Naomi Vona

Thanks so much for talking to me about your work today Naomi. I was wonder if we can go back to the start and ask what inspired you to become so passionate about art and start your creative journey in the beginning?
I have always been an art lover. I studied Art at high school and then at the Academy of Fine Art in Italy. Eventually this led me to build a career in the art field.

“As artists, we can create beauty out of nothing”

As a kid, I was into graphic novels and I was often drawing my favourite comic characters. I’ve been surrounded by art materials all my life, and still remember that in my childhood all my little savings were going on inks, pens and stickers, and funnily enough this is still my favourite current investment.

Where do you source your collage materials from and what does this process look like? 

I buy the vintage photos from eBay, there you can find lots of images on sale from online thrift shops and private collectors. It’s fascinating to observe these portraits and to guess the story behind them, the places and the time that the pictures were taken. Every photo has a kind of mystery, so all of them are unique to me. 

I also use other materials such as recycled and vintage paper, pens, Washi tape, highlighters, acrylics and stickers. I love to experiment mixing and matching old and new materials. I also love these tools as they’re the same as I used to decorate my school books when I was a child. 

What made you become passionate about art?
I have always been an art lover. I studied Art at high school and then the Academy of Fine Art in Italy. Eventually this lead me to build a career in the art field. As a kid, I was into graphic novels and I was often drawing my favourite comic characters. I’ve been surrounded by art materials all my life, and still remember, that in my childhood all my little savings were going on inks, pens and stickers, and funnily enough this is still my favourite current investment.

“Every artwork is basically composed of three elements: my personal background, my inspiration and my subconscious”

“I had hundreds of vintage photos in my hands and so started to play around with collage”

Which of your techniques do you particularly enjoy using?
Collage is definitely my favourite - it’s an immediate technique where you can play with several materials and arrange them as you like. I also use pens and stickers, that require little or no time to dry. I am an impatient person, so I try to avoid any technique that requires long drying times.

“Fascination for the past is the key, the bright colours are the portal”

Other than mixed media and collage, what other mediums of art do you enjoy working in? 

Even if I don’t work on many other techniques, I enjoy drawing and illustration. I love to read Manga and to watch animation, so I have a particular fascination for these styles as well. 

What is your favourite of all the pieces and projects you have made? 

Lately I feel attached to my series 'Gentlewomen, Gentlemen & Kids’. This series has been an ongoing experiment using a brand new medium - wood panels - and I truly enjoy this material. I also introduced gouache and a new collage technique that required more finishing time to complete. This series taught me to be more patient but also gave me the opportunity to explore a bigger canvas, because usually I work on smaller scale. I hope to have more time to work on wood soon, I love it! 

What moment/ piece of work do you think was the turning point in your career where you realised you could create art professionally?

I’ve created collages since 2003, but my current style of work was born while I was living in Ireland in 2013. A few months before moving to Italy I bought lots of vintage photos and postcards from eBay. I had hundreds of vintage photos in my hands and so started to play around with collage. The result satisfied me so much, I felt really good and I didn’t want to stop. After a few weeks while I was sharing these collages online, I received a lot of positive feedback with bloggers requesting interviews, gallerists and curators wanting pieces for exhibitions and, in general, a really positive vibe surrounding my artwork. This is what supported me in thinking that my passion for art was at the turning point to become something real. My creative freedom reflected in my work and people in the world moved by looking at it. 

“Every photo has a kind of mystery, so all of them are unique to me”

My current A-level art project is titled ‘Surroundings’. How do you draw inspiration from your surroundings to incorporate into your work? 

I like to create double meanings and play with words. Sarcasm, surrealism, horror movie quotes, enigmatic concepts - all these elements are part of my life, so they need to be part of my artworks too. Each collage’s title is a key that will bring the viewer to my world - they just need to unlock it. 

“Do not give up, the journey is long but it’s worth it!”

 If you could own one piece of artwork in the world, what would it be and why? 

A Jean-Michel Basquiat or a Keith Haring piece. I love their graphic and bold style, it reminds me of comics and illustration, so they give me tons of inspiration. 

What does your process for beginning a piece of art look like?
While painting I always try not to think too much about what I’m doing, I want the picture in front of me to find the solution to the rebus. I don’t know any of the subjects, so my mind is completely free to decide what to do.

Most of the time I use existing images as the canvas, so this is my main source of inspiration. I basically incorporate abstract patterns and colours on found images, reinventing their look and meaning.

“My artworks are the visual proof of my time travel adventures”

All my works are directly part of my personal life experience. I like to create double meanings, play with words and I really love to quote songs, books or movies. Lots of my artworks are titled and directly inspired by them. Every artwork is basically composed of three elements: my personal background, my inspiration and my subconscious. This is the glue that puts it all together.

My artworks are the perfect mix between my passion for photography and design. The fascination for the past is the key, the bright colours are the portal. I like to imagine that I have an imaginary portal that brings me into the past every time I desire, and my artworks are the visual proof of my time travel adventures. 

What is your favourite pattern to include in your work?
I have to say that despite having some patterns that are recurrent in my works, I enjoy each and every one of them. If I had to pick one I would say the “crochet mask”, a signature style that I usually place on the face of some of my subjects. 

You created the ‘Selling Lies’ project to express your opinion on the fashion industry, what other messages do you aim to convey in your work? 

‘Selling Lies’ is a visual project born in 2017, when I wanted to participate in the Instagram ‘100 Days Project’. The idea was to transform an entirely fashion magazine into a visual diary, a bridge of communication between meaningless ads and my opinion of the fashion industry. The final result is a personal, fun and controversial art project. This project now forms part of my art classes I teach called "From Fashion Ad To Protest", where I encourage my students to create their own art journal using a fashion magazine. During the lessons I also teach my layering technique, giving advice and tips on how to manipulate existing images. 

“The idea was to transform an entirely fashion magazine into a visual diary, a bridge of communication between meaningless ads and my opinion of the fashion industry”

The final goal of this project is the community - I wanted to involve as many people as possible to get a sort of critical thinking around what we ‘ingest’ in terms of advertising, and to try to switch superficial messages for more deep and personal ones. I love the fact that now this project is becoming a collective idea, where people from all over the world can take part and share their brand new vision on top of useless ads.

We can create beauty out of nothing, and this is what I love the most. Because everyone can be involved despite your age, background or personal interests. 

“Switch superficial messages for more deep and personal ones”

If you could travel back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self and other aspiring artists? 

Do not give up, the journey is long but it’s worth it!