10 Questions with Svetlana Klaise

Svetlana Klaise (b. 1978) is a self-taught painter based in Latvia. She started painting in 2019 after discovering her passion for it later in life.

Klaise is currently studying at the EMMS art studio under the guidance of Jolanta Balode. She experiments with various subjects and techniques, including still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and genre painting.
Her works have participated in collective exhibitions such as “In E.A. Rumba’s Footsteps” (2021-2023). She presented her art at the Osta Street Festival in Engure (2023). Some paintings reside in private collections in Russia, Kazakhstan, Israel, and Latvia.

In 2021, Klaise was awarded a Certificate of Support from the Luxembourg Art Prize, recognizing her potential and encouraging her artistic development.
She actively attends plein-air painting events. Her fresh, vividly colored artwork continues capturing the beauty she sees in the world around her.

@klaise_shop

ARTIST STATEMENT

Svetlana Klaise is a self-taught artist based in Latvia who began painting later in life after working in banking. While art and travel have always attracted her, in 2019, she started taking lessons at a local art studio. There, she experiments with various styles, including abstraction, landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes, to capture her emotional impressions of beauty in the world.

Much of Klaise’s work draws from personal memories and contemplations about childhood, family, and nature. She employs thoughtful composition and color contrasts to express meaning rather than pursue photorealism. Through her vivid, evocative paintings, she aims to share her inner world and hopes that they will resonate with viewers. Klaise continues developing her skills as she finds great joy in translating impressions from life into compelling artwork.

Gifts of Autumn, Oil, 40x50 cm, 2023 © Svetlana Klaise

INTERVIEW

What initially drew you to the medium of figurative painting and portraits, and how has your relationship with this art form evolved over time?

It's a great question that made me think about why things happened the way they did. When I started studying in an art studio, my first painting was of a seagull flying over the sea. I was lucky to have a wonderful art teacher, Yolanda Balode, who didn't impose her opinion. She simply said: "You're like a child who's not afraid of anything. Go ahead and paint the picture as you imagine it, and I'll help you if something goes wrong." We still work like that today.
For example, I might decide to paint a portrait of a specific person. First, I studied academic drawing and construction, visited museums, and looked at old masters. I try to understand what style I would like to paint the portrait in, and I communicate with the person to find what others should see in them. It's a whole research process. Maybe that's what I like about painting, that each painting is like a separate project from start to finish. Until you feel that what you've done is a finished story. That's what attracts me to people and why I like to paint their portraits. It's always a story, a complex story. It's not even important to have a resemblance to a specific person, it's important to reveal something, the most important thing about them. That's what happened with the portrait I dedicated to my father. The main thing I wanted to show in my work was the tenderness with which he raised and cared for me. In this painting, a man weaves a dandelion wreath for his beloved daughter. The diligence with which he works on the wreath shows how important it is to him and how strong his love is.

Arthur and degu Bella, Oil, 40x50 cm, 2023 © Svetlana Klaise

Can you describe your creative process when approaching a new painting? Do you typically begin with a concept or idea, or do you allow the process to unfold organically?

You know, if the idea for a painting comes impulsively, and this happens when you admire nature or travel to new places, then sometimes you are so captivated that you want to capture the moment. But it can't be compared to a snapshot. Painting from life is like the tactile sensations of a blind person who touches an object with his fingers and feels it to get an idea of it. So, the artist contemplates beauty in order to convey it to the viewer through brushes and paints in order to share the joy of what he has seen and experienced. In such moments, I become a conductor of beauty, striving to convey it to the viewer.
In other cases, I am captivated by events happening in the world around me. I feel a need to respond to them, to express my feelings and thoughts through art. This is how genre paintings are born, where I use symbols and allegories to convey my message to the audience.

What themes or emotions do you find yourself drawn to most frequently in your artwork, and how do you convey them through your work?

I live in a country with pronounced seasons, where seasonality is very noticeable. I am a sensitive person, and what I see outside the window affects my creativity. In the summer, walking in the garden, I can paint a single flower - a peony that has bloomed for the first time in two years! In the fall - a still life of pumpkins that my colleagues collected and brought to the studio to decorate it. And yes, political events and social problems also break through into my soul and require reflection on canvas.
I have always been a supporter of the idea that an artist should bring beauty into the world, as Solomon said: "If you cannot bring joy, do not multiply sorrow." Therefore, for a long time, I drove away from myself images that carry bitterness, pain, and suffering. But I think it's time to write something like that; the energy has accumulated. I am a person who has something to say.

How do you approach capturing the essence of a subject's personality or emotions in your portraits? Are there specific techniques or elements you focus on to achieve this?

As I have already mentioned, first of all, I try to get to know the person to reveal their essence. I try to find out what they like to do or who they care about. Often, when people talk about pleasant moments in their lives, they are transformed, their eyes start to shine, a spark appears in them, or maybe sadness, or maybe a special dimple on the cheek; it is very individual. In your head, you have already created an image that you want to preserve and display, a personality imprint. Sometimes, the manner of behavior of a person, as if hints to you, yes, because this woman holds herself very majestically, she has a straight posture, speaks correctly and beautifully, well, exactly like a queen, but sensual and vulnerable, like a rose. Why not portray her as a queen - the queen of hearts with a rose in her hand?

What role does storytelling play in your art? Do you incorporate narratives or symbolism into your artwork to convey deeper meanings?

