orsi [ cowell-lehoczky ]

"What inspires you?"

Everything around me leaves an impression on my mind. I love nature, good books and interesting conversations; Performing arts, architecture (I find modern and prehistoric sites equally fascinating), and I don’t feel whole without music.

"Who are your favourite artists and why?"
Picasso, Kandinskij, Miro, Klee, Khalo and Chagall. Csontvary-Kosztka and Bela Kondor, Vasarely… The Avant-garde. Colours and shapes, honestly brutal imagination, symbolism, irony, drama with lots of thinking and manipulating. Also I fallen for Mira Schindel when I saw her work in the Tate Modern, an unsung heroine of art who should be mentioned together with the greatest of the last century.

"Tell us about a memorable exhibition or creative event you experienced."
If I really have to choose, I would say walking in the ancient tombs at the King’s Valley in Gurna (Egypt) left me with the most extraordinary impression. The entirety and the ‘humane-nes’ of human history touched me there, the importance of complex abstract visual description that urges us to decipher it. The eternity and intimacy of art. I had similar feelings in Pompeii and Rome (in Italy), but never with the same intense clarity.

"Is there a common theme to your work?/What is your work about?"
I believe that I have a distinctive style: my virtual snapshots involve ‘close ups’ of my surroundings, but by using the freedom of "abstract" figuralism and distorted perspectives, I am consciously trying to achieve a dream-like quality. Meanwhile hoping to draw attention to my thoughts on the chosen subject, whatever it may be. If people ask me what kind of art I do, I'd say "analytic" or "interpretational".

"What is your favourite medium or artist’s tool to work with and why?"
I prefer oil paint over all the other materials: From the consistency to the smell I like everything about it.

"What do you think art offers society?"
An interesting question: Identity, I think.

"What experiences enabled you to develop your skills as an artist?"
This is easy: when I won my way with a scholarship into the University of Fine Arts in Budapest (the only place you could learn about fine arts in Hungary back then), I knew I had 5 years - well, 7 with the Master’s - of uninterrupted studying to do. I felt incredibly lucky, a golden era of long university years...

"Your favourite place to visit in London?"
Tate Modern.

"What do you want to achieve as an artist?"
My ambition is… I would wish to reach a level of mastery so my pictures are considered alongside the artists’ I have great respect for.

"What is the single most important thing art has given you?"
Self expression.

"Most inspiring season and why?"
Autumn. The smells and colours are unbeatable.

"What regularly makes you smile?"
Dancing sunshine on white walls reflecting from water, or through gently moving leaves and coloured glass...

 

(Interviewed by Erin Noonan artist from Skylark Galleries, 2014)