"My heart belongs to music" • Kristína Uhlíková

Meet Kristína Uhlíková, a Slovak artist who's literally the definition of a Renaissance man. In addition to artistic creation she shares on her social networks under the _coalsoul_ nickname, she also dedicates herself to singing, playing musical instruments, doing magic with makeup, and other creative activities. Therefore, we happily interviewed Kristína in the following lines.

Hello Kristína. Let's begin with a typical question. When and how did you encounter fine arts?

I remember that the first drawing that took my breath away was the one by my father, who drew a picture in my and my sister's notebook. I think that since then, I've always strived to create something nice. :) I used to create various cartoon stories my whole childhood.

That's a very beautiful memory. Did you attend any art school, or are you self-taught?

For a while, maybe a year, I went to an art class as a teenager. Then, after high school, I got into college at FZKI - garden and landscape engineering, where we had one semester of technical drawing and drawing as such.

An interesting choice of school. What else do you do in your free time besides fine arts?

I've been playing the violin and singing since I was five years old. I had classes at art school, and my mom is a music teacher majoring in violin, so I spent a lot of time at art school. I'm lucky that I can do music for a living. I'm in various bands, e.g., Paper Moon Trio, Bratislava Hot Serenaders Orchestra, and Rock'n Rolla.

After I graduated from college, I also took a professional make-up course so that from time to time, I can make-up women who like natural make-up and a subtle change. Now, I also work during the day as a waitress in the fantastic restaurant Nitriansky Furmanský Dvor.

Never a dull moment! You've even released your own CD and illustrated its cover and booklet entirely by yourself. How do you look back on this experience?

It was the best period of time full of creative work and creation I truly enjoyed. :) There were definitely some challenging moments, especially the administrative ones, and then it was also about the financial resources. But it turned out pretty well, and I believe that another period like this will come up again.

We'll keep our fingers crossed. Can you recall your most demanding work of art? Was it that CD?

In terms of time, definitely. But as that was my dream, I don't consider it the most demanding one. I would say that it was two drawings for college admissions. Almost without experience and study, I was supposed to draw still life with a pencil on A3 paper they placed in front of our eyes, and these were very difficult moments indeed. :D

We believe that. Do you have some favorite artists whose work our readers shouldn't miss?

I'm a fan of our Slovak and Czech artists and modern tattoos and taters, who are incredibly skilled (violka.ink, nia.tattooing, saar.tattooing etc.). I follow many profiles on Instagram, but my heart belongs to music. I love Richard Autner, Katarína Koščová, Milan André Boronell, and Ólafur Arnalds.

Thank you for the great tips! Do you create regularly or wait for the right moment, idea, or impulse?

I must have some free time. :) Recently, I haven't been drawing much. I have almost no time, and dot drawings can take me a whole day.

We completely understand. What art technique do you like the most?

Pointillism with a fine liner 0.1 - 0.3 mm and painting with watercolor paints.

Have you had a chance to try some products from Koh-i-noor?

Colored pencils and colors throughout my whole life :) Koh-i-noor always had the most beautiful packaging, which attracted me as a child.

We're happy to hear that. How did you find it working with them?

It was good and with ease. They didn't break, were easy to sharpen, and had quality colors and packaging.

Do you hold exhibitions of your works of art, or do you just share them online?

Mainly online. I've had one small exhibition as of yet when my CD was launched.

That counts, too! Do you have any dreams and plans concerning your artistic work?

Definitely. I bought canvases and an easel, and I would like to enlarge my so far small 10x10cm drawings by creating dots with thicker markers or brushes. :)

We obviously have something to look forward to when it comes to your artistic and musical creation. :) Thank you very much, Kristína, for your time and kind words, and we wish you many successes!