Cristina Gafton's Circle of Hell

Memento Tea
Apr 9, 2019
4 min read

Welcome to the new "Artist's Circle Of Hell" editorial: a journey through the eyes and thoughts of magnificent Dark Artists.

Today we are delightful to talk with Cristina Gafton, talented self-taught artist. She was born in Romania and grew up in Italy surrounded by beauty and art. In her early twenties Cristina and her husband moved to the Netherlands, where she's currently based. Cristina's art often depicts ethereal maidens living in surreal worlds and hercharacters appear often lonely and melancholic with a note of innocence.

Music and nature are her musae and through their influence Cristina is able to represent on paper or canvas a little bit of her own world.

Cristina started showing her art in galleries in late 2017 and had the opportunity to work together with galleries like La Bodega Gallery, Alexi Era Gallery and Penumbra Gallery.

Enjoy the interview!

First circle - Limbo

How old is your soul? Do you have an inner child?

I think it is split in 2, sometimes I fell like a 5 year old with eyes full of wonder and happy to discover new things and experiment something new and sometimes like an 80 years old, tired and cranky.

Second circle - Lust

Before you have reached your artistic path, have you ever instinctively tried different fields that did not appeal to you, just for the sake of it? Are you still in search for your art style?

I did classical dance for some years when I was a kid and later in my mid teens. I loved it but it is not quite the same feeling that art gives me.

Third circle - Gluttony

How hungry are you for the art, for your passion? How much are you addicted and addicted to it, moving away from your perception of reality?

Art is for me more like a cure and an escape place from reality. I draw every day, even if it is just a sketch on a post it or a napkin. I am always searching for inspiration and thinking about my paintings until I sit behind my easel and I can be free. I can find comfort in it, and I can say with art what I cannot say with words.

Fourth circle - Greed

Sometimes, do you feel greedy with your job? Do you think that a strong attachment to money can compromise your art? No intention to offend, but only to explore what goes beyond being a "starving artist".

I am a naïve person on many aspects and in the beginning I liked the idea of the “starving artist” but then reality hit. Hard. You cannot survive on air and many people will use you if you let them. One needs to find a balance between living in this world and the utopia in one’s mind.

Fifth circle - Anger

How you see the Art World today? There are some stuff that make you uncomfortable?

I think is one of the best times for an artist to be alive. You have so many opportunities you can access through the internet and is so much easier to share your works with the world. Don’t get me wrong, is difficult to get noticed but with hard work, I believe, you can succeed, whatever that means for you.

Sixth circle - Heresy

Have you ever done a project or commission totally different from your kind of art? (for example, as fairy art, erotic art, fantasy art or comic art)

Yes, so many times. I was changing my “style” constantly. Is difficult to focus on one thing only when you have so much inspiration around you, especially when you are young, and you don’t have much experience. I still like to play around with different styles now, to learn new things, but my core is not shifting as much anymore. If I look at my artworks in the last year I can see a common denominator and I like the direction is taking.

Seventh circle - Violence

Are you afraid to represent cruel stuff of the reality in your art? If not, it goes beyond the simple visual impact?

I am not afraid, is just not really appealing to me personally. There are some “cruel” works out there that are amazing. But I like to depict the reality in my way, the way I see it. You can communicate so much with an expression or the use of colors or hidden messages. Who observes, truly, will be able to see more than just a painting.

Eighth circle - Fraud

Without naming, have you ever been deceived by a false customer or company? What was your initial feeling? Do you want to give some advice to those who are new in this field? Don't worry if you do not want to answer.

Oh yes, I had a few customers that tricked me. The first time it happened I remember I cried. I was so disappointed and angry at him and myself. But then I realized you will always have people that try to “steal” from you in a way or another and people who truly care about your work and share the same passion. Be careful, don’t trust everyone that compliments you, ask for an advance payment if you do a commission and use a good provider to process your payments.

There are many ways you can protect yourself, search online and stay informed.

Ninth circle - Treachery

Would you ever exchange your life as artist with a safer and quieter life? What would you do if you could not make art?

I would probably travel/explore. Or maybe I would study to become a psychiatrist or archaeologist. I am fascinated both by the human mind and the mysteries of our ancestors.