4 minCéline Liebi is a young Swiss artist based in Austria. She recently graduated from the St. Joost Academy in the Netherlands and recently joined Art Shortlist.
We met Céline in her studio at the foot of the Kitzbühel mountains to get to know her better.
Hello Céline, thank you for accepting our interview. How did you start painting?
Since I can remember I always loved to be creative, draw and paint. Once I started my apprenticeship as a Graphic Designer, I wasn't very creative anymore, since the only things I created were Ideas of clients and not my own.
Céline Liebi in her studio in Austria
I missed creating something of my own. So, I started painting again after work and realized that this was actually what I wanted to pursue. So, I did.
You come from Switzerland and you now live in Austria, why did you choose this country?
When I quit my apprenticeship in Switzerland, I moved to the Netherlands to study at an art academy. After I graduated, I noticed how much I missed the nature and the mountains, so I decided to move to Kitzbühel, Austria.
Céline working on Poppy
It's a lively town, in the mountains that's mostly known for its world famous ski race. It's very inspiring to be surrounded in Nature.
What are your sources of inspiration? Which artists inspire you?
My biggest sources of inspiration are Nature and the Digital Space. In my paintings I try to bring those 2 worlds together.
I'm also a big fan of David Hockney and Wayne Thiebaud. I like how they use vivid colors to portray something and disort it at the same time.
How could you describe your art in a few words?
I always find it difficult to describe my art. But I would describe is as a space between reality and fantasy.
Why are flowers the main subject of your paintings?
Flowers are really interesting to me, because they are ever changing. From the moment they start blooming until the time they start dying.
Out of the blue, Céline Liebi, 2020
Through their life they take on shapes that look otherworldly and almost abstract. I like to study that and play with it in my paintings.
Where is your studio based? How is it set up?
My studio is based in the outskirts of Kitzbühel. There I recently set up my studio, in the building of a woodworking facility.
It's located right at the foot of a mountain with a river running next to it, it's very inspiring. There I have everything I need to paint.
What are your upcoming projects?
Since I only recently moved here I'm trying to start a network in the region and focus on showing my art and gain some traction. My next project is trying to set up an exhibition in Kitzbühel.
How do you imagine a picture? Do you use preparatory drawings?
I start my process with photos I take, which I then transform in Photoshop and start to imagine what the painting could look like.
Midnight blossom, Céline Liebi, 2021
In that part of the process I decide the composition and color palette, so you could call that a digital preparatory drawing.
To conclude, can you give me a quote that inspires you?
"I prefer living in color." David Hockney
