[19.10.2010] Interview with Paul Megens, artist from the Netherlands

usanie uangu:  Paul, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! We would like to learn more about the topics in your art.
Paul Megens: Hi usanie uangu, Get ready….here i come !

usanie uangu: What means art for you?
Paul Megens: Art is me and I am Art. The way I live and the way I think.
Everything I do, is an expression of my inner self. Writing lyrics, making music, painting,
searching answers to questions that matter to me in life…
listening to my inside and then turning my inside out in every way I can think of.
Everything has it’s own emotions. A great gift for mankind.

usanie uangu: Is art your profession or is just relaxing hobby?
Paul Megens: My profession. Fantastic to do, every day anew.
A privilege I wished everyone could experience: making a living of what you like to do most.

usanie uangu: What is favorite art museum?
Paul Megens: I don’t visit museums a lot. An Art Fair now and then.
The quality of artwork is sometimes surprising and sometimes disappointing.
When it’s bad, I get a lot of confidence about my own work and when it’s really good
I get home feeling an amateur…

usanie uangu: Is there any artwork which you would never sell and why?
Paul Megens: No. All my work is for sale. A sale makes room in my studio and in my head.
And even when it’s on a stranger’s wall, it’s still my work.

usanie uangu: What do you want to express with your paintings?
Paul Megens: My view of the world, why we are here and related topics.
Most of my paintings have a deep spiritual load, although they look plain and simple.
‘There’s more between heaven and earth Horatio’ 

usanie uangu: What is your favorite movie?
Paul Megens: Depends on my mood, I guess. One of my favorites is Bruce Almighty.
It looks like a comedy, but it says it all…very much like my art.

usanie uangu: How do you get the ideas for your paintings?
Paul Megens: The use of colors is my primary goal. The shapes are a tool.
I try to make a design, as simple as possible, that suits the colors best. When it’s done, the meaning appears.

usanie uangu: If you would have the chance to be in a time machine in which century you would like to go?
Paul Megens: The century where all people respect each other and the place where they are ‘guests’ for a lifetime. Where greed no more existed.Where everybody would wish for their neighbours, what they wished for themselves.

usanie uangu: What do you believe is your art giving to other people?
Paul Megens: Happiness and / or recognition.
And for others the feeling that they too could be an artist, if they wanted.

usanie uangu: Your message to the world?
Paul Megens: Get rid of all religions, for they are the cause of most wars between peoples.

usanie uangu: Is there something what we did not ask but you would like to say?
Paul Megens: I would like to tell my point of view, at this moment in time:
There is one Creator. At the very top.
There are men at the bottom.
In between, there are many levels of civilization.
With beings that we call ‘gods’.
Because they are far more advanced than we are.
They ( let us) fight to rule the world.
A great way to keep peoples at war, is to make various religions.
Each ‘god’ has his own group of devoted followers.
Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindu’s, Buddhists…you name them.
Not untill we humans open our eyes, there will never be peace in the world.
Kick all religions out and serve the One and Only in the only right way:
Make love not war.

Eye openers:
‘a conversation with God’ Neale Donald Walsch
‘the 12th planet’ Zecharia Sitchin

[09.09.2010] Interview with Takatomo Homma, artist from Japan

usanie uangu:  Takatomo, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! You told us that you are working on a very interesting project at the moment. What is it exactly and which project do you plan next?
Takatomo Homma: A few weeks ago, I did the illustration for the t-shirts, which will be available at the souvenir shop at the hotel in Okinawa, a resort place in southern tip of Japan.  Soon I will have to start working on paintings for Art Expo New York, coming up in March, 2011.

usanie uangu: What is art for you: love, passion, the must or just relaxing hobby?
Takatomo Homma: I don't want to call it a hobby. It's definitely love, passion and the must. But I feel guilty not spending time on creating art as much as I should!

usanie uangu: When did you start to paint and how did it influence your life?
Takatomo Homma: I started about 5 or 6 years ago. I think art makes my life much fuller.

