Zuzana Ferenčáková has been engaged in visual creation for more than 20 years. She sketched her own handwriting already at secondary school of applied art. She perfected the technique and depth during her university studies. Read the interview to discover more.
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In twenty years, her themes have matured in terms of content, and at the same time, their execution has lost none of its enthusiasm and playfulness. It immerses realistic motifs in fresh color variety and joy of the moment. In their works, they capture all layers of beauty, femininity and fragility.
He prefers to create on canvas with acrylic paints, which she complements with ink or dry pastel. But she also likes to experiment. She completes the paintings with Slovak folk ornaments. Its goal is thus to preserve the cultural heritage, but at the same time to add an original form to the element of folk art.
Kooness: What Inspires You?
Zuzana Ferenčáková: Mainly everyday life. I love watching people around me. How they act, faces they make, their clothes, the way they behave while thinking about things. I perceive colours, smells. And when I stand in front of the canvas, I can see all of it. When it comes to my favourite artists, I love Klimt, Picasso and Renoir. Every one of them inspires my in particular way. Colours, shapes, ease of their painting.
Kooness: How Do You Make your Artworks?
ZF: I prefer using acrylic paints. I combine them with watercolor, ink, marker and wax. And I love adding various layers.
Kooness: What Does Your Art Mean to You?
ZF: My art simply means relax to me. It is my therapy. When I paint, I am somewhere else. In my own world. Nothing else is real for me, I completely cut myself off from reality. I barely eat or drink. I don’t pick up my phone or reply to texts.
Kooness: What is the artistic process behind your work?
ZF: I create my stuff very spontaneously. I just stand in front of my canvas, take up my brush, pick colour and so it goes. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, I need to scatch it and write a note. And then, in the morning the first thing I do is painting. And I have never come late to work And sometimes I just have some idea in my head for several days and i am working on it just in my mind.
Kooness: Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
ZF: I am from Slovakia. Our country has an amazing culture, traditional costumes with folk ornaments. And we have also an exceptional architecture and symbols. These things have always influenced me strongly and i love putting „piece of Slovakia“ into my work – both ornaments and symbols.
Kooness: Who are your biggest artistic influences?
ZF: My strongest influence is my mood, things I am living right in the moment. Every time my husband returns from work and sees the painting I am working on, he knows right away how my day went.
Kooness: How has your style changed over time?
ZF: I feel like my style is changing constantly. In the past I liked pure geometry. Step by step I moved more towards figurative creation, using different styles, I change techniques and shapes. I love to experiment.
Kooness: Is there any additional hobby or job hat allows you to develop your creative skills? Máte ešte niečo kreatívne hobby alebo job
ZF: I think I am quite lucky to have also a job that is very creative and dynamic. I work as a TV news reporter. You never know when or where are you going to be in one hour from now. I have to be flexible, always ready and prepared for everything. But this job is also very creative. I am working with words, with pictures and also a form.
The works of Zuzana Ferenčáková are available for sale online on Kooness.
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Tell Me More is where contemporary artists share their creative process, their sources of inspiration and their stories…Few questions to learn more about artist’s practice, story and vision, to be featured online on Kooness Magazine. Talk to the biggest names and emerging talents from the art world on Kooness.com
Cover Image: Zuzana Ferenčáková. Fragments of Under the Surface, 2023. Courtesy of Art Lasak
Written by: Kooness
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