By Jules Lavallee
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 4/7/2021 – Ramona Pintea was raised at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in Brasov, Transylvania, a scenic region of Romania acclaimed for its natural beauty. In contrast with these charming settings, the totalitarian and grey communist regime allowed for a little color and free artistic expression. She is an international sensation with her paintings about women’s empowerment. “I am unreservedly and unapologetically an optimist, eternally in love with life, humankind, and our riveting journey through life. Equally, I am in deep awe and a faithful admirer of nature’s perennial magnificence. My art is thus a labor of love, endeavoring to bring viewers moments of true joy and reverence. The themes, tones, and brushstroke through my body of work pursue the ‘joie de vivre’, the uplifting and the beautiful.”- Ramona Pintea
When did your passion for painting begin?
I grew up in Romania and moved to London in the early ’90s at the tender age of 18. That’s when I discovered painting at College of North East London and fell in love with it immediately. It took me 22 years to come back to painting and become a full-time artist.
Share your diverse background.
Even as a child, I had this strong desire to leave the communist regime and move to the democratic, free ‘west’. I left by myself with the first chance I got, with £200 in my pockets, a bag of clothes and big dreams. I enrolled in college but didn’t have the courage to pursue art, that ‘starving artist’ mentality took a while to shake off. Instead, I went to The London College of Fashion to study Fashion Design.
After a few jobs in fashion design, I started my first business when I was 25. A London-based fashion brand that quickly expanded, selling in 300 boutiques throughout the UK. Many years later, in 2009, after I got married and had my daughter, my family and I returned to Romania and I built an interior design business.
Still, I always wanted to be an artist but never had the courage to pursue this dream, I just used to paint as a hobby. In 2009-2013 I started painting more seriously, every spare minute I had.
In 2013 I was invited to exhibit in Miami during the prestigious Miami Art Basel. Shortly after that I walked into my office and told all my staff that I’ll be closing the interior design business and pursue a career as an artist.
Being a self-taught artist was tough at the beginning. I put in extra-long hours to ‘catch up’ and made a point of working on my technique as well as establishing my artistic voice. Despite being the confident, positive woman that I am, or the success of the paintings, a little voice inside my head told me that I needed the validation of the ‘art establishment’. I finally got that when my family and I moved back to the UK. I was approached by some very well-established art galleries in London and the UK and worked with them.
Interview with Artist Ramon Pintea https://youtu.be/mgRefNGdtTk
“I believe that art has the potential to awaken something within us and open up new ways of thinking.” Expound on this idea.
Art is one of the surest avenues to reach deep inside ourselves and touch the soul, and that’s true for any art form. I am very passionate about the message I communicate through my art. I don’t just paint pictures; I paint messages of inspiration, self-reflection, and empowerment.
People seem to be really connecting with this expressive art and the optimistic message.
My intention is to touch as many people globally as humanly possible. The beauty of art is that it leaves a legacy, it’s timeless. It can impact the initial collector as well as their future generations. People need art and inspiration in their lives and I think art should be accessible for all to enjoy.
Many of your paintings explore female empowerment including, “Mother Earth,” “Urban Queen,” and “She Knows.” What was your inspiration?
I want to paint women from a woman’s point of view. The museums are full of paintings of women, painted by men. I am focused on the role women have in our modern society, how we view ourselves, and the healthy balance of masculine and feminine. I explore the woman’s state of introspection and vulnerability and aim to capture the moment she looks within to find the qualities she needs. I want to emphasize and remind her that we can have a sublime balance between strength and femininity, beauty and power, ambition and sensibility. We can have both sides and let’s not trade one for the other.
My inspiration comes from various places. History is a great teacher and researching strong, historical, female figures is a great passion of mine. Another source is connecting to the Goddess energy through female circle meditation and to the spirit animal through shamanic meditation.
I’m also interested in here and now, our everyday life. For example, The Urban Queen series was inspired by an article in Forbes magazine What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders My inspiration is both the well-known women head of states as well as the everyday woman who is a leader but is living in anonymity. Through my paintings, I want to bring every woman in the spotlight who runs her household, raises her children, puts up with her boss, looks after her health, and shows strength and courage in her everyday life.
The pandemic inspired me to paint ‘Mother Earth’. I painted it in March 2020 during the first lockdown. There was so much fear all around as the virus was spreading across Europe and the USA, the media was going crazy. I chose to focus on the positive. I was following the news that talked about how the Earth can breathe again. Because of the lockdown, nature was less polluted, the animals and plants were taking over ponds and parks. Also, there was solidarity amongst all countries, the Italians were singing on their balconies and the world was watching and sending them aid as they were hit pretty badly. I was trying to reflect hope and kindness in this painting
How important is color to your creative process?
Color is the second most important for me after composition. Color has a magical power of transmitting emotion and I use color with intent in my art. Some of my paintings from the Quest series were painted thinking about the colors of the chakra system. In the Urban Queen series, I use very strong bold colors in order to emphasize the message.
Where would you like to see your paintings?
In people’s homes. I believe each of my paintings is meant to have a home where she will be loved and cherished. I get really excited when people tell me how one particular painting just ‘speaks’ to them, it’s like magic like the painting is whispering their name telling them to take her home. I even get this feeling whilst painting each piece.
I also have this long term vision of having a huge exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, when I’m really old and wrinkled and I said most of what I had to say in this life ☺
Share your commission work.
I do take some commission work from time to time. Usually, women love one of the pieces and want a variation with their own portrait in it. I love these pieces because they are even more personal. They take longer to make and are more stressful but people love them so much that it’s worth it in the end.
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