NFTs
Mandy Racine is based in Spain, holds a B.A. degree in Fine Art from West Surrey College of Art & Design and attended a Foundation Course in East Surrey College of Art & Design. Mandy’s style could be described as a “runny remix” of European Baroque and Rococo portraiture. Racine’s approach emphasizes the gestures and movement put into the work, which can be seen in the drops of the paint that run down the artwork. Her signature style is also evident in her NFT work.
Hi Mandy,
Would you like to start us off by telling us how and when you started your journey on creating art?
I’ve drawn & painted since as far back as I can remember – basically since I could hold a pencil! I studied art at school and then went on to do a Foundation Course (one year), followed by a 3 year degree course in Fine Art. Along the way, while still living in the UK I dipped into book illustration – 7 books published. Jumping ahead to living here in Spain, I was lucky enough to find work with a well established interior design company – I painted frescoes/murals and specialist paint effects, which I went on to develop on my own as a freelance artist. From there (always my dream!) was to just work solely from my studio producing & selling my own paintings which I’ve been happily been doing now full time for almost 5 years.
What does your artistic practice look like today?
I’m particularly inspired by the Baroque/Rococo era and artists such as Rubens, Boucher, Titian etc. – I like to give my contemporary take with flow & movement, almost abstract in places. I use mainly acrylic, sometimes a bit of charcoal & highlights of pastel which adds another layer of texture & makes the colors sing.
How was your personal style and approach to your art affected by the conditions of this (NFT) project?
At first I wasn’t sure how to tackle it, especially since the whole idea is that your individual art should be recognized as yours, but at the same time build in ‘traits’ to the work. I worked out a practical way forward in that I ordered a batch of canvases (all 60 x 60cm) so that they weren’t too big since I had to paint each avatar from scratch – I have no digital art skills! I marked each one out and measured where the eye level should be and then proceeded to paint them. It was the first time I’d really looked at Van Gogh as an artist and I must say I’m now a huge fan – I appreciate his unique color palette & technique and think he helped me along the way! I would liken it to learning a new language.
Did you find familiarity in painting based on Van Gogh’s previous works since your natural style is also based on previous artwork from different periods in European history?
Yes, I felt somehow ‘at home’ looking at his works, but more than just looking – I think I got to understand something about him as a person/artist. He definitely had a unique approach which I fell in love with.
Do you have any advice or thoughts to share for those interested in getting into NFTs?
To any artist thinking of getting into NFTs I would say go for it – it’s the future and although I hadn’t even heard of an NFT 2 months ago I have learned so much. Big thanks to the amazing Saatchi team for their help, support & tutorials.
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