Yes, symbolism plays a significant role in art. An artist, like a writer, tells a story, and they should do it in a language that is understandable to the audience. Many symbols are intuitively read by the viewers, which allows them to immerse themselves in the meaning of the artwork. However, the narrative in a painting should not be linear; it would be too boring. The painting should make you think.
Let's consider an example. An artist paints a portrait of a doctor. How can this image be presented in the best way? It just depicts a man in a white coat with a stethoscope in his hand. It's too linear. I would try to depict a sitting man in a relaxed pose, the stethoscope hanging chaotically around his neck, with a tired face but with eyes full of a sense of duty fulfilled. To emphasize the importance of the work that this person does every day. Perhaps every artist thinks this way.

Rashomon peony, Oil, 50x50 cm, 2023 © Svetlana Klaise

How do you balance realism with artistic interpretation in your work? Are there certain aspects of your subjects that you prefer to emphasize or stylize?

I am primarily interested in the emotional component of the image I want to paint. This applies not only to portraits but also to cities, landscapes, and still lifes. The artist always focuses on some aspects and subdues others so that the viewer can understand the mood he wanted to convey.
For example, in the place where you live, there is a favorite corner. You often come there, but you see the difference in how it meets you depending on the day. Sometimes, the sun colors everything around; sometimes, the wind brings a new sound; there is nothing constant in the world. But sometimes you want to take out your phone and take a picture, don't you? You were here every day for a month and just relaxed, and today you took a picture. Why? There was a mood, an impulse that you wanted to share with your loved ones.
For example, you walk past a stall and see beautiful large sunflowers, buy them, and want to paint them. What are sunflowers for you? A symbol of the outgoing summer and the beginning of autumn, soon the first frost, but they carry sunlight; they are now the main thing for you. Therefore, I painted sunflowers on a cold blue background in a blue ceramic vase. Their leaves are slightly wilted, which speaks of a transitional state, and on the right, there is a curtain with a pattern resembling frost patterns. Summer is leaving, and it is inevitable. Not quite a simple still life anymore?

Can you discuss any challenges you encounter when working on a painting, and how you overcome them?

Yes, I constantly face difficulties. Often, the idea requires knowledge that I don't have. I take a break and study exactly what I need. For example, I take lessons in anatomy and the construction of the human body. This comes from my situation when I first started painting and got my education in the process. After all, artistic construction is subject to academic laws. There is no way without it. If it were the other way around, first education, then it would probably be easier. But I like to learn, and I have a good art teacher.
The second situation is when you paint a picture, and you realize that it doesn't convey what you intended or it doesn't look the way you wanted it to. Then I also need a break, time to rethink. Sometimes, I put such paintings in the back corner to finish them when I'm ready for them. That's probably why every artist has unfinished works in their studio.

Are there particular artists or movements that have influenced your approach to art? How do you incorporate these influences into your own artistic style?

I travel a lot, visiting museums and art galleries. As I noticed, I am most attracted to the works of old masters. Last year, I visited Malaga, and on my way to the Picasso Museum, I discovered a real gem – the museum of Baroness Carmen Thyssen. The entire first floor is dedicated to the works of masters from the 16th to 19th centuries. What a treasure! I spent a lot of time in this museum, admiring the works and the skill and diligence of the artists of those times. For me, they are the icon of imitation. I was especially impressed by several works: Alfred Dehodencq "A Confraternity in Procession along Calle Génova", Guillermo Gómez Gil's "The Reding Fountain. By the Fountain", José García Ramos's "Courting Spanish Style" and, of course, the landscape by Emilio Sánchez Perrier "Winter in Andalusia (Poplars and Sheep at Alcalá de Guadaíra)". As you can see, these are mainly genre scenes that are very close to me. And I think I will develop in this direction.
I am also attracted by the works of Pierre Auguste Renoir. He often combined genre scenes with landscape; I like his free brushstroke, coloristics, and the fact that he remained a "painter of happiness" despite all personal hardships, wars, and social upheavals.

And there is spring in my soul!, Oil, 24x30 cm, 2022 © Svetlana Klaise

Seagull, Oil, 40x50 cm, 2019 © Svetlana Klaise

What do you hope viewers take away from your art? Are there specific emotions or reactions you aim to evoke?

With landscapes and still lifes, I want to show the beauty of Latvian nature. It has been ten years since my family moved from the capital to a small village in a pine forest on the very shore of the Baltic Sea. Every day, I try to take walks along the sea and breathe fresh air. The sea is different every day, it's amazing! Now I am working on a winter seascape, and I think I will make a series of paintings of the seashore from one point, but at different times of the year and day. I think this is a good idea for an exhibition.
The second direction is genre paintings on acute political, social, and historical themes. There are not many of them yet, and it is difficult to combine them, so I have not sent these works yet; this is a topic for a separate interview. It is these works of mine that make visitors to the exhibition stop, look at the characters, think, argue, and react. In the future, I think you will be able to see me from a slightly different perspective.

Looking ahead, are there any new techniques, themes, or directions you hope to explore in your future work with figurative painting and portraits?

To summarize all of the above, I would like to continue exploring this beautiful world of nature and people, but to make my art more light, elegant, and less realistic so that one material flows into another without having clear boundaries, like Renoir. I don't know if I was able to express my idea clearly enough. What do I need for this? To work, work, and work again. And then, perhaps, we will meet again more than once!

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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