Interview with Cecilia Anastos

I am an Italian-American, multi-cultural and polyglot artist. My paintings are colourful, profound, and uplifting. I am a self-taught artist, and this is my profession. I learned a long time ago to trust the teacher within and go to my inner world to fetch ideas for painting.
My voice in fine arts has been influenced by the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism painters for my figurative compositions and some Modern artist for my abstract compositions. Sometimes, in my dreams, I am visited by the ghost of Maestro Salvador Dali, and some surreal compositions come to life.

I use my voice in fine arts to bring attention to matters that will generate a conversation with the viewer, as well as to express a personal story. All my paintings have a story, a piece of my soul, a raison d’être.

Can you tell us about the moment you decided to pursue a career as an artist?

I had been painting steadily since 2009, and in 2016, I decided I wanted to open my online gallery. Then, in 2017, I open my art studio to the public.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I am a figurative artist influenced by the impressionism and post-impressionisms movements. I work with acrylic paint and oil pastels. I enjoy painting landscapes and seascapes, portraits, and surreal works that arise from my dreams. I enjoy doing commissioned paintings, as well. I see my self as the to go artist for figurative landscapes and portraits.

What do you want your art to convey to the people who see it? What is the meaning or creative motivation behind your work?

For the figurative landscapes, I aim to convey a sense of serenity. A desire to go out and explore nature. For the portraits, it is a way of legacy for the person I am creating the portrait. When I do surreal work, I hope to bring laughter to the viewer.

Can you tell us about the process you use to create your works? What is your typical workday routine?

My typical work day routine is selecting the landscape I want to paint. I like to do a quick drawing on the canvas. Then, I decide what colors would be best for that particular painting. Same when I do portraits. For my surrealism paintings, sometimes I spend several weeks doodling on paper until I come up with a composition that I like.

Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to create?

I find inspiration from the photos of landscapes that friends and family send me. My motivation comes from within. Painting and creating compositions are a joy that cannot be expressed in words and the reason I use the canvas to show it.

What has been your most outstanding achievement to date?

Having three of my paintings displayed at the Big Screen Plaza in New York, and one painting displays at the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild Exhibition.

What are your ultimate career goals?

To make a full time living from selling my original paintings, not prints. I also want to be the “to go” artist for figurative portraits.

What are you working on now, and what can we expect from you soon?

For the past nine months, I worked on a collection of landscapes for a series titled Rebel, where I defied conventional techniques of light, shadow, background and foreground to create landscapes that were just reflecting what my eye was directly observing from the photo.

Now, I am working on a landscape of the island of Kauai where I bring conventional techniques back to the canvas. I will continue working on landscapes and seascapes, with the occasional surreal composition; as well as the commissioned paintings as the requests arrive.

Website www.ceciliaanastos.com