Silvia Gariglio

Illustrator

©Silvia Gariglio

Bringing colour to the shadows

Silvia is a self-taught illustrator and painter
Her favourite techniques are watercolour and ink
With just a few gestures she can give shape to subjects

When she was a child, Silvia Gariglio had two great passions: playing the piano and painting. Music was the object of her higher studies, but it is painting that ultimately became her profession. "Since I did not follow a traditional path and train as a painter, I struggled to fit into the varied professional world of painting," she explains. Silvia is self-taught and has developed great versatility in her art, allowing her works to vary in genre and technique. What distinguishes her production most clearly are the illustrations she makes in watercolour or ink. With just a few brushstrokes, she creates her subjects, which she then edits with digital tools for finishing touches.

Interview

©Silvia Gariglio

©Silvia Gariglio

What training did you follow?: Ever since I was a child, I have had a passion for painting, but only after my university studies did I realise this would be my professional path. I did not follow traditional training, but curiosity, the desire to experiment, and practice allowed me to make painting my profession. I define myself as self-taught, although the watercolour lessons given by the figurative painter Daniele Portaleone and the hours spent in the atelier of the Turin artist Piera Luisolo were invaluable.
Why did you choose this profession?: Drawing is an activity that makes me feel good, I find it cathartic and meditative. When I spend whole days at the computer, I feel the need to pick up a brush and paper and draw. After finishing my studies I realised that painting made me happy and self-confident, in addition to being an activity I was good at.
What do you love most about your profession?: Probably the freedom to interpret a brief. It is a challenge to devise and make each commission personal through technique, composition and colour-shades.
Has there been a particularly memorable moment along the way?: A lesson taught by artist and family friend Daniele Portaleone has been very important in my professional and personal life. Daniele revealed to me that shadows are never grey. Our eye perceives them as such because we do not pay enough attention, but if we look closely at an object we notice the variety of tones and colours that the shadows themselves conceal. Thanks to this teaching I understood and learnt how to use colours and achieve more realistic results.

Silvia Gariglio is a rising star she began her career in 2019