What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A day when the painting is going well and the coffee is good, followed by a pint of Beamish with the fella.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Hilma af Klint and Leonora Carrington.
Which living person do you most admire?
My mum for her love and resilience.
Which is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
The ability to spend hours going down a vast rabbit hole, which can also be great, when it’s the right rabbit hole.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Eating out and taking the train instead of the bus.
What is your favourite journey?
From Stockholm airport to my family home in Sweden.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I know my opinion would offend unnecessarily.
Which living person do you most despise?
Hate is such a strong word, but I dislike people who deliberately create bad vibes.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
He knows.
When and where were you happiest?
A not too far distant time when hanging out with friends and family felt like the most natural thing, and my dad was still around.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to teleport.
What is your current state of mind?
Considering ideas and possibilities.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The way my art practice has given me the opportunity to travel, have experiences, and meet people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
A migrating bird, perhaps a starling.
What is your most treasured possession?
My mind, my health, and my hands.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Pouring rain and out of coffee.
What is your favourite occupation?
Working in my art studio, I’m lucky it coincides with my actual occupation.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sense of humour, enthusiasm.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Sense of humour, following their own path.
Who are your favourite writers?
Ursula K Le Guin, John Wyndham, and Hermann Hesse
What is your motto?
Have vision, show dedication, be sound.
From Sweden, and now living in Galway, Cecilia Danell is a visual artist who has just won the ESB Keating Award and Medal for an Outstanding Artwork in the 190th RHA Annual Exhibition. Under the stage name A Lilac Decline, she recently released her second album, Shelter From The Shadows, via the independent Galway label, Rusted Rail.
