We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Loli DiSanto. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Loli below.

Loli, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I have been so fortunate to have worked on a variety of special projects. A couple commissions that stand out as being most meaningful to my clients, and also to myself, are a Russian Doll egg that I created and a floral egg. The Russian Doll paid homage to familial roots, and the pattern carried throughout reflected work and other passions. The piece took me a solid month to create, I researched Russian dolls and various face designs, flowers, Chanel runway looks, even the colors used were very specific. For the floral egg, I was given specific flowers to incorporate, each flower represented a member of their family. It was important for me to give the flowers depth and a sense of dimensionality.
Both of these pieces were a real challenge and caused me to seriously doubt myself and my capabilities as an artist. What if I couldn’t do it? What if my client didn’t like it?? What if it isn’t good enough?? Those were all things that kept going around in my mind. I am not the kind of person to give up and be defeated, so I put 150% of myself into the projects. In the end, not only was a proud of the work I created, I also had an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was so incredibly thankful that they chose me to make something special for them that would be included in their permanent art collection.
The reason those projects became so meaningful to me, is because they represent the knowledge that my clients spend their hard earned money on my work and entrust me to create something that will forever be in their home as a token of their personal expression. What an honor!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For those readers that don’t know my story, I began my career as a Physician Assistant. I attended Michigan State University for undergrad, where I completed my studies in the Lyman Briggs college and received my BS in physiology. I also received training as a paramedic and worked in a Level 1 trauma hospital in a Chicago before going to PA school. Throughout the years, even from childhood, I would tinker with art projects at home, sewing sequins on my clothes, making jewelry, etc.. Fast forward several years, I did even more art projects with my kids and their passion for art, creating, and painting, inspired me to gain more knowledge in certain areas. I took classes on how to solder, create settings, and setting stones. I was set to take an online class for learning cad design when I took my first painting workshop. I signed up for the impressionist painting class because my daughter was interested in that style of art. What an incredible 3 days! I had never really painted before and what came out of me, even I was surprised by! That began a cascade of workshops, private lessons and mentorships that taught me specific techniques and the relationships between colors and structure, that are vital to understanding and creating art.
After that, it was just taking the time to find my artistic voice. I found that I loved painting but always struggled to find a subject to paint that I was completely dedicated to. Due to that lack of connection, I found myself reverting to old habits, remembrances of my childhood, things that came naturally to me…those things were glitz, gilt, sparkle. When I was 4, I began competitive figure skating. That world enveloped my life in sparkle. So, when I was painting, I found myself adding gold leaf or glitter, sometimes rhinestones to my work. Finally I listened to that voice and from that came the modern day Faberge eggs I have become known for.
Each piece takes anywhere from one week to one month to create. I begin with a paper mache base and paint a pattern throughout, then after my colors and pattern are determined, I begin applying fine Austrian crystals one by one. In total each egg has anywhere from 7,000-12,000+ crystals.
No two pieces are ever the same.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Something I think non-creatives might not understand is that as an artist you can have a lot of great ideas but that doesn’t mean all of them need to be implemented into a piece of art. It takes time and training to understand what to bring forward and what to allow quiet space for. I had to learn to find what the main focal point of each piece of art should be and then support it with color and structure. The same rule applies for color. As an artist, our job is not to regurgitate all of the colors in the rainbow onto one piece of work, but to restrain ourselves and focus on the main theme and create relationships between color to make the piece of art make sense.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After becoming a mother of two, I made the choice to leave medicine. That was not only a time I had a pivot in my career but also in life and geographic location, as we had decided to move to Florida. Leaving medicine was the hardest decision I ever had to make. I studied for decades, I worked my whole life to achieve something that I loved my whole life. It was scary leaving my hometown, my mom a dad, and extended family, all to start on a new journey with my husband and children in a new place. At the time it was the hardest decision I ever made but turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Looking back, I wouldn’t hesitate for a split second…I would make those same decisions all day long for myself and my family because it led me to this incredible life and career.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lolidisanto.com
• Instagram: @loli_disanto_artist