This painting is the final result of a week in happiness.

I was invited to an Artistic Residency at Lysice Castle in the Czech Republic. One whole week of painting, interacting with my peers, being allowed to exercise my art while thriving in a beautiful environment, full of history, love and magic.

In the first day I sat there surrounded by amazing talented artists, feeling shy and insecure, over excited and having no idea about what to paint. My creative process usually goes like this: I have many paintings inside of me but I need to quiet my mind before they start pouring out. It was a little intimidating at first because I have been a fan of many of the colleagues that where there, for years. And the artist impostor syndrome inside of me said… ”No matter what you paint, it will never be as good as their work”. Insecurity and cruel hidden monsters under our beds are a sad pattern in the life for many, me included. But luckily I allowed myself to just do what I have been doing for the past 45 years… just play. Art is not about being anything, it’s about making and enjoying it.

Art is indeed bedded in the painters soul. It runs through my veins as it did for my ancestors, so I should not be afraid of stating out my truth, whatever it is. Just enjoying by doing it. It was not a competition, it was rather a beautiful opportunity to create something simple, having fun without any pretensions. My colleagues showed me the way and their presente became my inspiration.

I started 3 paintings out of immaculate blank canvasses, in this beautiful place, surrounded by loving, talented friends. It felt incredible. The kind of happiness that we only hear in the end of fairytales. There was music, laughter, good food, peacefulness to paint, perfect days which should be the creative nectar for any living artist… And I was there, fully present, living this experience.

The paintings were flowing quite instinctively and I was having blessed fun. When I first realized what I was painting it was too late for changing it. Cats and lovers??? How kinky is that?! Why am I painting such a silly, kinky little story? It was my first time in the Czech Republic and I had no idea if the subject was at all accepted, it they were too uptight to understand the fun and joke behind such a theme. I started panicking a little… will this be too weird? Then I asked my friends and specially one of my favorite artists ever, Czech painter Jiří Vidlák (check his amazing work!) and he comforted me: “You are in one of the freest countries you could ever be, no worries about it!” And then I knew that it was not a shocker and my free creation was in good, safe hands.

In fact , when I finished, it was the chosen work to be donated to the Castle’s collection, proving his point that in there art is respected as an instrument of free speech, expression and creativity. In the end I realized that that piece had nothing to do with kinky, but plenty of woman empowerment and right of choice. Plenty of pleasure and fun without the guilt of disapproval. Cats and lovers is the symbol of believing in the power of doing anything that grows naturally in you instead of denying your inner calls. Art is just like that. If you do it for pleasing others you will end up pleasing no one.

Stick to your truth. Have fun with it. Be considerate to others. Be kind. Give less importance to ego and more power to collectiveness. Create freely. Believe in free narratives. Allow things not to be perfect…and you will find perfection of the wholeness. We are all broken pieces of a bigger broken plan that succeeded. In this magical adventure I understood that reality is indeed surreal. Love is everywhere when you ignore the fears, overbearing ego, need for approval and attention. Art is freedom.

Thank you Lysice for this beautiful opportunity. All the parts involved, you were essencial for the perfection of these days. Děkuji Zámek Lysice, Martina Rudolfová, Vladimír Jandasek, Ladislav Pukl, Zvonko Eder for the invitation, reception and impeccable experience. Thank you for all the kind people in the Castle and Hotel that made our days so special and easy. Thank you for my fellow colleagues that granted us all with such a beautiful creative week: Adzana Modlitbova, Alexandra Detinská, Alexia Molino, Dáša Vávrová, Dusan Chaloupka (and his lovely wife), Jiří Vidlák, Kikka Nyrén, Marion Alexandre, Minna Lehväslaiho, Rado Jarábek, Varsha Rajput and Zuza Novotná. You are all my shining stars 🌟 ⭐️ 💫

Obrigada, Thank you, Kiitos, Děkuji, Grazie, Ďakujem, Mercí.

Luciana Mariano