Hello Dear Vivien Szaniszlo. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

I thank you for the opportunity, I am happy to answer. This situation, the pandemic, was very frightening at first, in addition to the fact that many lost their lives and many were worn by this period, I was also worried about how I would be able to work and stay in touch with my customers. Luckily, after the initial confusion and shock, things were neatly arranged and within a few months, everything was back on track. Seclusion was not new to me, it is usually my normal lifestyle for me. I love being alone, thinking and creating. In such cases, one is surprised by things that might be lost in another situation. I was given creative impulses, full of challenge and work. On the other hand, spiritually I was very worn out by the many sadness and mourning around me. I’m lucky because I haven’t lost anyone I love and that’s why my heart is full of gratitude.
  
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?

I think I’ve always been different from the majority since I was a child. I had a hard time understanding myself with others so I quickly felt excluded and alone. In my own inner world, I found refuge, tales, and stories that I drew so I was never alone in spirit. This is probably how my relationship with art began, I expressed myself in pictures rather than orally. Maybe they understood me better that way. After that there was no stopping just drawing and finally my parents took me to a drawing teacher for a special session when I was 9 years old. She introduced me to the world of painting, which I loved very much and that love has lasted ever since.I consciously didn’t want a career out of this, I just felt like I couldn’t live without painting.
 
  
Could you describe your normal day as an artist?

This is a difficult question because I don’t have two identical days. I only paint if I have a strong motivation to do so. I’m a pretty bad sleeper, I lie late and often wake up at night, I still think and paint in my imagination. It helps to calm down. After waking up, the first is my coffee. I love to have coffee this is a little ritual for me. After that, I prepare in spirit what I am going to paint or I am just continuing a painting I have started. I always work on multiple images simultaneously. Then I walk into the atelier and surrender to inspiration. It’s also like I don’t paint because I’m tired mentally, then I read or walk in nature, in the woods.
  
 
What is your creative process like? How has your style changed over the years?
 
This is an elusive thing for me. I paint for internal effects. Often pictures flash into my mind, shreds are semi-finished pieces, colors. I know these are slices of a future painting. I then try to consciously pay attention to these inner happenings and then shape them purposefully until I get a finished thing. The image changes depending on what emotional impact is stronger, so that an entire story is eventually born. To make these impulses more understandable, I often use symbols in my visual selection. My style has changed a lot over the years. It took me a while to find myself and figure out what I’m good at. So it turned out to capture strong, negative or sad feelings through female portraits. Because that’s what I feel strong about, I’m not afraid to look into the darkness and that’s how I can encourage others as well, because we can only appreciate light if we know what it’s really dark like. And I know what it's like.
  
 
We want to talk about the fantastic figures you choose for your main theme. Can you tell us more about your influences and your inspirations about these fantastic creatures?

As I said before, my primary inspiration comes from sad spiritual events, but I often draw on ideas from both spiritualism and nature. I always want to express something special pictorially, to create deep and valuable characters that can convey my thoughts well, who can be watched for hours so that we always notice something extra that is not before.
 
 
 Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
 
Artist life is as lonely as we want it to be. There are many kinds of artists, there are those who are constantly traveling and living a bustling, active social life, and there is the opposite of this, as is me who paints more quietly and is a little more isolated. But it's completely good that way. Each artist decides for himself/herself how much he/she lets in from the world. For me, the outside world is often too loud and deceptive. I like honest, raw things. Maybe that's why I'm more aloof.
 
 
How do you choose the subject of your painting? And what is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?

I always choose my characters with great care so that I can depict the given theme in as layered and colorful a color as possible. My female portraits always want to convey something somewhat important to say, secrets waiting to be unraveled.
There is always something to discover while painting. Either on my own, through my prism, or on the subject I’m painting. There are times when I read back to a mental illness or an event that happened because I want to incorporate it into the painting to be made.
  
 
Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?
  
My main goal in painting is to touch people’s souls. Whenever the opportunity arises, I will tell you how important it is to pay attention to each other. And not just superficially, but with actual devotion. Because a lot of people suffer inside and a lot of people can’t tell this in words. And feelings of depression and abandonment can even lead to suicide. A hug, a kind word can work wonders. Let us not allow ourselves to be lost in the dark, for we are all precious in our own way, life is a gift that will never return, let us not be wasted. Take care of each other and the beautiful planet we call OUR HOME. Thank you.
 
 
  
Thank you for your time!
 
 
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