A Fireside Chat with Gwen Altaria

Interviewer: It's a pleasure to have you with us today. Your work has recently been making waves on social media. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and your journey into the world of art?

Gwen: I've always had a fondness for both traditional art and popular culture. I studied fine art in college, but found that I kept coming back to the characters and stories that I grew up with. Combining the two felt natural, a way to bridge the gap between high art and everyday pop culture.

Interviewer: What inspired you to combine traditional oil painting with modern pop culture references?

Gwen: I think there's a certain beauty in taking something modern, something often seen as lowbrow or transient, and giving it a timeless quality through the medium of oil painting. There's also an element of nostalgia and joy in these characters that I think resonates with a lot of people, myself included.

Interviewer: Your style is very unique. How did you develop this approach?

Gwen: It was a process of trial and error, really. Initially, I tried to keep the pop culture and traditional elements separate, but it felt disjointed. I started experimenting with blending the two more seamlessly, incorporating elements from each into a cohesive whole. I wanted each painting to feel like it could hang in a museum, but also fit right in at a comic convention.

Interviewer: What message, if any, do you hope people take away from your artwork?

Gwen: I hope people see that art can be fun, and that it doesn't have to fit into a traditional box to be valuable or meaningful. I also hope that it encourages people to embrace the things that they love, even if they might seem silly or inconsequential to others.

Interviewer: Fascinating. Lastly, what's next for you? Can we expect more of these incredible crossovers in the future?

Gwen: I definitely plan on continuing this series, there's still so many characters I want to explore. I'm also considering branching out into other mediums, maybe even some 3D work. As for what's next, well, you'll just have to wait and see.