Vanessa Onuk
Vanessa Onuk
Based in Germany, Frankfurt am Main
Instagram @vanessaonuk.studios

When did you begin you artist journey?
I guess this depends on when you call art as such. I have painted all my life, sometimes abstract, sometimes experimental and also often in a realistic way throughout my entire childhood ans adulthood. My uncle is a fantastic painter and draftsman, he taught me the fun and technique behind painting at an early age. During 2022, after successful professional training and the birth of my third child, I began to make art a central part of my life again.
Do you have experiences that impacted your art?
In addition to numerous contacts to other artists through my family and friends, access to art was always given. However, making "professional art" has always been something I felt was beyond my ability. Furthermore, I have always had a penchant for photography and thus capturing moments in my surroundings. My abstract works are a mirror of this. I capture the rough shapes and structures without getting too detailed. This allows you to fill in the rest of the painting with your own imagination. I'm fascinated by the alternation of sharp lines and gradient colors, just like we see in nature. My second passion is figurative drawing. which is a mixture of real and abstract drawing. The works consist of randomly running shadows, which become complete as an overall position in front of the eye.
Do you feel your art challenges existing barriers?
Even if it is always a sensitive topic, I think there are two decisive factors for me: First of all, the possibility of range generation via the e.g. via social media in recent years, so that it is difficult to present your works to potential buyers without professional help. Personal advertising is often time-consuming and expensive, which often poses a challenge, especially for new artists like me. In addition - confirmed by social media - I have the impression that being a relatively young woman can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. It would be a lie to claim that your own presentation is irrelevant, in most cases it is even very helpful. Nevertheless, I often experience a downgrading on my appearance, questionable inquiries and comments which do not seem to exist in this form with my male colleagues. I think that the reputation of a serious artist is still harder to achieve for women in the arts than for their male counterparts.
How would you describe your creative process?
I am a very spontaneous person, planning only exists as a rough framework to give my idea a structure. For my abstract landscapes, I usually take any picture with a color inspiration as inspiration, whether from my own photography, instagram, mahgazinen etc. Starting from this color scheme, I try to create rough lines, which in the further process complement each other according to my personal feelings and expand. In particular, the superimposition of different, not completely opaque colors offers an endless field of possibilities. I don't paint my pictures because I feel like I have a profound message, as much as I'd like to claim it. My pictures should capture a moment, a feeling. It's the sheer love of colors, nature and the human body.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Most of the time there is a strong connection between my personal mood and the images. My attempt is to transport my emotions in the pictures or to capture my pride of being a woman. My abstract art is always guided by memories of vacations, foreign countries or the landscape around me. My focus is on the colors, shapes and structures are created by feeling, sometimes by chance. I like to let the colors work for me, sometimes they surprise you with the most wonderful works of art without my intervention. The figurative work is strongly influenced by my work as a doctor and my fascination with the human body, its form and its perfection. I want my artwork to radiate strength and pride.
What do you aim to say by the themes in your art?
For me, art is an attitude towards life. Having joy and fun in life, creating things with your own hands, having mistakes and successes. I think that in our society we have lost sight of the beauty of everyday life and I hope that people looking at my paintings can pause for a moment and engage with the feeling we had as children. If we liked something, we stopped and looked at it and shared our joy.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
If painting is what makes you happy, don't let it stop you. Be brave, be hardworking and resistant to external influences. And perhaps the most important thing: take your time and have fun finding your own style. And perhaps the most important thing: one must not forget oneself. Being able to make a living from art is a big dream, but sometimes it takes patience and perseverance. Get in touch and don't be afraid of rejection. Criticism is not personal ;)





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