Interview with IRIS

Can you describe a particular moment from your childhood when you first realized the potential of rainwater as a medium for your artistic expression?

Childhood is a time of questioning, searching and playing. Only through play and curiosity did I end up making water my play partner. Water fascinated me. I had an ordinary but very beautiful childhood. I spent a lot of time in nature. I liked to imitate the voices of animals and the dance of trees when the wind blew, I was fascinated by the colors of flowers, I liked to listen to music and read fairy tales. When it rained, I tried to imitate the flowing shapes that formed on the window glass by drawing.

I can't say that as a child I was necessarily aware of the potential of rainwater as a medium for my artistic expression. This journey started with the game. Thanks to the game, I became friends with water and have remained friends forever.

How has your art evolved from the simple play with rainwater and molding paste to the more complex style of FLUIDISM?

Through the study of industrial design, I received an aesthetic education that helped me to understand form and adapt it to the functional needs of objects.

I learned to give freedom to shapes, to transform objects from everyday life into something ingenious, attractive, with elegant or funny shapes that create good mood and comfort.

During this period, I approached nature with even greater interest, which is an inexhaustible source of forms, adaptability, and functionality. I am fascinated by the visual effects, solutions, and colors found in the middle of nature. I have noticed that vivid, very intense colors always give more personality to even the most banal shapes. I learned to respect nature, to look for this genetic connection with it.

When we are in contact with nature, we are happier and healthier. Everything is written in our genes, it is the code of life that we carry inside us and that we must follow.

I noticed that water in its endless journey of transformation is a living testimony of the infinite connection between all life on Earth, from rain, rivers, oceans, clouds, to plants, animals and people. Water is witness to the interconnection and interdependence of all living beings. WATER is a precious and sacred gift.

Could you walk us through your creative process? How do you begin a piece and what steps do you follow until its completion?

I always start a sketch with the thing I want to draw, and then I change it multiple times until I reach a point where I feel like I’ve said everything and I am very happy with the end result. In the case of a portrait, for instance, each line needs to be in a very precise spot. Any change to the base lines, however small, might completely ruin the expression of the person in the portrait. All my artworks are complex, highly organized constructions of organic fluid forms. This stage in the creation of my works is the most interesting and the most difficult from all. The next step is transferring the sketch (usually done on A4 format) to a very large canvas. This step is crucial in its importance and extremely complicated. Any slight variation, when scaling up the drawing, might distort it, change it and completely ruin a portrait. Every detail needs to be drawn with utmost precision. The last step is applying the colors. I use acrylics that I apply with the help of a brush, between tape of varying widths, lengths and shapes. The color is the element that offers visual unity and harmony. I use the seven colors of the rainbow and the shades obtained by combining them. 

What inspired the name 'FLUIDISM' for your unique style, and how would you define it to someone seeing your work for the first time?

FLUIDISM is a tribute to the most important, fascinating and complex fluid on Earth without which life cannot exist _ WATER.

Water is an expression of love and interdependence of all life forms on the planet and in the Universe. Water unites the entire creation into a whole of boundless beauty, diversity, and complexity. The amount of water in our body reminds us of the beauty and the unique chance we have to be present in everyday life, to witness the magnificent spectacle of life.

My artworks are composed of organic forms, intricately organized and inspired by the movement of fluids.

In the bodies of people, animals and plants, water is found in proportion of 70% or even more. Thus, I came up with the idea of ​​drawing only the liquid part of the bodies without completely destroying their original shape and character. In a person's portrait, for example, character and inner life can be recognized. An elephant is transformed into a new elephant through a complex assemblage of colors and organic shapes without losing the idea of ​​an elephant. A bird remains a bird without losing the idea of ​​flight.

From the beginning, I decided to use the 7 colors of the rainbow and the shades obtained by combining them. The rainbow is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena, created by the refraction of the sun in water droplets after rain.

Besides rainwater, what are your favorite mediums to work with, and why?

What has always fascinated me in my experiments with water is the elegance of the organic forms that form on the surfaces where I let the water flow over. This unique elegance is given by the accuracy of the contours and the uniqueness and complexity of the composition. Where water leaves its mark, something magical always happens. This happens even when I experiment with just a few splashes of water. No experiment is the same, each time there is something new that captivates. Over time, I have also used other liquid substances in their simple form or mixed with other substances in powder form like: melted wax, honey, milk, ink, melted sugar, oil, wine, liquid soap, fruit juices, water with flour, water with sand, water with ground coffee, very salty water, melted chocolate and many others.

