“I try to avoid self-imposed limits on my creativity and am striving to relax my sometimes-rigid expectations of what my art should or should not be.”
Andrea is an abstract artist who has been obsessed with colours, forms and composition all her life. In her hardedge abstract paintings, one can always find fascinating colour combinations. These colours balance each other or create tension, leading to ‘kinetic celebration’ - a term coined by Andrea in describing her works.
Her love for colours are also manifested in other creative pursuits such as calligraphy, jewellery design, ceramics and knitting. Although Andrea is now mainly focused on painting and drawing, she is also very keen on other artistic mediums.
Q. It seems like you have been interested in art since a kid. Could you share how your childhood upbringing influenced your approach to art eventually?
Growing up on a farm in Iceland, I always loved making things and getting my hands dirty. Creating became like second nature to me; my imagination was brimming with ideas for projects and ways to work with my hands.
Q. Were you formally trained in art? Do you think this has influenced your artistic approach?
I earned my degree in Fine Arts a bit later in life, first studying psychology and eventually having a family. My formal training allowed me to explore various mediums, learn and grow alongside my artistic peers, and fine-tune my technical skills.
Q. You mentioned that you are obsessed with colours. Can you elaborate more on this? What and why do you like colours?
I have always been drawn to bright colours—they are my muse, my comfort, and my home.
Q. You said you approach your art in an intuitive manner. How do you give your artwork a spontaneous feel?
I keep my work spontaneous by avoiding over-planning and letting my ideas flow organically. Achieving the right balance of colour is often a result of trial and error as I layer and experiment with different shades and tones. The finished piece is usually completely different from my original vision, which spontaneously evolved as I painted.
Q. You are also working with many other creative mediums. Which is your favourite and are they somehow all interconnected?
Although I currently consider myself a painter, I also want to pursue my creative desires in (and across) other artistic disciplines. Even as a painter, I love to use various media in a single work—such as acrylics, aerosol paint, and inks on one piece. I try to avoid self-imposed limits on my creativity and am striving to relax my sometimes-rigid expectations of what my art should or should not be.
Q. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My inspiration is almost solely based on colours. Any colour combinations that catch my eye - whether it's an outfit I see someone wearing on the street, packaging lined up on shelves at the store, or the arrangement of food on my plate—any of these can inspire me to begin a new piece.
Q. What is this ‘Kinetic Celebration’ you are trying to create in your work? And how do you achieve it?
“Kinetic Celebration” is a phrase I came up with to describe what I believe to be the spirit of my work. As I paint, I focus on the layout of the colours. For me, the colours have to create a certain “flow,” meaning that their placement helps draw the eye around the canvas. This facilitates movement as the viewer’s gaze moves freely around the piece without hindrance. When all the colours “flow,” they create harmony like a celebration.
Q. Could you share with us your process of creating each artwork?
When I begin a new piece, I first choose and mix a starting palette of a few colours that inspire me. After that, my process greatly varies from piece to piece as I let artistic intuition be my guide. Sometimes the colours I use in the beginning help influence the shapes I create, and other times I start with the background first. As I progress, I constantly reevaluate the work, changing colours, adding layers, playing with textures, and experimenting with different media. It is an intuitive process from start to finish.
Q. Are there any other artistic disciplines you would like to try in the future?
I can imagine my penchant for bright colours would transition very well into three- dimensional disciplines. I would love to one day add some sculptures to my portfolio.
Q. Do you have a proudest piece of artwork to share?
I am proud of my entire body of work as a whole, so I cannot single out one particular piece. My first large piece, however, marked a turning point in my artistic approach. Before that, I mostly created smaller pieces, so filling out a huge canvas was intimidating. When that piece came together, I knew that my work could translate well on any canvas.
Q. Could you describe your work in 3 words?
“Work in progress”
It is because I'm constantly reevaluating my work from when the canvas is primed to the time it leaves my studio.
