the creation of any image of mine, lots of things change, but never the colours – I know them from the start. I always try to find a balance between tones which would lead to a harmonious result, even when I work with strong contrasts. I pay a lot of attention to details, because most of the time, they are the ones that make the difference. The time I need to create something varies from a few hours to more then a month, depending on the complexity, the level of details and my inspiration. I work best at night and in the morning; my muse is usually asleep by noon.

I plan to do more digital drawings and mixed media in the future, and maybe try out a bit of 3D. I feel the need to explore all the possibilities, because I am still looking for my identity as an artist.

Copyright © 2009 Miruna Liana Ivanescu