One of my favorite experiments was mixing hot water with finely ground coffee.

After I finished drinking the coffee infusion, there was a layer in the form of a fluid paste at the bottom of the cup. I decorated the entire inner surface of the coffee mug with this paste in a rolling motion and placed it face down on a plate to dry. After about an hour, I was holding in my hands a mini-museum with the most interesting and modern mini-works of art. I discovered human silhouettes, numbers, letters, animal silhouettes and plant shapes, all harmoniously linked in a composition that captivated me and fueled my imagination to the maximum. 

I got very good results also with flour and water. For me these experiments are moments of true magic.

What have been some of the most challenging aspects of developing and perfecting your FLUIDISM style?

Fluidism emerged in 2018. It's a new style that I've already started to refine and enhance with new techniques. One significant transformation was changing the color application technique, allowing me to work more quickly, and the aesthetic aspect of my work has improved considerably. Another improvement was made in the technique of scaling and transferring images from sketches on A4 paper to large canvases. I've developed my own method that I'm very satisfied with. Initially, in the first 2 years, this process was extremely challenging with many unpleasant surprises. Enlarging the image often resulted in significant distortion, ruining the entire painting. Of course, I will continuously strive to find new solutions to convey the quality of the image and the correct message of my paintings to all who view them.

Is there a particular project or piece that holds special significance to you? Could you share the story behind it?

There is such a work of art from 2018 accompanied by a spectacular story.

For many years I practice a ritual in which I say to the water daily "Thank you", "I love you" and what are my wishes. Through this ritual I feel that I am activating my inner power and am connected to an energy that heals and purifies me.

On April 10, 2018, exactly on my birthday (what a coincidence!), I played in the kitchen with water and flour. The resulting image was so different that I could not compare it to anything I had experienced before. It resembled a very fragmented human face.

I took a photo of this image. In the days and weeks that followed, I began to stare at the photo for hours. It obsessed and fascinated me at the same time. I couldn't get it out of my mind, I couldn't find peace. I desperately tried to find an explanation. Why did the water suddenly change its way of communicating with me. This obsession with the image in the photo shook something very, very powerful and deep within my being. In June, I attempted to create a fragmented drawing based on the one in the photo and named it "The Girl with the Blue Dress." It was the moment that activated that latent volcano in me. It helped me "awaken." I realized the purpose of all the searches and experiments until then.

In the following days, I completed the first portrait inspired by the image in the photograph, which I named "Modern Woman." Everything felt like a puzzle where I instinctively knew the place of each piece. All these pieces harmonized, fitting perfectly together. This "awakening" was the most important and emotional moment of my life. In honor of this "Fluid Intelligence" — WATER, which marked and influenced my entire life and evolution, I named my new style FLUIDISM.

Besides rainwater, what are your favorite mediums to work with, and why?

Water is not only the flow of life but also an expression of spirituality. It is a sacred gift of inestimable value that we must take care of.

For me, the desire to be connected to the same frequency as water in order to be able to open a channel of communication, meant the radical transformation of my life. I learned to appreciate the richness of simplicity. I became very attached to music, philosophy and religion. I became a vegan. I cultivated respect and love for all living beings, for nature in general. Choosing peace, love, respect, joy, positive attitude and a healthy life are the path to the most incredible and profound experience of the human being. The way to freedom and creativity.

Learning to understand what water communicates to us, deciphering the hidden messages in water, understanding its infinite potential, we come to the conclusion that water is not just a resource but a source. Water is a living, intelligent, eternal, indestructible, creative organism, which holds an infinity of information and solutions, it is the source of life and evolution. For me it is a life model and a source of inspiration.

What are your future goals or ambitions as an artist? Are there any new styles or techniques you wish to explore?

I am an artist who is constantly searching and experimenting. I want to perfect my style as much as possible, to improve it with new formulas of artistic expression. I want to bring beauty, hope and love of life through my work. I wish that the images and the message of my work remain and shine in people's hearts with the intensity of the rainbow after summer rain.

What advice would you give to young artists who are inspired by your journey and want to develop their own unique style?

Artists who are at the beginning of their artistic journey must learn to listen to their inner voice, find an authentic artistic idea and develop their own style.An artist must be optimistic, active, and self-confident without complexes. He has to open his heart to challenges because that's the only way he can mature. An artist must be curious, experiment continuously, create a visible presence of what is invisible. To not give in to failures, to be unconventional, to challenge, to be a voice of his time.