UNKNOWN X CREATIVE JOURNEYS -AIMES JOWIL

Polina Nosova: On your website it says that you work with a lot of methods and materials. What are some materials and methods you're using recently and which ones do you reach towards the most? 

‍_{Aimes Jowil: Well, I've created my own medium. A lot of artists, you know, work with paint and things like that. I created my own because I wanted something that's not glossy, but also have the layering in it. So, I started to play around with wax. All of my paintings are made out of layers of wax on top of each other, and then I add high quality pigments to create the flowy element that I like. And because it is wax, a lot of people ask me if the painting will melt if it gets hot or something like that. But because I added two more mediums to it, it becomes more flexible and rubbery, it doesn't melt and can stay in the heat. And that is very important because of the Earth warming up. That is also why I like the matte finish instead of the glossy one; you can really see the artwork and not yourself reflecting in the painting. That was especially very important for me because then the viewer can see what I meant to create with the colors.}‍

PN: I thought it was watercolors.

_{AJ: Yeah, and that's what most people think because it does not dry as quickly as wax, which dries very quickly because it is heated. I have to work really fast so it doesn't dry into the wrong shape or anything, so it's very difficult.} 

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PN: Are you interested in trying out different materials?  

_{AJ: Yeah! I am creating a new series with different textures, and that's going to be totally different from the wax painting. Some people say, no, you must make more of them. And that's true. But I also want to create something else, so I am just changing a little bit. So, I am just trying stuff out.}‍

PN: And what does “the natural flow” mean for your paintings?

_{AJ: It’s the way the colors of the pigment I choose to use flow. If I use very colorful pigments, creating an abstract flower, but people can see different images in it. If I use more blue pigments, it becomes more water-like, so I think it’s the color of the pigments. Now I am trying out very dark pigments, which makes creating the shape more difficult, because how do you see the darkness?}‍

PN: What inspires you to create? What kind of mindset are you in when you start a piece?

_{AJ: I have to be bored, and I have to inspire myself. There are artists who create the same thing over and over again, and that is not something I can do because once I finish a work, I have to create something new to inspire myself. But then when I get a new idea in my head, I have to figure out the way I will make it. And that’s the difficult part, having an idea in your head and translating it onto your canvas. It’s so difficult because there are so many mistakes in the first attempts. For all the paintings I’ve created, I made like eight before them. But you know, it’s necessary to have a lot of fuck-ups to create one very good work that you love. The most important thing for me is to love my painting, otherwise I am not going to show it.} ‍

PN: So, it is almost like a process of getting the idea out of your head so it stops bugging you?

_{AJ: Yeah, exactly. It’s like, I have this painting in my head for weeks, and it’s not coming out the way it is in my head, and that is so frustrating. I can draw it, I can sketch it, and try it over and over again before I get the image out of my head and onto the canvas the way I want it. It’s difficult because it moves like water, but it’s not water, so you have a limited time frame in which you can work in, and I have to maintain the same shapes to get the layering and the depth into the paintings. And then the color pigments can turn out different, so yeah it is frustrating, but I love it so much.}  ‍

PN: Do you consider a painting to be complete when it looks like you initially envisioned it, or does the result sometimes surprise you and you think, “no, this is it”?

_{AJ: The painting is finished when I am looking at it and thinking, wow, did I create this? But when I cannot add anything more, then it is finished.}

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PN: Your website says that you are a self-taught artist. When and how did you start, and did you always have a calling towards art?

_{AJ: I do have an art school background, so I started there but then I stopped and worked in the film industry--still do--because people gotta live, you know? Art is an expensive side job. At one point I stopped creating, but then I had the urge to pick it up again, and so I just created my own medium. So, it is self-taught in the way of creating my own way of working, as opposed to something like oil painting that is taught. I think everybody can learn how to draw, but to be an artist-- that has to be in you.} ‍

PN: When you were in art school, what kind of art were you drawn to making?

_{AJ: I always painted women’s bodies and heads, but very realistic, with the eyes and everything else. I stopped doing that because I felt like I wanted to hang something for myself in my own home, but I cannot look at a painting with eyes. It’s strange, but I stopped painting the eyes, and then there were just two empty holes. People found this very scary, but to me it was beautiful. Yes, there is an emptiness, but there is still a beautiful side to it. When these paintings stopped inspiring me, I stopped, and then I decided to focus on colors and abstraction, exploring the way nature works. I was trying stuff out and then I got the idea for the wax or a medium that is not glossy, so I knew I had to get it out there.} ‍

PN: How long are you working on this type of medium?

_{AJ: Five years}‍

PN: What is it about flowers, and the general imagery of nature, that attracts you?

_{AJ: I don’t know, nature is the purest and the most beautiful thing in the world, because how the hell are some flowers so beautiful? How is this possible, you know, for these colors and shapes to exist naturally?} ‍

PN: Would you also be interested in exploring the fauna elements of nature? Painting animals?

_{AJ: Maybe in the future. For now, it is nature like flowers and plants because I find the way they grow to be very beautiful. Maybe I will get a new idea of doing animals, I don’t know. But I also don’t want to define it as flowers, because some people see oysters, or mountains, or fire, and other crazy things in it. That’s why I love it, some people even see faces. So, I don’t want to push the flower narrative because that’s the thing with abstraction-- you can see whatever you want.} ‍

PN: What would you say art has taught you that you believe no other medium can teach?

_{AJ: Art has taught me freedom and time management. I have a really bad relationship with time, and art takes time--it takes a lot of your time. But art also gives this freedom and creativity that I cannot live without, otherwise everything is so boring. I am not done learning from art, it is still teaching me. Maybe when I am 80 years old I could say art has taught me that time is a motherfucker, I don’t know, but it has not finished yet. But it has taught me to slowly keep going.} ‍

PN: What do you think art can teach others?

_{AJ: Art can teach you to also enjoy the creativity of other people. Art can teach you how to see things differently, it always provides new perspectives, and I think that’s the most beautiful thing.} ‍

PN: What would your dream exhibition look like?

_{AJ: I really want to do an exhibition in an empty space filled with plants and flowers. When you walk in, it should be like a garden itself, and then my paintings on the wall. I would also incorporate sounds, and the smells of nature, and then you have my paintings.}  ‍

PN: What do you hope that people get out of your work?

_{AJ: When people see my work, I want them to feel a sort of serenity and joy. Life is very difficult right now, so I hope my paintings can help people feel joyful and peaceful. Especially if you see them in real life, with the way the wax flows and its velvety texture.}

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