Sabrina Luoni

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Nature

Jersey farm animals and flora in a countryside scene by Sabrina Luoni

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Delicate depictions of nature are her specialty

The nature of northern Italy is her inspiration

Sabrina lives and works in the town where she was born – Varese, Northern Italy. It’s a location surrounded by woodland and lakes, which continually inspire her. Having worked as a painter, graphic designer and 3D artist, she is well versed in the creative process and clients love the accuracy she brings to every project. In addition to an MA in painting from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, Sabrina has honed her scientific understanding of nature with courses in Natural History Illustration at the University of Milan, the Society of Botanical Artists in London and the Ars in Fabula school in Macerata.

Approach

Each project begins with detailed research into the subject, followed by rough compositions which Sabrina shares with her client. She works with almost-dry watercolours on hot pressed paper to carefully control form and light, sometimes adding coloured pencils to the mix.

Style

Sabrina’s style highlights the delicate beauty of nature, with subjects evocatively suspended in space and time for the viewer to inspect.

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? From an early age I had a natural inclination for drawing and a keen interest for art, so it was easy to choose a study path to become an artist. I’ve been worked for several years in different creative fields, but I dreamed to be involved on projects to protect and study nature. I’ve started organising creative workshops within environmental education learning courses and just later, cooperating on several projects as a naturalistic illustrator. Over the time I’ve accumulated a lot of nice experiences. Where did you grow up? I was born near Varese, in Northern Italy, where I currently live. I’m lucky enough to having always lived surrounded by nature, close to lakes and woods. Describe your studio for us My studio is a comfortable and light area of my home. I love to work in my cozy corner, and here I have everything I need: all the material for drawing and painting, the table easel, the PC with the graphic tablet, and a well-stocked library I am very fond of. Describe the view from your window I think that windows are what I love most in my studio. They are all along the walls and overlook the garden and the woods at the height of the treetops. I can often observe the animals that live around here, and I can even do birdwatching from the window with binoculars or telephoto lenses. Who or What is your biggest inspiration? I am mainly inspired by the nature that surrounds me and that I can observe during my walks. Among the natural elements, I am most interested in those with an evident structure and geometry. I let myself be inspired also by scientific books and documentary and by the infinite resources of social media. My artists reference, whether ancient or contemporary, are on the edge of art and science. I am fascinated by this intersection. Do you collect anything? I love to collect seeds and natural elements with special shapes. I have several boxes full of “weird items”. I am a bit of a compulsive books buyer: I would purchase a lot more than I can actually read. What are your interests outside of illustration? I have a lot of interests. Some passions accompanied me for many years, such as history of cinema and art, others are things I discovered later, such as working out in the gym and observing nature. Recently I'm having a lot of fun discovering nocturnal animals with a camera trap. What was your favourite assignment ever? Difficult to say but maybe one of the first: a project on Lake Varese, because it is one of my favourite places here. It consisted of didactic panels and a guide dedicated to plants and animals living there. I loved starting with the survey of the place to learn about the habitat of all the depicted species. During my first projects I learned a lot thanks to the naturalistic consultants I worked with. What would be your dream commission? A project in the educational area, such as a book or a magazine, concerning the environmental protection and love for nature. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? My ideal place would be a house by the sea, in a warm country, in an inclusive society. If you could travel back in time, who would be the one person you would want to meet and why? Actually any person from the past, my dream would be to go back and forth with the time machine! But I feel particular inspired by brave women who defied the conventions and the adversities of their time to pursue their passion for knowledge, such as Maria Sibylla Merian, Mary Anning, Mary Shelley or Beatrix Potter. What movie can you watch over and over? There are a lot, but one above all: Some like it hot by Billy Wilder. What do you listen to when you’re illustrating? Usually, in the early morning I listen to the radio to caught up on current events, but in general I love electronic music that makes me travel with the mind and gives good vibe. What was the last exhibition you saw and loved? I missed so much visiting exhibitions and I'm really glad that finally we can get back to museum and galleries. The last exhibit I found very inspiring was in 2019, Broken Nature at the Triennale (Design Museum of Milan), on connections between humans and the compromised natural environment. What was the last concert you went to? I love ancient instruments. The last one I went to was a small baroque music concert in a charming location in Como. What do you do when you have creative block? It depends on the seriousness of the block: sometimes a short walk in the woods is enough. Sometimes I need a stronger experience like an exhibition or a meeting. But surely, traveling always works!

Favourites

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