@livciv1

Instagram: @livciv1 Behance: www.behance.net/liviacives Website: www.liviacives.com  

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

I born and been raised in Rome, Italy, where I’ve lived until when, at the age of 24 years old, I’ve felt the need to experience something new, so I took all my baggage of pencils, brushes, ink bottles and of course my trusted friends computer and wacom and I moved to Stockholm where I currently live, since the last 3 years and where I’ve found an energetic environment, sharply modern with incredibly sparkly temper. I’m a huge supporter of the idea to move away from your home country at least once in a lifetime, start again from zero, put ourselves to the test of learning a new language, habits, traditions, styles; in my opinion is a huge challenge that have the capability to teach who the truth you is.

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

I love details, strong color combinations as well as pastels always trying to find an unexpected note. I like when it is possible to describe with bold ink lines the subjects or topics protagonists of my pieces.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

Quite frankly I have two favorite mediums, drawing from real life with ink brushes and nib possibly get the hands black and dirty and the agile vibrant digital medium.

4. What is your artistic process like?

SKETCH FIRST! During this phase I try to be as little picky as possible on ideas and to draw freely whatever comes to my mind. Thereafter, I normally perfect my concepts and choose the ideas that I found more captivating already having in mind my idea of the final realization of the piece for all the selected sketches. Only then, once the right idea had been chosen together with the client, I move forward to the final realization of the illustration.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

It may sound predictable, but honestly everything is a source of inspiration, from the colour of the t-shirt of the guy sitting beside you on the underground ride going back home, to the detail of a roof, culminating with the breathtaking last sentence read in your favorite book last night.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

I think art is the world and our clumsy way to try to interpret it.

7. Where did you study?

I’ve studied Illustration and Multimedia Animation at IED (Istiuto Europeo di Design) in Rome.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

This is a really complicated question to answer! Fundamentally I don’t know, I really try to live my life in the present moment, but for sure drawing!

9. What about in ten?

...still drawing!!

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

An introvert by nature, I’ve always seen art as a very good way to comunicate. So with my art, I try to achieve the best way to communicate my vision of the world, my emotions and point of view.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

You can easily conquer me with spicy veggie food! The spicier the better! From the Indian and Thai curries, passing from paradisiac Lebanon grilled veggies and hummus fest to an easy honest pasta all’arrabbiata loaded with explosive energy!

12. Favourite book?

Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka, The waves by Virginia Woolf, Le fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire are my forever love and strong pillars. Currently on my bedside table The girl who played with fire by Steig Larsson, Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi.

13. Favourite genre of music?

I really love so many different genres of music but even more I love to collect my favorite albums on vinyls of whose I have a collection of more than 400 titles on the growing, from punk rock to jazz rarities, from classic symphonic to electronic, hip-hop and hard-rock.

14. What are your hobbies?

Llisten to music, reading, flea markets hunting and of course drawing, drawing, drawing!

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

Vinyl Shop Owner!