Welcome back to our International Artist Series.
Today,
we’re catching up with seven incredible artists from Slovenia, a central European country with vast mountainous scenes and landscapes. I
asked each artist how
their country and culture influenced their work, and they delivered
great
responses.
Jernej Myint
Our first artist, Jernej Myint, is a creative illustrator based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Originally an architect, he discovered a love for illustration that made him switch careers. Enjoy his collection of brightly colored digital and traditional ink pieces.
See more in his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.
The Warmest Embrace
I simply love living in Slovenia.
There’s a beautiful countryside, historical medieval towns and fresh mountain air. All of these things give artists the
perfect conditions for working.
The BookWorms
I look for inspiration in simple, everyday moments. It gives me
everything I need.Slovenia is a really small country of only 2 million people. So at the beginning of my career I had a feeling that it was going to be hard to break through. But after some years
of hard work, I enjoy working in my hometown now.
The Circle of Foxy Flavors
See You Soon
Every 250th employee works independently in the culture scene within Slovenia. So the art communities are quite
connected. We collaborate in different art markets and participate on
different projects.I would say there is no competition, or at least I
do not feel it. If there is some, it’d give you a fresh impetus to improve
your work
Maja Bertole Jeras
Next is Maja Bertole Jeras, a 2D artist and illustrator based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. With dreamy, pastel illustrations that will simply draw you in, her illustrations will make you wonder about new worlds around you.
See more in her portfolio and follow her on Instagram.
Stay With Me
I love that we are a small country shaped like
a chicken—it gives me a good laugh. I love living here. We have everything in one spot,
beautiful landscapes, the sea, and both old and new architecture.
Meet the Artist
What influenced me the
most was seeing what is out there. While the universities are focused on keeping the culture alive, and they encourage
students to create artworks inspired by Slovenian culture, I don’t think that it is an objective. So, a lot of people, like myself, were forced to be resourceful and find inspiration online.
Dreams of the Future World
Solitude
If someone is interested in
doing something, he or she finds a way. Individuals here are even more determined and
resourceful to get better on their own.I was absolutely amazed when I found out that there are
schools in other countries that teach character design and prepare
students for possible future positions. And I would love nothing more
than to have such a school here.
Jure Smuk
Freelance CGI artist Jure Smuk creates ultra-realistic interior scenes you’ll just want to walk into. His work features incredibly beautiful stills of diverse apartments and living spaces.
See more in his portfolio.
CGI Concrete Loft
Slovenia is a small, yet diverse country and the market drives us to be hard working, unique and to stand out.
NY Flower Box Apartment
From the mountain alps to the Adriatic sea, our work emphasizes a mix of
different living vibes and styles. That makes us more understanding as we head towards
progression.
NY Flower Box Apartment – Kitchen
NY Flower Box Apartment
My business is in 3D visualizations, which has been rising
globally in recent years. So I am more or less taught from YouTube and other 3D artists from all over the world.
Marta Bartolj
Drawing playful illustrations of fairies and nature, Marta Bartolj is our next visual artist from Trebnje, Slovenia. She works in traditional and digital media, illustrating light-hearted pieces of secret places.
See more in her portfolio.
Like a Dream
Slovenia is a little oasis in Europe. And despite its small size, it
has much to offer. Green landscapes, forests full of life and
beautiful little spots to conjure up fairy tales.Many houses have little gardens where people can grow their
vegetables. I am one of those who love to dig their fingers into the
soil, which gives life to all of us.
Fairies, Animals, Flowers and Soft Secrets
My first contact with illustration as a
child was through picture books. So my love for visual expression grew with
each illustrated book or children’s magazine I saw. I remember
wondering as a child about how those pictures were made. And very often I
was making up stories out of them.
Gouache Illustration
Like a Dream
Illustrators, like myself, experiment with different materials and
come up with surprising and inspiring solutions.I feel the illustration community here is nourishing. I see a wide and rich spectrum of
styles and different ways illustrators visually tell their stories.
Marko Renko
Next up, is Marko Renko, a children’s book illustrator who makes charming illustrations of personal projects. Inspired by nature, he pays homage to it with lovely, colorful designs.
See more in his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.
Stanley and the Rampaging Robot
Slovenia is one beautiful patch of nature on Earth. Although I live in the city, Ljubljana, a
stroll through a forest is never more than a few minutes away. That is the
biggest inspiration for my art, so that is why I love to live in
Slovenia.
Autumn Road
I spent my childhood in a very rural area
and my playground was a forest behind my house. I think that is still the
biggest theme in my work till this day.
Personalized Picture Book
Picture Book
Slovenia is very small and so is the art community. We lack variety in our art
education because schools are very classical and conservative. But luckily in the
age of the internet, a person can find a lot of different art classes and
education online.
Umesh Matej Lavrencic
Umesh Matej Lavrencic is a digital artist with an eye for bold colors. Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, he creates stunning goddess paintings with Adobe Photoshop.
See more in his portfolio.
Benevolent Goddess
Everything is kind of scaled-down here so it’s less stress. To me, it’s cozy. I probably wouldn’t want to live anywhere
else.
Pillai Center Illustrations
The greatest
influence for me in the past decade has been my Guru from India. This
relationship has changed everything about me and has given me a new
life.Growing up in the 80’s, I also loved the illustrated books and comics that
were available at the time. There was not much to choose from, but the
quality was great!
Muruga
Pillai Center Illustrations
Slovenia has a great culture with many successful artists in all fields.
Often,
it is quite hard to make a living here; a young painter may find it difficult because there’s virtually no market. So it’s
important to reach out and connect with art communities abroad.
Matej Stefanac
Our last artist feature this month belongs to Matej Stefanac, an industrial designer from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Featuring incredible, digitally sculpted scenes, his work includes amazing pieces of both furniture and architecture.
See more in his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.
Alone in Kyoto
I love the mountains, clean water and air in Slovenia. I love the sound of my language.
I love the fact there’s a long history of my ancestors that have become an integral part of the place.
3D CGI: House Lumar Terra 158
There are many patterns in the ways I solve problems while working.
But I don’t think those are necessarily visible on the first glance. However, they can be found underneath layers of my work.
3D CGI: Atelier in Haldenstein
PLUSminus Lamp
We’re a pretty small country hence we have a small art community.
Sometimes that could be a good motivator to start looking for clients abroad and I think that can be a good thing. However, there are other
times I’ve also wished for a bigger and stronger community inside the country.
Many thanks to the artists who took the time to answer my
questions and share a bit about themselves and how their country and/or culture
has affected their work. You can check out more of their work in the links
below:
Love these features? Check out more from this series:
