What’s your name, where are you from?

My name is Elena Romanzin, and I was born in Alghero, on the North-Western Sardinian coast in Italy. I grew up in Jordan and Sicily, and I lived several years in Umbria. Since 2012, I live in the German town of Wehr, in South Black Forest.

Since when and in which techniques do you mainly work?

I started properly learning painting techniques at 14 years old, although I started drawing and experimenting with colours much earlier. I currently work mainly in acrylics, but I also paint in oil, watercolour, and occasionally in pastel, gouache, and egg-tempera. I enjoy traditional media but I absolutely love using modern materials and trying new things! I cherish enormously living in a time where so much research and innovation is put into delivering high quality materials to artists.

Do you have favourite themes? What inspires you?

Objects, still-lifes, and Vanitas with symbols and hidden messages, are probably what I paint the most. I am fascinated in particular by painting structure and texture, with a soft spot for transparency, and both rusty or shiny metal objects. I find imperfection extremely painterly, and I love to paint everyday life objects and details that don’t get so much recognition. I also am fascinated by water in all its forms, and enjoy painting waves and seascapes that are not strictly identifiable with a specific place.

And where do you paint preferably?

I paint my acrylic and oil works, which require more accuracy and concentration, mainly in the tranquillity of my studio. Whenever I travel, however, I bring my watercolour set along and paint outdoors in nature, preferably on a sunny warm day, often by the sea. It is a relaxing ritual, it allows me to paint in a more loose and sketchy way, and counterbalances the precision of the rest of my work. 

And what is special about them?

The richness and intensity of the pigments is incredible. The colours are of astounding quality and a joy to work with. There is hardly any difference between wet and dry in the appearance, and the choice of single pigments in extremely wide, which allows me to mix endless combinations. They also offer a wide range of transparent and semi-transparent colours which are for me crucial, as I work a lot with glazes and transparency.

How can we learn from you?

I developed my own painting school as ideology that comprises theory and practice, as well as learning the fundaments of painting. Based on this concept, I give classes and workshops in all Germany. I give special Schmincke courses at boesner, where the participants can try the colours. Additionally, I hold Schmincke presentations every now and then where I paint live and explain technicalities about paint and art materials, show how I use the different colours, and where people get to see some of my work up close. Information can be found on my website www.elenaromanzin.com