usanie uangu: Which other arts are you interested to or you maybe practise them?  
Takatomo Homma: I play music. I am also interested in sculptures and furniture making.

usanie uangu: Your “teacher” among artists?
Takatomo Homma: Mmmm... it's hard to pick specific names.

usanie uangu: Did you make some artworks which you never would sell?
Takatomo Homma: I have never sold paintings, believe it or not!  

usanie uangu: What do you believe is your art giving to other people?
Takatomo Homma: I really don't know how people feel about my art, to be honest.
The thing is that when I paint something that I really like, not everyone likes it. When I paint something and I am not really happy about that piece, some people tell me that they really like it.  

usanie uangu: Your favorite music?  
Takatomo Homma: I listen to everything.

usanie uangu: Your favorite writers?
Takatomo Homma: Haruki Murakami

usanie uangu: Your favorite movies?
Takatomo Homma: I don't watch movies. I am too busy with music.

usanie uangu: Your hopes and desires?
Takatomo Homma: I just want to keep doing what I am doing now. That is music and art.

usanie uangu: To which ancient place do you would like to travel to and why?
Takatomo Homma: Egypt - so much history. India - at the music school I attended in America, I had a chance to play tabla, Indian percussion. Indian music is based on different rhythms than Western music. Again, so much history.

usanie uangu: If you would have a million dollar to spend what will you do?
Takatomo Homma: I will build a space that I can play music 24/7 and also do art.

usanie uangu: Your message to the world?
Takatomo Homma: I hope to be able to meet other artists on the site in future.

[30.08.2010] Interview with Albana Xhamallati, artist from Albania

usanie uangu:  Albana, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! We would like to learn more about the topics in your art. What is art for you: love, passion, the must or just relaxing hobby?
Albana Xhamallati: Art for me?? Is all about feelings and it’s inside of all of us. We just learn the way or the language to put it out and tell the world how it feels like.

usanie uangu: When and how did you start to paint?
Albana Xhamallati:  I don’t really remember when I first start to paint or draw or sculptured. I was just a little girl when I first recognized what it means to do something beautiful with your hands and feels like your special because something more bigger and stronger than you, is now inside of you.

usanie uangu: How does your art influence your life?
Albana Xhamallati: I wouldn’t say influence my life, because my life is made by art. Now is all I do and live with.

usanie uangu: Which other arts are you interested to or you maybe practise them?  
Albana Xhamallati: Paint and Ceramic is what I do generally. Sometimes I do experiments with installations in different materials and with all my curiosity of the numerous  languages of art, I don’t think to try something else. But in general I think if the workspace makes some emotions breathing, than everything is done, there is no importance for the materials.

usanie uangu: Your “teacher” among artists?
Albana Xhamallati: Being sincere I’ve never found someone who gives me guidance. In the end I thought maybe I like being original .  

usanie uangu: Did you make some artworks which you never would sell?
Albana Xhamallati: Yes some because they doesn’t exist anymore. They are some of the installations made at school time. But if I don’t like to sell one of my pieces. I just give it as a present.

usanie uangu: What do you believe is your art giving to other people?
Albana Xhamallati: If I’m allowed not to be brief in this answer, because in my country the relation between art and the people, is not in the right place. The 50 years of dictatorship (from 1945-1990) caused a total ignorance for art, religion what we now call democratic life etc. everything was like black and white. From the year 90’ when the student movements brought democracy, the country was unprepared for the modernity in the other side of the world. So what the Albanian artists do for the moment is to give some good and real art but (not confounding this with the realistic art) to the people so they can be much more sure for what the real art is and who the protagonists are. So I’m doing exactly the same thing, trying to be creative, sensitive in all the situations that cause a scream, trying to make some changes.

usanie uangu: What is your current project?
Albana Xhamallati: My current project? I’m working for my next exhibition with the “National Society of Ceramic” which will be held in October 2010 in Albania, my home country.

