To be fair, this makes complete sense. Humans are biologically close to animals, arguably being animals themselves.
One young local artist fascinated with the animal kingdom is using her talents for the benefit of Malaysia’s threatened wildlife.
Painting since the age of 16, Christina Bruno, now 22, has quite the portfolio of gorgeous animal paintings.
Of all the wildlife out there though, it is obvious she has a particular fondness for owls, with the nocturnal birds being the subject of several of her artworks.
FMT sat down with this promising artist to find out more about her artistic journey and how it’s tied to her love of animals.
“I was an artistic child, even at a very young age,” she said. “I would do pencil sketches whenever I was bored at school. I’d be doing sketches whenever I had the time.”
As to why she focuses on animals, she said: “I love animals! It’s just that simple. Tigers, lions, owls; those are animals I really like.”
Therefore, it’s no surprise that she has used her art to raise awareness on animal cruelty and animal rights, selling her paintings and donating the proceeds to local animal rights groups.
“You know how tigers are a very endangered species in Malaysia? I did these paintings to tell people that this is an issue we have on hand and how we should talk about them more,” she said.
Funnily enough, while she enjoys painting lions, tigers, cheetahs and other feline species, the domestic cat has rarely appeared on her canvas.
“Even though I have a lot of cats of my own. I haven’t done any of them. But house cats, they live an amazing life. The big cats, on the other hand, are endangered and need more focus.”
According to her, she enjoys depicting animals as their features are naturally gorgeous, especially when compared to “smooth-faced” humans.
“Just look at cats. At their fur and all their patterns. If you paint that on a huge canvas, you can get really nice details down,” she said.
Once she is inspired by a subject, she gets down to sketching it. Then the colour starts to appear on the canvas, and the painting slowly but surely comes to life.
“The painting process can be a little hectic because I hold myself to a very high standard.”
Most of her artworks are realistic but only because she said many people lack an appreciation for abstract art.
While some artists work on their pieces whenever they feel like it, she prefers to finish a piece in a single sitting if possible, even if that means working into the wee hours of the morning.
These days however, she focuses on her day job but at night, the brushes and palette come out to play and she paints to her heart’s content.
Like most artists, she is very critical of her own work. She also listens to what her family and friends have to say. “I don’t want to do something for so long, only for it to come out looking like garbage!”
She admitted however, that once she gets started, she doesn’t quite know when to stop or when to consider a piece completed. Often, it’s her family or friends who tell her.
After two weeks of what she described as “hell”, will be an amazing painting that took a lot of time, skill and energy to produce.
While she enjoys painting, she still considers it a hobby rather than a profession. “It has always been a side gig for me,” she explained.
Early on, her studies prevented her from showcasing her artworks in exhibitions; her current full-time fashion job takes up a lot of her time as well.
That said, her good sense of artistry is proving helpful in her line of work. “A lot of times, I have to use my artistic abilities to weigh in on what looks good and what doesn’t.”
When asked what is most important to her as an artist, Christina said that having one’s own sense of style is what makes every artist unique.
“It’s important to have confidence in your own work and your own style, that what you do will be appreciated by someone. It’s better than always measuring yourself up to other people.”