Check Out Layla Vladi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Layla Vladi.

Layla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I originally grew up between Lübeck and Timmendorfer Strand, a coastal town on the Baltic Sea in northern Germany. I’ve always loved art and have been practicing professionally since 2015, making large scale digital paintings. Once, I met an old lady at the tram stop on my way to school. She was a beautifully romantic vision, so delicate and bright with clear eyes that constantly watered. She told me a story of how when she was an art student, women were forbidden to draw from the life model, so she used to climb on the bins and peer into the studio through the window to make her sketches. She emphasized that the important thing is to be clear of what you want and find your own way of doing it. Her words have often resounded in my thoughts. Fortunately, my mother and grandmother were artists, so I grew up with paintings everywhere around the house. There was always a great deal of encouragement for the arts. Making work, whether 2D or 3D, has always felt a natural response, it’s my way to communicate.

I’ve always been very fascinated with old masters and art history. Every era and style has brought something that didn’t exist before. This idea of always reinventing yourself and being a pioneer totally motivated me to create something new. I like to mix different mediums and don’t want to limit myself to one style. Surrealism, Baroque and Modern Art have inspired me a lot. But also Impressionism, Romanticism and Art Nouveau in general have played a big part in my style evolving the way it has. Art takes me out of my head and allows me to have a glimpse into the genius of others. My paintings come from spaces I know that can be places, an interesting space between buildings seen whilst walking in the street, a moment glimpsed whilst laying poolside, or a collection of observed objects, a table laden with drinks or even small talk with a wise old lady sitting by a tram stop. I see it as that funny thing the brain does when the eye invites you to linger for a moment, focusing on a single point of reference that consciously or subconsciously I enjoy. The process is that of a mental and physical one. I spend a lot of time drawing, reading and making notes, either in situ or when I’m back at the studio in response to those places. The other part of my process is how I work with color. I collect color stories in the form of photographs wherever I go. I bring these all together and they act as catalysts for the colorwork I do. I am particularly drawn to taking photos of boats and harbors. This might have something to do with growing up close to the sea in Germany. These then become my painting vocabulary, a bank of imagery and shapes in which to conduct a painting, similar to someone conducting a piece of music. For me, it’s lyrical and I am searching for that quality that resonates off of the surface. I don’t refer to these drawings as studies for bigger paintings, but they are more of a dictionary that is stored with me. Many of these elements are enhanced by a desire to explore the way light enhances compositions I look at, bright harsh light that makes colors pop, a shimmering haze feeling. When I approach my digital canvas, I set out with a vague idea, something like a sensation rather than a representation. The painting is completed for me when many of these elements, forms, objects, light come into focus for that split second. It’s at this point, the painting is done. But that can be the trickiest moment to find and you have to catch it exactly right. Over time I have become much more certain of finding it but it requires focus and clarity on my part as the painter, which can sometimes easily be missed! I have been extremely fortunate to have studied with some truly inspirational artists and to have my work in collections all over the world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Obviously, these recent years have been traumatic and sad for many people in many ways, and one of the things that really impacted my practice personally is the cancellation of several exhibitions and opportunities. I had such a fantastic year in 2021, showing at Switzerland Art Expo and feeling that all my hard work was coming together. For 2022 to have turned out as it has, has definitely drawn on my resilience. But it’s important to put that into context and remember that other people’s struggles this year have been far more significant than my own. I believe that this reinforces the message that I have hopefully been articulating through my work: that we as a species face numerous challenges, the current pandemic being one of many (how to prevent catastrophic climate change, how to stop the disastrous pollution of the environment, how to ensure that the march towards gender, sexual and racial equality continues and how to provide a world of equal opportunities for all children). Addressing these challenges will require global collaboration, global investment in science and technology and global changes in our behavior and outlook towards each other and towards the environment. On the flip side, I have been able to devote a lot more time to my paintings and having the pressure of deadlines and all the hidden complexities of being a practicing artist taken away has been really grounding, and I’ve definitely gone back to a life that is more aware of and connected to nature. This has had a really positive impact on my creative work, giving it a new direction and energy.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Right now, I’m finally making time to create original pieces combining a classic Renaissance style with a modern twist that for me represent ‘islands of clarity’. Due to my busy style and technique, I spend up to 10 hours a day of non-stop painting and that does not bother me a bit as I’m loving being in my most comfortable element!

My background is in digital production but after some time in that field, I decided to shift my focus and make painting the center of my work. For the first half of last year, I focused on studying art history whilst exploring and experimenting on developing my own personal visual language. I am open for commercial work, but I have to admit that I finally feel ready to get my ideas down on larger canvases. I think a lot about how we as humans interact and communicate with each other both online and in physical spaces. This is often reflected in the titles. During the making of my paintings, I can’t help to bring what’s going on in the world at large into the painting and the emotions I feel manifests themselves in the more chaotic parts of my work.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
When I just started painting professionally, I couldn’t help but compare my work to seasoned artists. I was very unsure and uneasy about my technique, composition, and color, but it wasn’t until I sought advice from my mother on some of my work at the time that I made an artistic breakthrough. She said to me plainly and innocently that it was underwhelming. Her statement forced me to really examine what makes a powerful image and eventually led me to become much more honest and inward-looking in my artmaking. Her words, which have been with me ever since advised that “Immediate acceptance doesn’t mean lasting art. No one knows more about your work than you do.” Time and again, I have returned to this mantra in order to regain my sense of self, to restore my thoughts, and to reassure within my work a sense of independence and individuality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laylavladi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marthchrom/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marthchrom