Interview with Seamstress & Oil Painter: Louise De Sina
Updated: Sep 17, 2022
Hi, Louisa! Thank you for agreeing to be part of my Interview with a Creator feature. For our readers, we met through Austrian Dieter Langenecker’s Evening Virtual Gatherings where we discuss philosophical topics inspired but not limited by Viktor E Frankl’s, Man’s Search for Meaning.
1. What is your favorite memory of being creative in your childhood?
Embroidery and lots of sewing. Embroidery is a traditional Ukrainian art form, and surrounded me in my daily and social life in the Ukrainian diaspora community in Philadelphia. My mother, in particular, was prolific in her art and creations. I marvel at her legacy. We also sewed our clothes, a skill to which I am grateful to have. It introduced me to the world of French, Italian, and Swinging Sixties British fashion, designers, textiles, textures, draping, tailoring, and an appreciation of true quality. I have carried all of these with me throughout my life, although I haven’t practiced in years.
2. What are your preferred mediums in creativity these days?
Painting with oils. I also enjoy the speed of acrylics. With writing, I was once reserved in expressing my thoughts and emotions. It’s gratifying to tell stories through writing about experiences.
3. Louise, being that your family is originally from Ukraine, while you’ve grown up in Philadelphia, lived in NYC, and currently live in London and Vienna, how has that influenced your creative work?
Continuous immersion in the arts, culture, and the senses, since childhood and throughout my life, has informed everything I do – from music to dance, the visual arts, to how I create a dinner party. Aesthetic and creation of beauty and energy are what I strive for.
4. What else do you plan to explore in your creativity in the next six months?
More painting with oils and mixed media. More investigative work, through source material and state archives about my family that will feed into my writing about my family history.
—Written by Amanda L. Mottorn, 2022, ©, author of Finding Moksha: One Woman’s Path in Uncertain Times and Artist at Modern Moksha Designs & Publishing.