The Roaring Artist

7 min read

Maze: Hi RooArty, thanks so much for your time today! We've known each other for thirteen years; you taught me a lot about artistic expression, and I am excited for our readers to know more about your artistic vision.

Selfie of Rooarty half face showing on the picture, her green/orange eye looking up. She's wearing pink lipstick, and her auburn long straight hair is over her nose and around her eye.

RooArty is a "collage" of "rooar" (roar) and "arty." "Arty" for art, obviously, and "rooar" (roar) in reference to my moon sign Leo, which is very important to me when it comes to relationships and emotional communication. I would also like to clarify that Marie Neval is not my real name. I chose Marie because it is one of my first names, but for Neval, I have no idea.

‍Maze: Are there any diagnoses of neurodivergence you would like to share with us today? And how do they influence your view of the world in general and your artistic work in particular?

RooArty: My predominant diagnoses are bipolar disorder, ADHD, and HPE (Haut Potentiel Émotionnel in French, High Emotional Intelligence), which enables me to better understand my emotions and those of others, but also leaves me feeling out of sync with them. I also have dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia (especially when choosing the right words), and dyscalculia.

Collage by Rooarty. The silhouette of a man wearing a hat backwards looking down at their feet. The silhouette is walking on the seabed. The water is different shades of red. On the right, corals and a sea turtle. Underneath the silhouette, a word: "Deeper".

Understanding non-verbal messages, tree-like thinking, difficulties with certain social situations, crowds, noise... everything influences my state. It's not uncommon for me to shout words unintentionally just because they're too ingrained in my head.

Whether in my professional life or life in general, I have to minimize distractions to focus on something. This is because I feel everything very strongly. The energies of people, nature, light, the atmosphere, everything is present. My brain takes everything into account. Everything that touches me invades me, noises like silences... everything is linked like a network in my head. It's powerful and exhausting. There are overwhelming feelings that I need to externalize in my own way.

Two digital collages by Rooarty. On the right: A young back man sat on the edge of a sidewalk, three robots around him, a robot-like robot, a dog robot, and a humanoid one. Behind him, painted on a building we can read "Somos Todos Um", Brazilian/Portuguese for "We are all one". Second collage on the left is a close-up of a feminine sensual mouth with red lipstick, between the teeth there's a male'e body wearing dark trainers, dark blue jeans, and a light blue tee-shirt.

Sometimes my collages seem to disappear behind a screen, sometimes, they are bright, and my ideas are all over the place. It seems like everything is blocked and exploding simultaneously. I am caught up in energies that take me towards an intuitive and unfiltered creation; I act impulsively, and I can create dozens of collages day and night.

Collage by Rooarty. At the center, an hexagonal window on a concrete wall, partly naked, partly covered in a floral patterned paper, green and black are dominant colors, the flowers are outlines are in gold. A white humanoid robot levitating in a meditation position, thick black cables falling down the floor. Behind it, suspended in the air, a big circle of copper with a rectangle of golden circuits.

You could say it's my passionate side, but there's something rash about passion. In my case, it's really about wanting to let my thoughts live without lacking judgment or discernment. For me, the important thing in art is not to please others or to make something pretty. Like a tattoo, you do it because it tells your story; you do it for yourself.

Collage by Rooarty. A beautiful woman with long dark hair under the touch of a giant man's hand holding a rose and bleeding.n in a white dress

For example, if someone tells me I am not listening to them, it might be because I listen to their interior, their insecurities, and their unspoken words, and they affect me more than words. Humans are rich in diversity, whether it's in their neurons or melanocytes, and each must be free to express his own standards as he sees fit.

There was a time when some netizens took certain collages as personal attacks because they didn't fit into their typical good or bad standards. After that, I decided to write neurodivergent in the description as if to tell visitors, "I warn you, my brain is not necessarily like yours; just deal with it."

‍Maze: You presented your works (paintings and collages on canvas) at Parisian art markets and galleries. What was your artistic journey before doing all that?