usanie uangu: Your favourite music?  
Albana Xhamallati: Listening to music is one of the things that make the difference  between the human and animal instinct. So, when I work I am always used to listen to music, different kinds, but always good music. I love it.

usanie uangu: Your favourite writers?
Albana Xhamallati: Ismail Kadare. He is an Albanian famous writer here inside and over the frontiers. His philosophy is to make sure that the dictatorship life is our strong and at the same time week point of life which all Albanians inherited.

usanie uangu: Your hopes and desires?
Albana Xhamallati: I really hope that one day my desire of being a good artist will become true .

usanie uangu:  To which ancient place in the world do you would like to go to?
Albana Xhamallati: Ancient...!I I have been born in the beautiful city Berate. It’s 2500 years old, so in one way ancient is not an unknown part of culture for me and my country. Honestly I’m really curios of Asian places and culture.

usanie uangu: If you would have a million dollar to spend what will you do?
Albana Xhamallati: Well, I’ve never dreamed up of having too much money, only for myself because artists die poor .

usanie uangu: If there would be a world government and you the president what would be your mission?
Albana Xhamallati:  Well, Marx in his capitalism theory says that one day the world will have one government, but I’ll be too old that day   for sure, so I only wish that the rules will be not just rules one day but people live their life in peace.

usanie uangu: Your message to the world?
Albana Xhamallati: World live and let the others live their life.

usanie uangu: Is there something what we did not ask but you would like to say?
Albana Xhamallati: Maybe life is given us to make something with it. I wish everyone understand this and do the best they can to make some other person life better. I’d like to thank usanie uangu team for the great job in promoting artists from all over the world. Thank you.

[14.08.2010] Interview with Mariana Oros, artist from Romania

usanie uangu:  Mariana, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! We would like to learn more about the topics in your art. What is art for you: love, passion, the must or just relaxing hobby?
Mariana Oros: Art is nothing more than thousand lifes. In everything I create bring passion and love and of course is a great recreation, relaxation conceiving art. Recently, together with my sister Elena Bissinger I opened an art gallery Beius our beloved city, and not just a gallery, is the workshop where I work, all visitors are happy looking at my painting or working on something else, different design: painting, molding, decorative mirrors, even rustic living room tables. The idea is to promote and reginune and other artists in the country, or even collaborate with other artists and organizations in other countries.

usanie uangu: When and how did you start to paint?
Mariana Oros: First I tell you where I was born .. in a day in May "with flower and sun, on 30/ 1969 in Beius city - (in Hungarian language was  Belenyes, colloquial Bins), which until the early twentieth century the name was used more Bins, being the most popular name, but continues to be called so in the speech and people and still today is one of the oldest cities in the county, city and today is East of the district Bihor and located in the depression of the same name, the Apuseni Mountains in their splendor and beauty to lure you to create inspiration, for whatever reason art: painting, music, sculpture, pottery, and that blend one into another, because art is a symbol of the Romanian peasant who found in what is inherited from parents or abode of God grace.
I am part of a family with five daughters, the third daughter, I was told I was a very shy and quiet child, later to be contariul: a nonconformist and rebellious teenager, my art when I was insulfat child, because throughout the house, was also to design arsenal art: brushes, patterns, colors, pencils - in a word "a home for artists”, my father was the painter, but his clients considered him a true artist, conceived patterns which they later used for application on walls, design is conceived and used in many shades of colors, not to say plastic liniatura applied to ceilings and walls - an art! And regret that he never got to put their talent! When designing templates or some restoration would take him on my older sister (now Elena Bissinger), but sometimes unintentionally and I have participated with them in some papers: being smaller only wash brushes, admiring the works of flowers made of my sister not I imagined when I get myself as an artist.
In high school I had an art teacher Mr. Marosy who tried to guide me to the art, but for whom? Me, rebellious teenager? No way! But then last year I entered the Art School in Oradea, so called at the time Ceausescu. I did not finish high school or any school of art then, because I've had an accident and I was in hospital and about four years bedridden, but still I finished high school and then to see, later in 2004 as visiting my sister told me her painting: "Look here take brushes, paints and canvas and do everything through your head," and I got influenced by it to subscribe again to the same school in Oradea, "School of Arts FRANCISC HUBIC "(so called now), class teacher Florica Duma, and the school that I graduated, with a good tutorial on my side, Elena, who I was and today is my sister, friend and not finally a good mentor in everything around me, in other words, just ART.

