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Una Ursprung: Very Private Matter!

Website: https://unaursprung.com/

 

1.     What is the importance of spray paint in your painting? Do you try to incorporate street art elements in your work?

No, street art is irrelevant to my works. I consider spray paint to be a material for painting, like oil paint or acrylic.
For the last few years, I have been focusing on artistic media and techniques to explore the space and visual sense of painting. First, I paint in oil with brushes. Figurative painting techniques allow me to manage the space of scenery. Afterward, I apply more direct abstract lines by spray paint to create an atmosphere generated by two spaces. Spray paint is a modern media, which is quite different from the traditional medium such as oil paint. The combination of spray paint and oil paint draws a vivid contrast, creating a diverging visual effect. Spray-painted abstract lines resemble secretive texts hovering over the surface of the oil painting, just like freezing a fleeting moment of floating bugs, leaves, lights, and dust in a forest.
The most important in the entire creation process is to spray-paint the landscape paintings I have already finished. Doing so allows me to see my hand motions and my body actions directly. These motions are fast yet free, for they can immediately change the atmosphere I have originally fostered with my careful strokes. That displays a different set of personality, desires, and space. I am intrigued by this result.

Spray-painted abstract lines resemble secretive texts hovering over the surface of the oil painting, just like freezing a fleeting moment of floating bugs, leaves, lights, and dust in a forest. Una Ursprung Click To Tweet

2.    Is there any philosophical meaning of your landscape?

I never deliberately try to bring any philosophical meaning into my paintings. I think this is too “heavy” for me. Nevertheless, I gladly accept if someone sees any philosophical meaning in my art.

 

3.    Why not paint landscape only?

I have a desire to paint a figurative scenery, but I also want to paint a simple abstract painting. Hence, I combine these two different desires and creative types into my paintings. However, the definition of my painting for me is still a “landscape.”

 

4.    What experiences are we looking at in your art?

I don’t want to restrict the viewers and what they should see or how they should feel about my paintings. I wish my art to be an inspiring invitation for people to create their own imaginations, exchange and share these experiences with me after seeing my works. Besides, I wish my paintings would make people feel comfortable just like we feel at those moments when wandering in a forest.

 

5.    Does painting matter in your opinion?  What is the importance of the painting? Why do you paint?

For me, yes! I think the importance of painting is to paint honestly and follow your intuition. I think painting is a very private matter. I feel my body and soul are in harmony when I am painting. Therefore, the process of painting is like endless self-talk, through which I can understand myself better. At times, I also discover something I have never thought about before. It is so inspiring, that is why I always enjoy painting and never get tired of it.

The process of painting is like endless self-talk, through which I can understand myself better. Una Ursprung Click To Tweet

 

6.    How do you think an artist should innovate painting and how do you think innovations reflect in your work? Do we need innovations? Do we need art?

Yes, we need innovations, but it depends on what goals one is pursuing in his/her art career. I think, for me, the innovation is not to compare myself with other artists or the examples in the history of art but myself. I am satisfied if I get new ideas that I have never thought of before, even if they are not novel to others, and paint better than I have done it before. What I seek for is to surmount myself.
Honestly, I cannot speak for the world whether everyone needs art or not. I am sure some people do not need art in their lives at all. For me, life is more important than art, but art is also my life.

 

8.    Why was it so important for you to move to Switzerland? Tell us, why do we need to make decisions in our live?

My husband is a Swiss. That is why I moved to Switzerland.
In fact, we are making decisions every moment in our lives, from small things like what we are going to eat tonight to big things. The most important is not why we make decisions but how we make right decisions. My principle is to never regret once the decision is made.

 

9. Do you think that as a painter you need to focus on the landscape for long-time to make people recognize your work and you as a painter?

Maybe yes, if you want people to recognize you. But the most important, in my opinion, is to focus on the theme you are genuinely interested in, and you also must paint for yourself, not for others.

 

10. What’s the difference between your culture and the country you live in now? Do you think the culture differences can vanish, and how would it be possible? Should they be different or equal?

These are two completely different cultures. Roughly speaking, I come from Taiwan, an Asian culture based on Confucius thought, where the main religions are Buddhism and Taoism. Where I live now is Western/ European culture where most traditional festivals derive from Christianity.
I think the culture differences cannot and should not vanish. What we need to do is to keep an open mind and accept or learn how to maintain a balance. Cultural differences do not bother me too much.

 

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