A collage by Rooarty. A woman's bum in fishnet stockings, she's wearing a very short white dress with black dots. She's bending over. Behind the bum, a woman's hand is holding an ice cream cone from which emanates the WiFi symbol in a neon green light.

RooArty: I went to the School of Visual Communication in Paris and the Beaux-Arts in Lyon. So I tried several artistic expression techniques, from nude sketches to films or offset prints.

‍Maze: How did you choose digital collage after practicing painting and collages on canvas?

RooArty: Reproducing something that already exists, trying to make it as similar as possible to what is in front of me, does not interest me. In painting, I make a lot of abstracts. When I create collages, I enjoy mixing abstract and figurative elements to enrich what I feel. When I drew nudes, I was fascinated by the movement of the body while the person remained motionless. Every shape seemed to want more than to be in 3D space, whether near or far, flat or hollow... My goal is not to shock but to take into account realities (or unrealities) that are often put aside because they are not tangible while we feel them. I think of this beautiful woman in the park. I see her dress floating in the wind. How can I express or portray that?

Four digital collages by Rooarty. Top right one: a street view of a wall painted with street art. Purple and light blue are the dominant colors. Amongst other graffiti, a woman's ha f silhouette from the back, wearing stockings and and slightly raising her dress on the side, letting her bum show. There's also a painting of a plant with red flowers. On the forefront, a statue of an angel (an androgynous person with wings) blessing an oversized Lubitel camera. Top left picture is of a teenage blonde girl with space buns and a fringe. She looks at the camera with her tongue stuck out and gives the finger with her with both her hands. She's wearing a heart shaped little balloon as an eye patch on her left eye. On the top left corner of the picture the words "Game Over" are typed in a video game font. Dominant colours are grey, pink and gold. The bottom left picture is of a woman with long hair pointing a gun to the right of the frame. Around her, dark orange/red rocky, cavernous, canyon-like walls. At the top center of the picture, a analog watch in similar colors,with some apparent mechanisms around it. At the bottom of the picture "XOXO" in orange and green. The bottom left collage is of a sky, the point of view is from an end of an open corridor with black and white tiles on the floor. The sides are made of reflective surfaces. The corridor is bathed in a blue light that matches the colour of the sky and clouds. It is cutting through the clouds. At the other end of the corridor, in pink neon light are written the words "It's not gonna lick itself".

A photo does not show how I feel. I will create an image, for example, of a duck who is in prison because ducks make me think of the park. The prison will be my state of mind facing the fear of talking to her, there will surely be a unicorn throwing up rainbows in a corner just because there's nothing sad in the end, and bringing lightness to the feeling of imprisonment that is just a state of mind you can let go of.

Collage by Rooarty. At the right of the collage, a standing very attractive woman from behind. He hair is long ani touches her lower back. She is wearing a patterned Brazilian bikini and holding a surfboard vertically in front of her. She is facing part of the solar system. Many start in the distance and closer to her, four planets, the planet earth being the furthest away, on the top right of the frame. On the top left is the sun.

‍Maze: Do you still paint on canvas?

RooArty: I had the opportunity to paint again, and I did. I added phosphorescent pigments to the paint. The nocturnal rendering is very interesting because, at nightfall, the drawing changes. And then I stopped again. I'm bipolar, and I know I will paint again occasionally, but collage is more expressive for me. What I lacked was the physical relationship to matter. When I try to relay a tactile or carnal sensation through collage, I find it in the process.

‍Maze: What are the main themes of your collages?

RooArty: I create according to my inspirations, which often incorporate the theme of the relationship to oneself and to others. I am fascinated by the link between the physical and non-physical, by the impact of emotions on the body and vice versa, my love stories or those of others. It's like a diary in which I slip "fakes" to keep my privacy. My brain takes

Collage by Rooarty. Three elements: on the left, a beautiful woman in black and white. She has very long dark and silky hair. She is underwater with bubbles coming out of her nose and mouth. She is in foetal position and wearing a red dress. The second elementa portrait of a man facing, and looking straight at the camera with his right hand positioned in the middle of his face preventing the light coming from the left to show the right side of his face. The third element, on the right, is a red beta fish with all his fins stretched out.

everything into account. Everything that touches me invades me, noises like silences... everything is linked like a network in my head. It's powerful and exhausting. There are overwhelming feelings that I need to externalize in my way.