usanie uangu: How does your art influence your life?
Mariana Oros: Art has a positive influence on me in something that lead me to paradise floating on a cloud, when I paint at least 1 km around my positive waves are transmitted passer and I think that feeling these waves of my small and beautiful paradise.

usanie uangu: Which other arts are you interested to or you maybe practise them?  
Mariana Oros: I like large sculptures, although not for me, but I also love the modelling, design, decorative vases hand, I also love the mirrors, I bought Gemstones and stick them on mirrors and then paint, type windows, these are materials used by me to design an art: canvas, stone, wood, ceramics and mirror.

usanie uangu: Your “teacher” among artists?
Mariana Oros: May I learn from others and lifelong learning, whatever we do in life you must believe in us, to learn from mistakes and never to regret.

usanie uangu:Did you make some artworks which you would never sell?
Mariana Oros: I left a void in my soul I have to give, but still I console myself that the person is art. As appreciate art even if they'd sell a few works are my personal collection and are not for sale, art for me is like the life, I can not stop, the art is in my blood.

usanie uangu: What do you believe is your art giving to other people?
Mariana Oros: I hope to convey to the viewer through art and colors used by my optimism, kindness and silence.

usanie uangu: Your favorite music?  
Mariana Oros: Pop music and classic.

usanie uangu: Your favorite writers?
Mariana Oros: Lev Tolstoi and Mihai Eminescu (Romanian writer)

usanie uangu: Your favorite movies?
Mariana Oros: Adventure movie, comedy and love story.

usanie uangu: Your hopes and desires?
Mariana Oros: I will certainly not be famous like Picasso, but I think we all born on this earth with a destiny and most importantly to be healthy to be able to finish given destiny.

usanie uangu: If you could change with somebody with who would it be?
Mariana Oros: I think with Pavaroti, his music live up to the abyss of heaven.

usanie uangu: To which ancient place do you would like to travel to and why?
Mariana Oros: I do not know if I could choose a particular place because there are too many places to visit, history and nature includes everyone, not so much life that we can visit them all, if we could stop time in place would be perfect.

usanie uangu: If there would be a world government and you the president what would be your mission?
Mariana Oros:  Maintain peace throughout the world.

usanie uangu: If you would have a million dollar to spend what will you do?
Mariana Oros: First I build a nursing home on land which they own, then I would build a cultural center to support and promote talented artists and all interested in culture, I try to visit everything I could, despite its current use a walking stick, the accident took years ago.

usanie uangu: Your message to the world?
Mariana Oros: Valued life as worth living fully.

usanie uangu: Is there something what we did not ask but you would like to say?
Mariana Oros: Put soul in everything we do and try to reproduce and transmit the work, joy and pure soul from the inside out, so that you will include all viewers and readers! And on this occasion to thank you a lot, I have on this opportunity to convey some thoughts about me.

