February

Visual Female of the Month – February

– Gina Martynova

This month I got to hear from the artistic and super interesting Gina Martynova. Her work is pretty amazing, filled with detail, colour and packed with information. It is the type of art you know has been well-considered and planned out before creation. Here’s a few words from Gina about herself which help us get to know her before the interview:

Gina Martynova is an illustrator, fashion designer, and avid cat lover known for her obsession with tea and silly banter. Her artwork fuses elaborate technical designs with a touch of whimsy to create surreal worlds filled with bold dramatic characters and deep symbolism. Many of her pieces explore the representation of the female form in folklore, fashion and nature. Eerie and inviting imagery are presented simultaneously. The tension between the opulent detail and vast negative space, essential to her aesthetic, is borrowed from eastern philosophy and an insight into Gina’s upbringing as a third culture kid growing up in Asia.

Gina is also in a portrait show at Baker + Hesseldenz this month. These stunning images below are for sale, click on them for details.

Now for the interview…

What is your artistic background?

I majored in General Illustration at FIT and did a Foundation in Fashion Design at LCF

What is your favourite thing to draw and why?

Starry inspired creatures: mixture of plants and animal that seems alien yet familiar.

Tell us about the latest project you are working on.

Currently working on a new portrait series. It explores Astrology and female empowerment in modern society. The first two portraits are of Willow Smith and Tilda Swinton.

Willow Smith – Work in progress shot

If you weren’t an artist what would you do?

I would be a Botanist or Ballerina 🙂

Where do you find inspiration?

Fairy tales, quite a bit from my Russian upbringing interspersed with Asian folklore, nature and science.

If you somehow hurt your vision, would you choose to wear glasses or contacts?

Contacts

Excluding sight, what two other senses are your favourites?

Sound and taste

5 most pleasant things to look at:

water, star formations, cats, eyes and sunsets

5 least pleasant things to look at:

corruption, decay, abuse, greed and pollution

Who is the most inspiring woman you know and why?

The most inspiring woman I know is my mother, simply because she has the ability to always dream big and have new experiences while knowing that it is the journey and not the destination that matters. As a fine artist in today’s world I feel like that has really prepared me for adventure 🙂

I am also slightly crushing and in awe of Broad City’s Abbi and Ilana. They have so much talent and although Broad City is not blatantly making Feminist statements – it really is a revolutionary show about women that I think is breaking new ground in comedy and scripted television.

What is your favourite thing about yourself?

My ability to interpret light

What is on your bedroom walls currently?

Bare white walls

Favourite clothing / accessory / product at the moment?

Stella McCartney for Adidas leggings, fuchsia Nike beanie with neon green pom-pom and manic panic

Favourite artist at the moment:

Hikari Shimoda for contemporary reference / Leon Bakst for historical reference

And finally, any words of advice for people stepping into the creative sector?

Work hard, think free and stay true to your vision.