Interview with Steffi Rodigas
Before art completely took over my life, I spent a large part of my life in various professions, including teacher, social pedagogue, headmistress, entrepreneur and educator of my three children. But art has always been in my heart! That's why I broke with all conventions a few years ago, quit my job and now I do what I always wanted to do - express my feelings, my thoughts and ideas with art and music. Since 2018, I have been working as a freelance artist. My deep connection to nature, animals and love of detail is reflected in my artistic work.
However, I do not allow myself to be pinned down, I act with a wide variety of colors and techniques and try out everything, even to the point of creating sculptures. Everything that touches my heart can become a motif, a grandiose landscape, an old person with a life story, an enchanting animal, but also a withered thistle by the wayside.
I often articulate my emotions and opinions on world events, such as climate change, in artistic works. In addition to my representational works, I have developed my own art form "ART in ART", in which color as the main element combines realistic painting and abstraction. Numerous small artworks are in harmony with the overall work. Paintings from this series can be seen in Venice, Madrid and Paris. In Germany, I have had 7 solo exhibitions so far and have been involved in numerous collective exhibitions.
How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
Whether I am travelling, hiking, talking, driving, sitting in front of the PC or TV or walking through the forest, I do it all this with a watchful eye, even for the smallest detail. I am a very emotional person and put my impressions and thoughts into creative form as often as possible
How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?
Motivation and approach for a picture can be very different, but I always have not only an idea in my head but concrete ideas for the final version. This can sometimes be disappointing if the picture in my head was more perfect. For more complex picture themes, I work with pencil and color sketches.
When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?
When there are no deadlines, I am productive and creative from morning till night, even on weekends. My life was marked by work in various professions and raising my three children, now I have been living out my creativity intensively for about 4 years.
What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?
I overcame the societal compulsion to "work until retirement, then there's free time" by leaving the secure working life. My partner, who has been by my side for several years, believes in me and my talent. This has strengthened my self-confidence and enabled me to develop my work as an artist.
Did you have an idea of what you wanted to create right from the beginning?
No. I just wanted to do what there was hardly any room for in my life before, paint and make music, just be creative.
What is the meaning or creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?
My ambition to intensify my skills is a very important driving force in my creative work. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the works of old masters in museums, so I also wanted to put scenes with water on canvas. It makes me proud to be close to it now! Lately, I have been trying to improve my watercolor skills. My penchant for three-dimensionality also makes me experiment with different materials, and some sculptures made from building insulation material have been created in an unusual way. Another inspiration lies in the problems and grievances of our time. Some topics don't let me sleep, cause a total restlessness in me until I have expressed myself artistically on them. This is how numerous works on climate change, pollution of the oceans, media overkill or animal endangerment came into being.
Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?
Walking through the forest, swimming in the lake, making music, watching animals, clear air and peace, these things allow me to be creative. Of course, my partner, my children and honest people are also part of being happy.
Are there any exhibitions or places where people can see these beautiful creations in person soon? Anything on the horizon?
In Neuhaus (Thuringia) you can see works by New Zealand in a permanent exhibition. Otherwise, I will soon be involved in exhibitions in Luxembourg, Madrid, Tuscany and possibly New York.
