We recently connected with Regina (stoffdoktor) D’Alfonso and have shared our conversation below.
Regina (stoffdoktor), appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My biggest project so far was a spraypainted illustration for the Urban Art Gallery Konstanz (Germany) an open art display with a total of ten large framed murals in the subway under the city’s main train station that I created in September 2022.
It is among the most meaningful projects for me personally because of how it happened. The organizer of the Gallery, a graphic designer and graffiti artist, had been looking for local artists and stumbled across my instagram account. At that time I was mainly creating tiny linocuts that fit onto post-it sticky notes (!), yet he liked my style and was imaginative and bold enough to ask me to join. Seeing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I said yes without ever having held a spraycan in my hands before. After a few months of trial and a lot of error, covering the walls of our carport and garden with spraypainted murals, I had 4 days to create a 5 by 1,6 meter mural during an open public event, with locals and tourists passing behind our backs throughout the whole process. I had not only to learn a new technique and medium, but I also had to scale up big time. The completion of the piece “Go Veggie” gave me a lot of confidence in my artistic abilities and after a while (it had to sink in) I also felt rather proud that I could really deliver.
Regina (stoffdoktor), before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a doctor who became a mama who couldn’t find the right work-life balance and ended up being an artist (and a happier mama). A couple of years ago, I was meant to return to my neurology residency after having my third child. I had some mental health issues that made me see a therapist and completely rethink my approach to everyday life, work and my persona. In my childhood and teenage years I was a very temperamental, spontaneous and creative person but in order to fit into my surroundings at school, university and even my parent’s home I needed to tone everything down. You can even say, “tame myself”. I even got used to it, with the positive side effect of much less conflict in personal encounters, but at the same time I built up an enormous internal pressure that was unhealthy for me. But because I always worked a lot, I had no time to pay attention to this matter.
Well, there is only so much pressure a person can hold in, right?
Fast forward into my life as a doctor-turned-creative. I had gotten into a regular habit of drawing simple illustrations and eventually I started adding lettering to my art and express all the things I need to say, things I would like to hear, things I want people to think about, and words I would (after years of being socialized into a functioning quiet adult) like to say out loud. It kind of turned into my style, almost as if my prints can’t keep their mouth shut any longer. And it feels great!
My main medium has been linocut for about three years now, but I am currently setting up my home studio for screenprinting because I want to expand my art onto fabric (I am a passionate sewista too). My artist’s name, stoffdoktor, with “stoff” meaning “fabric”, would also finally make more sense ;)
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
A little over a year ago I was asked if I could give a linocut workshop during an open house art event in the district of our city that happens to be home to many artist’s studios. I immediately agreed, albeit having no previous teaching experience, and because that’s what happens when you dive in head first, it was very chaotic with over 30 participants but also very much fun. So much so, that I since then mustered up the courage to ask our local art store if they’d let me rent their course room for further (but smaller) classes. Since then I have held 6 workshops and the first date of 2024 is already fully booked. To share my knowledge with others and enjoy these classes as a social art event has – surprisingly – become a highlight of my work. Linocut is a relatively simple and affordable artform so that during workshops I can encourage people to just try things out. Many students tell me they can’t really draw, but with a bit of a push and some concentration they have consistently blown my mind with their results!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The fact that I can let loose the countless ideas I hold in my overflowing brain and, through my art, connect with likeminded people. I am a rather shy (and easily shushed) person but in the right crowd I feel so comfortable that almost all interactions are fun and inspiring and I feel I can finally become me again. I think everyone should unleash their inner artist :)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stoffdoktor.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/stoffdoktor
Image Credits
Regina D’Alfonso