Interview With Chiara Magni: The Italian Painter Who Turned Her Passion Into a Business
Not everyone gets to turn their passion into their profession.
But Chiara Magni, a 31 years old professional painter from Italy was able to turn her passion for painting into a thriving business, despite the high level of competition and the high risk of failure.
Recently, I got the opportunity to interview Chiara Magni, and here’s the outcome of the interview.
1. When did you start painting?
I began when I was a little kid. I’ve always painted with all of the possible mediums. I cannot think of a moment where I was not surrounded by pastels, brushes, paint, watercolor, etc.
2. What values and principles have led to your success?
Always challenging myself, thinking big, never giving up, hard work, and staying focused.
3. Why do you use Oil Paints?
Well…Oil is the most satisfying medium. It is vivid, textured, alive, and you can mix it to create some amazing and new colors. You can use it with solvents to create delicate shades, or you can use it very thick, pure and straight from the tube to the canvas and create a great 3D effect and a very thick layer.
Also, I feel more at ease with oils rather than acrylics, and it seems more natural to use. I have a special relationship with oil that is a bit hard to explain with words.
4. Which of the Old Masters was your biggest influence?
When I was a kid, my very favorite was Monet, and he is still, of course, one of my favorites. Back then, I would be speechless and amazed by his works. Later growing up, something happened with Van Gogh. Even though his technique was not necessarily my absolute favorite, the amount and strength of emotions that he can evoke in me when I look at his works is something that doesn’t happen with any other painters. This is why he deserves to be my number one favorite painter of all time. At the end what really matters is what a painting can evoke in you and what emotions it can create!
5. Which of your paintings is your favorite? (Everyone has a favorite)
Hahahahah well… I always try to stay humble… But well, “The awakening of Venus” is my favorite! Check it on my website :)
6. When did you realize you could make a business out of painting?
I’ve had a period of deep introspection and study of myself. The result of that was that I had to make my passion for creating into a business! I realized that it was my path and my only and real passion…. Sometimes obsession…. That was back in 2014.
7. Have you ever created a painting that didn’t come out the way you wanted it to, and what did you do to that painting?
Awww... It happens so many times! I am a perfectionist, and the more I go on, the more I want to offer something amazing and more professional to my collectors! Usually, I just throw away the canvas; sometimes, I cover it, and paint is over. But what I make sure of every time is to learn a lesson from that failure! Always.
8. Do you have a special ritual when you paint?
Nice question! First, I need to warm myself up by choosing and preparing all of the colors I will use in order to have an exact palette. Then I envision in my head the finished painting, and then I start the painting very slowly and get faster and faster while I get into it… and of course, I need to listen to metal while I paint!!!
9. When you paint, do you find yourself tilting towards specific colors?
Good question…. It is not a secret that I have an obsession with the blue scale… I really need to force myself to use other colors
10. What’s the best part about being a painter?
Making my collectors happy!
It is not the money, It is not the fame, and It is not even the painting itself, It is the enthusiastic feedback of my collectors that means everything to me!
11. What advice would you give to your younger self?
To not cry so much if a painting did not make a sale, to not blame yourself for everything and try to be happy, keep on believing in yourself as you will be selling so many paintings all over the world even more than what you are now dreaming young Chiara
12. Your social media handles