Collage by Rooarty. A black and white collage. In the background top middle, the word "Stop", of which the letter O is the moon. At the forefront a statue of two persons. On the left we see only the arm of the first person holding with their hand the second person by their waist. The second statue takes up most of the frame, it has long hair and is dramatically trying to throw itself in space.

‍Maze: Can you tell us one of those stories by sharing with us your favorite collage and telling us about what it means to you?

RooArty: I can reveal the meaning of some, but not all. This image represents why I sometimes create very passionate collages. The woman on the left symbolizes the fish (bubbles, red) but appears to be holding back from expressing all her passion. In the middle, there is someone who seems embarrassed. He rejects the fighting fish with its lively movements and vibrant red, which disturbs him, even though it's just being true to itself. Additionally, the fact that he is a fighter reminds me of my own inner struggles.

‍Maze: Thank you for sharing the meaning of that vibrant piece! I wonder, how do you work? What is your creative process? Where do your ideas come from?

Collage by Rooarty. A woman's face coming out of a swimming pool. In the background, a burnt bus by a bus station.

RooArty: I usually create in the evening, once the day is over. I work with images that speak to me. I consider what they represent, as well as their colors, light, textures, and everything. Details are like pieces of ideas. While there are times when two images are simply incredible and must be combined, I also prefer diverting the primary meaning of the visual rather than simply combining two different images in a single image.

Three digital collages by Rooarty. Left picture is a mostly black and white image of a young white woman with long braided dark hair. She is sitting on the eyelid of a giant brown eye. Second picture, in the middle, is of a woman sat in a shelf. Both her and the shelf are in black and white. She's wearing a sleeveless dress and looks down on the planet earth. The oceans are dark blue, and the land a textured gold colour. A sky full of stars as background and two oversized green leaves on both sides of the globe. Third picture on the right is a collage of barrels, oversized white flowers, and a raft. A cartoon man's body, wearing a white shirt and blue overalls. His head is a skull. A cartoon blonde woman with a pink dress and a pearl necklace is kissing him and closing her eyes. Above their head, a yellow road sign with black borders and these words read on it in black: "Dead end"

‍Maze: How has your practice evolved over time?

RooArty: I work with Gimp, Procreate, and Light X in general, and sometimes I mix other media. At first, I didn't know how to use software to create. I couldn't express what I wanted. Over time, I learned not only to use them but to understand what I do with them and what impact they can have on others and myself. I dream of having enough money to work on my collages on a large computer screen. Currently, I work on a MacBook Pro or iPad.

‍Maze: What advice would you give to your younger self?

RooArty: Trust yourself.

Collage by Rooarty. A collage of four women: a sepia and black and white portrait of a white attractive young woman looking in the distance. She has curly blonde hair and thick dark eyebrows. She is wearing black eyeliner and lipstick. She is leaning against a fence. At the bottom center, a woman in a red swimming suit is standing surrounded by water. She is looking up. The third one is in somewhat of a cat-cow yoga position wearing red Brazilian panties. We only see her from thighs to soulders. The last woman is wearing a wet dress. She is looking down. The background fades from trees to waterfalls to green plants.

‍Maze: Very powerful… Would you like to say something to our audience?

RooArty: I invite them to consider what is invisible, to accept their emotions, whatever they are, and to share whatever they want with me.

‍Maze: How can people contact you to buy your work?

RooArty: You can contact me on Instagram by DM. For the moment, I have stopped comments and likes so that the exchanges are more consistent. I also have my work available on Artgrab (not all pieces are listed there). Feel free to send me a direct message (DM) if you're interested in any particular artwork, and we can discuss the price. Currently, the prices range from around $50 to $100 dollars.