[06.03.2010] Interview with Mariusz Maksel, young upcoming artist from Poland

usanie uangu:  Mariusz, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! We would like to learn more about the topics in your art.
Mariusz Maksel:   An interesting topic for me is to show various places such as the alarming series of drawings depicting destroyed my house, which has recently been demolished, then turned my attention to a black, blind rectangular slits of windows without glass, bricks texture and feeling of sadness emanating from this place. I like it in its work to return to the topic of the female body, portrait, etc., but a topic that attracts me most is the theme of dreams, painting a border on my subconscious like painting titled "Incoherent", which was semi-automatically.

usanie uangu:  What is art for you: love, passion, the must or just relaxing hobby?  
Mariusz Maksel:   Art is everything to me bit by bit in different proportions: it is love - but sometimes unrequited love, difficult and requires sacrifice, it is passion without which there can be circumvented and that peace does not become a compulsion to create. Often, when a long time nothing I can create, I feel empty inside, I feel that wasting time that so many images that come to mind, and that as soon as they arise they can just as quickly die out forever. I have in mind this list is not all painted images that are waiting for completion - some probably never arise or be processed into other ideas, you need to know when is the best time to paint the picture and believe that the euphoria that accompanies a new idea for the image is not passed. It looks at me like this: first is the idea of the image that fascinates me, after an initial phase of the painting, which are mixed feelings of anxiety in me if I can move onto the canvas, these specific emotions that inspired me a feeling of excitement of creating something new, if the picture is close to what was already founded, or, as often happens during the operation, there are new ideas and work comes satisfaction over the image become more and more pleasant ending this image comes to feelings of fulfillment, for which - so it seems to me - the artist begins to create. The best is the feeling of power over the rectangle of the canvas, even if I do not know what was happening around, so many things that often do not have impact on this small piece of space we can do everything that we come to a head, you can create an alternative world, in we can sometimes get away, but those opportunities tend to sometimes paralyzing.    

usanie uangu:   When and how you start to paint?  
Mariusz Maksel:  My love for art and especially in painting began very early, since early childhood, I cannot remember when it started, since I remember always drew, painted, and as a child trying to imitate well-known works by copying, often clumsily - if I missed someone who would have guided me through what I had to learn everything by myself. At one point I threw my life and I had to create quite a long interval, by accident, that fell into my hands a box 2 oil paint, which, once dreamed of such an image, "Angelina" in 2003, I wanted to see what my skills employing this medium, and simply painted the pictures, just fell in love with oil paints.  

usanie uangu:   How your art influences your life?  
Mariusz Maksel :    Painting all the time and continues to affect more or less influences on my life, I remember a situation when being in the army (in Poland, until recently there was an obligation to perform military service) to earn extra money for a modest salary drew portraits of the soldiers or their wives or girl . I ran through my drawings, also in some trouble when the company meeting in the room with the captain drew a caricature of a sergeant secretly - his platoon commander, my drawing viewers behind me fell into laughter, the company commander ordered to show cause laughter in the Hall, after which he began laugh. As it is not difficult to guess the sergeant, who was famous for not quickly found a sense of humor is not one way to get revenge ;-). After the army I went to study art in Cieszyn.

usanie uangu:   Which other arts are interesting you or you maybe practice them?        
Mariusz Maksel :    Currently I am writing my thesis on the art of animation film, so I started becoming more interested in this medium. I made a Stop-motion animation short titled "Sisyphus".


usanie uangu:  Your favorite music?    
Mariusz Maksel :    I listen to mostly rock music, my favorite bands are: Tool, A Perfect Circle, Perl Jam, Staind, Alice In Chains, Incubus and Coma and no longer existing: Nirvana and Soundgarden.

 
usanie uangu:   Your favorite writers?
Mariusz Maksel :    My favorite writers are Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Glue, filter), Mark Lindquist (Never Mind Nirvana), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Michel Houellebecq (Les Particules élémentaires) Palachniuk Chuck (Fight Club).
 
usanie uangu:   Your favorite movies?
Mariusz Maksel :    My favorite movies are "Fight Club David Fincher," Mulholland Drive "David Lynch and Vanilla Sky Cameron Crowe.
        

usanie uangu:   Your still unrealized dream?            
Mariusz Maksel :   Organizing an exhibition of my work.
  

usanie uangu:  Your hope and desire?    
Mariusz Maksel :    I hope perhaps as any artist that I can continue to create and my pictures are not indifferent to humans.

