Transcript

Below is the transcript of the original interview. In //italics// is the sections which were kept in the final product.
//Hi my names Maya Kolega I am a art student at uni SA//
 * Please introduce yourself.**

**1. So tell me about yourself? What inspired you to start drawing/painting?** I//ve always been interested in art//. Well from a young age. But it would have all started in year 8 art classes I guess.

**2. How did you discover your talent for art?** //it probably would have been year 8 when i discovered a true passion, an interest in art mainly drawing at the time but now photography and painting.//

**3. What was your first piece of art that you were proud of?** //I was probably most proud of the 3 canvas' I did for my fathers 50th when I was 16 years old. I had many compliments about them and I felt very excited about this.//

**4. Where comes your inspiration from when you are painting?** //Most of my inspirations comes from artists and gallery visits and photography. For example if i find or take an interesting photo I feel like I need to reproduce it as a painting.//

**5. What do you think is the most important influence in your art?** Lately I feel very influenced by modern art. Artists such as Guy Denning and Chuck Closs

**6. Do you express different feelings when painting or do you just paint for the sake of painting?** //Sometimes I can paint all day, other days I cant even touch the Canvas. When im under pressure to finish something I find it difficult, a good painting takes time//

**7. Do you ever have painters block? And how do you overcome this?** //I always have painters block. I think that every artist suffers from it. Often when I do I visit galleries spend time in the library researching artists or I browse the web looking for inspiration.// Or often just listening to music or being creative in a different way

**8. Does any of their painting have a deeper meaning?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The pieces I did in year 12 were very meaningful, I chose my subject for various reasons and will never sell or give them away because they are very important to me and my family.//

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**9. How important is the subject matter to your artwork?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The subject matter is very important in 2 different ways. Sometimes I choose the subject because they have a interesting face or persona. And other times I choose them because they influence me or have had some kind of impact on my life.//

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**10. How do you know when a piece of artwork is finished?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know when a piece is finished because I ask myself the question if its finished all the time. Its hard to tell unless its a water colour, with painting there is no ending for example layered paintings or abstract paintings. My uni lecturers always tell us take risks and put more risk into the painting.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**11. Do you work certain hours each day or only when you are inspired to work?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//I work when I'm inspired mostly because I don't want to take to much of a risk and just start, because materials are expensive//. Good work also takes time, so if it takes a longer time to figure out the subject or technique, I will take my time before starting.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**12. What technique do you use? And why is this your favourite?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the moment I'm experimenting with a range of techniques I cant decide which one to stick to because there are to many that I like.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**13. Do you think you have your own style or still trying to find it?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Im definitely still trying to find my own style, I definitely have a thing with having realism in my work.//

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**14. Describe a couple of your painting to me and what they represent?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I //did this painting in year 12 I chose Donna to paint. She's a inspiration person to me, a lovely person, an illustrator and a family friend. This technique of painting was inspired from a famous artist in year 12 called Chuck Closs. It took around three months to finish, in contrast I have one of my recent works which was about mixing experimental techniques with figuration, it took me roughly 2 hours.// So this is different to how I worked a year ago.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**15. Out of all the career choices, do you think your career choice was a good one? What are you aims and goals within the future?** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Currently at uni I'm starting to specialise but still doing three subjects at the moment. So I'm doing painting, drawing and photography//, which is a good mix because it incorporates all elements on what I want to do. I will probably stick to painting in the end or photography and then go further with photography once finished uni and always have painting as a side option. //In the future I see myself hopefully working for a magazine or a news paper, taking photos, but then hopefully also doing my painting on the side and maybe even one day opening an art gallery of my own.//

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