Interview with Linestyle Artwork

January 19, 2023

Summary: Linestyle Artwork is one of the featured fantasy artists of our Collection #1. We interviewed her to better understand her artistic inspirations & thoughts on the current state of technology in art.

Article available on Medium

Introduction

On November 24th, we released the first art collection of the Faerian gallery on the theme of “Light”. 6 artists participated conjointly with 22 unique artworks, all opening a different window to the realms of fantasy worlds.

Today, our artist spotlight is on Anna Jäger-Hauer, who is primarily known as Linestyle Artwork. She hails from Germany, and is a 2D and traditional artist who has been working to create magical worlds for the last 15 years. She is heavily influenced by the world created by J.R.R Tolkien which we see reflected in her work, which she expresses through her own artistic style – one full of energy, hope, and love.

Her art evokes the true essence of beauty, through stunning paintings. In particular – her piece “Christmas Forest”, perhaps best embodies the idea of “Light” that our first collection is named for. Her art skillfully blends the physical and metaphysical worlds through portrayals of deities, humans, elves, and the world all around us.

Interview

To start, we checked in with Anna to see how she was doing, and what her ideal fantasy world looks like! As the old expression goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” – and this is what makes art so subjective (and wonderful).

Whereas in other areas of life, things are often more cut and dry – art reaches out and grabs our soul, and refuses to let go. When we see something that speaks to us, rocks us to our core – and makes us feel grateful to be alive, it’s like someone has taken the air from the room. Each artist adds their own unique flavor and style, and for Anna what most speaks to me – is her portrayal of deities, and creatures great and small.

Faerian: How are you doing during this difficult time?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I’m doing great, thank you.

Faerian: If you could be one fantasy race (elf, human, dwarf, etc.), which one would you pick? Why?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I would like to be a Tolkien Elf. They are so sublime and everything seems so easy for them. They are inherently good-natured, even though they carry the burden of the world on their shoulders. I don’t know if I would even fit in with them, but I would sooooo like to meet one.

Faerian: We are of like mind on that one! I’ve always loved the Dark Elves myself. I always thought that the Dark Elves are misrepresented, as these sort of “evil beings”. In many fantasy stories, we learn that the Dark Elves used to be simply “Elves”, and that they are descended from the same race.

If you could live in or visit the fantasy universe of your choice, which one would you pick? Why?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I would like to live in (surprise ) Tolkien’s world, in the first age, when the world was still mostly populated by Elves. This age was a very dark one… but in my opinion the greatest wonders were also to be seen there. Or in Michael Ende’s Phantásia…

Faerian: Totally agree, some of the most beautiful things emerge from darkness.

What themes do you most enjoy exploring in your work and why?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: In fact, I can’t really focus on just one topic. I am so easily inspired and always enjoy new challenges. So I’ve been in many areas of the fantasy genre. Love scenes, fight scenes… I have a lot of fun with everything. But it has to be fantastic, whether classic fantasy or futuristic. Although I would love to live in Tolkien’s worlds and that’s why I like to illustrate his stories the most.

Next, we moved on to what inspires Anna the most. It’s clear she’s been influenced by Tolkien, and we wanted to know what made her join the world of artists, to create worlds of her own.

Faerian: What made you want to be an artist?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I’ve loved to paint since I was a child. When I had a brush in my hand, I forgot about time and the world around me. At school I learned a lot about the old artists and that most of them died poor and unknown. Of course I didn’t want this fate at first. That’s why I first went into traditional animation and after film school I worked in an animation studio. Because in addition to all the fantastic novels that I read as a child, I was equally fascinated by the old Disney movies. But after a few years in the film industry, I rediscovered my love for my own art and stuck with it. I have gathered all my courage and will try to make a living from my art in the future.

Faerian: That’s wonderful, and this is our aim for Faerian as well – to give artists a platform to be able to live and thrive from their art.

Why do you focus on fantasy universes? What do you love most about the world of fantasy?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: Fantastic worlds give you the opportunity to escape from everyday life. I used to always want to be drawn into one of my books, like Bastian in “The Neverending Story”. Today I often feel like this when I paint one of my paintings. I live in the represented world for a moment, contemplating its inhabitants and getting to know its characters. That’s what I love so much about the fantastic genre. Basically anything is possible in these worlds.

Faerian: Who are your artistic inspirations?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: John Howe, Rodney Matthews, The Movie “The Last Unicorn”, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith, Walt Disney, Poul Dhole, and a lot more!

Art from Lord of The Rings by John Howe

The Strormbringer by Rodney Matthews (1981)

The Fellowship Leaving Rivendell by Ted Nasmith (2002)

Next, we chatted about how all the magic happens. Every artist has a different method for creating their art. This results in different styles, and unique characteristics.

Anna is unique in that she uses almost all mediums! She shared in-depth how she brings her dreams to life on canvas, paper, and through digital art.

Faerian: What tools/techniques could you not live without, to do your art?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I’ve often been told that my characters are always very intense in the emotions they portray, and in fact that’s always very important to me in my pictures: I want it to be clear what state of mind my main characters are in. I also like it when there’s a certain dynamism… blowing strands of hair, moving fabric… particles in the air. From time to time I also bring in very graphic elements in addition to the painterly ones, such as frames or surfaces in gold. Otherwise, I’m very open to the medium. I paint digitally, with pencil, oil, acrylic, ink… and yes, of course, I definitely still do sketches on paper.

Faerian: Coming from someone who can’t draw a straight line with a pencil or certainly not a paintbrush, this is so impressive!

Next, we chatted about why she decided to join the Faerian Gallery. With collectors all over the world, and well-known artwork, we were humbled when she decided to join the project. One of the best things about the Gallery is that we have people from all over the world, with different backgrounds and different skill sets.

Faerian: What made you choose to work with the Faerian gallery?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I was invited in a very friendly and convincing way.

Faerian: Glad the communication with Cynthia went so well! What made you trust to sign with her?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I found it almost fateful that I received an invitation from Faerian just at the time I decided to do more with my own art and not just paint for others. I also have to say that I am very impressed with the way Cynthia does her great work. You can tell how much she loves what she does and how much she loves fantastic art. But also that she absolutely knows what she is doing. Cynthia works so hard and makes so much possible. That is the reason why I feel my art and I am in very good hands with her. And that, although I’m actually not such an extroverted person.

Faerian: Totally agree – she’s definitely passionate about this space, and it comes through in all she does.

We then chatted about a bit of a controversial topic, with strong opinions on both sides – AI art, and how it fits into the artistic vision. We then went a bit further – asking about general thoughts on the NFT world in general, as it’s such a broad world with a lot of moving parts.

Faerian: What are your thoughts about AI art? Good thing, bad thing? Why?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: Definitely a very, very bad thing. AI isn’t art, it’s theft. Nothing more.

Faerian: What are your thoughts on the current state of the NFT world?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I’m still new (and admittedly skeptical) with NFT. Capitalism, pollution… but what other way is there for digital artists to sell originals? But Cynthia has allayed my concerns, at least as to the way Faerian is handling NFT and currently I only trust Faerian concerning this theme.

Faerian: Glad we’re able to help you navigate all the difficult questions related to the NFTs then.

To finish, what are your next exciting projects/adventures?

Anna Jäger-Hauer: I’ve been invited to the German Tolkien Days, next year, as an artist for my exciting first time. Accordingly, I will paint some new pictures related to Tolkien. I might also have the opportunity to illustrate a children’s book. Let’s wait and see. It will definitely be an exciting new year.