 
usanie uangu:   Your “teacher” among artists?            
Mariusz Maksel :   My largest specimen is a Polish painter Zdzislaw Beksinski - brutally murdered a few years ago, as well as Caspar David Friedrich, and Hans Rudolf Giger.

 
usanie uangu:   Did you make some artworks which you never would sell?            
Mariusz Maksel :    Do not have painted such a picture, but I think that this picture will soon rise, the images are often very personal and difficult to be parted from them, because they did not put in a lot of work and emotions, there are also a postcard from the past, we remember looking at the image painted a few years ago and well remember the circumstances in which it was founded, our emotional state of that period, and the like.


usanie uangu:  Is there something what we did not asked but you like to say?        
Mariusz Maksel :    I would like to greet my fiancée Beata and thank you for that assisted me and tolerate my antics and all the artists associated with usanie uangu.
 

[24.01.2010] Interview with Günther Hofmann, painter from Germany

usanie uangu:  Günther, thank you for your time and your willingness to make this interview! Are you always a cooperative person?
Günther Hofmann:    I would say I am a cooperative dreamer  !

usanie uangu:  Many artists are rather excentric. Are you sometimes excentric too?  
Günther Hofmann:    Never! I am rather in background than in the front!    

usanie uangu:  What is art for you: love, passion, the must or just relaxing hobby?  
Günther Hofmann:    It´s a mix, it´s a little bit of all.    

usanie uangu:  Your art is extremely popular. How you explain it?  
Günther Hofmann:    Most people like realistic paintings. However realistic paintings have sometimes negative image because they are not „artistic“ enough  !      

usanie uangu:   Many of your paintings are showing dreaming landscapes in different times and seasons. Are you always somewhere in the nature with you drawing blocks and colors?    
Günther Hofmann:   Not at all! Actually I am very often in the nature but making many photography’s. Later at home I chose the best and paint according to them. However I always try to bring my feelings and my excitement about specific landscape in my paintings.    .

usanie uangu:  You have also a very interesting paintings with old kids photography´s. How you chose this topic?      
Günther Hofmann:    I found occasionally those old photography´s in my cellar. I believe that they brought me back in my childhood directly after the second world war. They also remember me on some old tales.

usanie uangu:   When and how you start to paint?  
Günther Hofmann:    My father was a painter too. As so long as I can think painting was an important part of my life.        

usanie uangu:   What is your art for you?  
Günther Hofmann:    Well it changed through my life. Whereas in childhood and youth it was more excitement, learning and play,  the painting becomes later more and more the passion and the necessity of my mature personality.    

usanie uangu:  What you believe is your art giving to other people?    
Günther Hofmann:    My art brings happiness, relaxing and nice feelings to me. I do hope that other people feel the same while watching my art!    

usanie uangu:  How your art influences your life?      
Günther Hofmann:     We are daily confronted with so many problems and challenges all over the world! My art remembers me that also nice things are present and are important. We need always to have both in our minds.

usanie uangu:   If you could choose what would be your choice: to be Van Gogh or the personal painter of Ramses II?
Günther Hofmann:    Rather Van Gogh! Ramses II is too fare from my mind !    

usanie uangu:   Which other arts are interesting you or you maybe practice them?        
Günther Hofmann:   Sculptures and modeling. In 60-es I made some.          

usanie uangu:   How is about Günther as private person? What would your family and your friends tell us about you?            
Günther Hofmann:    Oh this question is too difficult for me! I just do hope that other people would say: Günther is a very friendly, honest and helpful person !

usanie uangu:  Your message to the world?    
Günther Hofmann:    Be peaceful and fair to all!    

usanie uangu:   If there would be a world government and you the president what would be your mission?            
Günther Hofmann:   I do not know if the world government would be a good idea! But if, I would fight for fairness and equity for all.    

usanie uangu:  Is there something what we did not asked but you like to say?        
Günther Hofmann:    Yes I do! I like usanie uangu concept very much and I am really happy to be a part of it!