Maria Stella Faccin

Illustration BDes (Hons)

Maria Stella is a traditional artist based in Italy and Iceland, whose cultures and visuals make their way into her work, in a dance of textures and lines.

About

Maria Stella Faccin - Curly haired girl sitting on a chair with a  fluffy dog on her lap.

In the past few years I have lived in different cultures, and have enjoyed exchanging stories from people all over the world. However, as strong as my passion for languages is, I have understood that, when narrative and art interact, they reach into people's hearts in a way that transcends translation.
In Iceland, I work in a family-founded museum that is one of the last pillars in the entire world of a 400-year-old tradition. In Italy, I am watching our dialects die, bringing with them so much of what we are. This fleeting beauty is what I want to capture in my work. The way I love doing it most is to let the subject and the material interact on the page, letting my mind translate what it sees to what it creates. Sometimes I draw not looking at the page, or on wet paper! I want the material to have a voice in what we make, too. Maybe it can be called a collaboration, then? Hahah! Anyway, I feel that this allows me to get closer to the essence of my subject, and it is interesting to see people's interpretations!
All in all, to create is super fun and, united to my desire of connecting with others, it is why I do art!

The drying house

A red and white barn at the feet of a big brown and green mountain.

In Bjarnarhöfn, Iceland, lives on a 400-year-old tradition to produce shark meat (nowadays only from bycatches). The well-loved drying house, where the meat is hung to dry for months, is the guardian of the farm, and... it can be smelled from very far.

The Fish Life

Many colourful fish overlayed on a dramatic black and white background of watery texture.

Icelandic fishes, as fish tend to do, have fun features and awesome colours!

The Oak Room - collaboration with V&A

Luminous blue windows and dark shapes juxtaposed to create a severe yet comfy atmosphere.

The Oak Room, designed by Mackintosh to be a tea room in Glasgow, with its woody smell and warm, dark tones, represents so well how it feels to drink a warm cup of tea! I loved it immediately.

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