GRAPHIC BY NATASHA O’NEILL / THE SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY
In honour of International Women’s day, a day to embrace and appreciate femininity’s beauty, The Sputnik interviewed Izabella Corniel.
Corniel is a fourth-year Laurier Brantford student from London, Ont., who uses femininity as inspiration for her art.
“My work is mostly inspired by femininity, nature and spirituality. I take a lot of spiritual themes that have meaning to me. Beautiful, powerful women generally inspire me,” said Corniel.
Everyone knows that a woman who embraces her femininity, is a woman who knows her power. Corniel is one beautiful woman who can see the power of femininity through a different lens.
Like many other artists, Corniel finds inspiration through music while drawing.
“I listen to music that contrasts my work, a lot of underground rap, not what you’d expect when you look at my work,” said Corniel.
CONTRIBUTED / THE SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY
Corniel has been drawing her whole life, but five years ago, she decided to take it up seriously with the intent and motivation to improve.
“I realized it’s something I love to do, and it’s very soothing, almost second nature for me,” said Corniel.
Corniel can work with a photo reference, but most of her work comes from her imagination.
“I use photo references if I’m trying to recreate something exactly, or if I need a reminder of how the human anatomy looks from a certain perspective,” said Corniel.
Corniel finds that her favourite part about art is the limitless options and the freedom it brings her.
“There are no limits to what ideas I’d like to create, no standard or rules. I alone have the power to create something and bring an idea to life that is my own,” said Corniel.
Artistic freedom is one of the many perks that come with being an artist; it gives individuals the power to portray the world through the lens of their own eyes.
“My favourite painting is called Ancestral roots. It’s my favourite because it’s an idea I had for some time, and it took months to be satisfied with it. It’s something that has meaning and symbolism to me. It is a piece I worked very hard on,” said Corniel.
The hardest part about creating for Corniel is that what is on paper rarely does justice to what is in her head.
“Your work rarely comes out how you envisioned it in your head. I have thrown away half a dozen paintings and deleted files, frustrated with how something was turning out. You have to keep pushing no matter how bad it looks in the early stages,” she said.
Vincent Van Gogh once said, “as practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each study one paints, is a step forward.”
It sounds like Corniel would get along with Van Gough.
Corniel finds it beautiful to be vulnerable through her art because it is a very personal expression of herself that people can react to in any way that is not in her control.
“Vulnerability means to me when you share your artwork with the world, and you are subject to valid and hateful criticism. You are sharing a piece of yourself with strangers who may not always appreciate that. You never know how people are going to react to a piece, and if it has extreme sentimental value to you, receiving hurtful words can affect you negatively.,” said Corniel.
Corniel celebrates feminist and progress through her art.
“My artwork represents my spiritual journey and me coming to accept my divine femininity; it also represents my journey as an artist seeing my work progress and evolve,” said Corniel.
Her dream artwork idea would be a large canvas with oil paint that incorporates detail when you look close enough.
“I’d love for a piece to have so much detail that you’d notice something new every time you look at it. Where every little thing has meaning or symbolism, or if you piece all the details together, it tells a story that is up to interpretation,” said Coroniel.
Corniel’s artwork is out of this world; it has a uniqueness to it that draws you in and can make you feel connected in one way or another. Follow her for more divine art on Instagram @peachelet.
