The Unspoken Heart: Meet the Artist Mihaela Berg Divald

Mihaela Berg Divald is a self taught abstract painter from Samobor, Croatia, known online as Mbdart2020. Six years ago, with no formal training, she picked up a brush and began teaching herself to paint, looking for a way to give shape to what she felt but could not easily put into words.

Music has been part of her practice from the very beginning. A song can set the rhythm of a painting, its tempo and its mood, and many of her works begin as a response to something she has heard rather than something she has seen.

Her canvases are about love in its many forms, from burning passion to the quieter ache of feelings that are never returned. She builds them in layers, moving freely between poured paint, drawn line and the accidental drip, and lets the surface hold emotions that usually stay beneath ordinary conversation.

Paintings such as Wild Horses, Indian Summer and Awakening show how far that process has come. The work is still intuitive, but it has grown more deliberate in colour and texture, and more confident about what it chooses to leave unsaid.

In this conversation with Ochrine Magazine, Mihaela Berg Divald speaks about learning to paint on her own, letting the canvas lead the way, and the difficulty of protecting quiet studio hours in a world that expects artists to be constantly visible.

Can you tell us about your journey as an artist? What inspired you to pursue art, and how has your style evolved over the years?

My artistic journey began six years ago when I decided to pick up a brush and teach myself how to paint. I was drawn to art as a way to give shape to what I felt inside, a bridge between my raw emotion, personal memories, and a vivid inner world of imagery.

Over the years, music has been my constant creative catalyst, dictating the rhythm and tone of my canvas. As a self taught artist, my style has evolved naturally from experimental intuition into a more refined visual language, translating abstract feelings and past experiences into rich, immersive visual stories.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your artwork, and how do you go about expressing them visually?

My art translates the full spectrum of love and emotion into visual form. From burning passion to the quiet ache of unrequited feelings, I use rich colour palettes, dynamic textures, and immersive imagery to express the hidden, unspoken states of the human heart.

Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you start a new piece, and what techniques or materials do you prefer to use?

My creative process is an intuitive, constantly evolving journey. A piece often starts with a single spark or initial idea, but I let the canvas guide me, and it frequently leads to a final result that surprises even me.

I love experimenting freely with different mediums, rich textures, bold colours, and varied techniques rather than sticking to a rigid formula. I regularly document this fluid journey by sharing work in progress videos with my audience, offering them an honest look at how each artwork comes to life.

What challenges have you faced in your artistic career, and how have you overcome them? Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

The hardest challenge I face is balancing the business of art with the act of creation. In a world where artists must constantly project themselves online to avoid being forgotten, it is tough to guard the solitary, quiet hours needed to actually make meaningful work, and to cope with the fear of being misunderstood when you do share it. I am still learning how to navigate this tension without burning out.

My advice to emerging artists is to prioritise your craft above the noise. Visibility matters, but protecting your creative energy and staying true to your emotional expression matters most.

How do you see the role of art in society, and what impact do you hope your work has on your audience? Are there any particular responses or interactions with viewers that stand out to you?

For me, art plays a crucial role in fostering empathy and human connection. My primary goal is simple: I want people to feel something when they stand in front of my work.

The moments that inspire me most are when collectors and viewers share how a painting resonated with their own emotions or experiences. Knowing that my art can spark that deep, silent bond with another person is the most rewarding part of my entire creative path.

The Unspoken Heart

Abstract painting is often described as hard to read. Mihaela Berg Divald's work suggests the opposite. You may not always know what you are looking at, but you usually know what you are feeling.

That directness has a personal source. Her paintings are made from music, memory and emotion, and she makes no effort to hide where they come from.

There is also something quietly brave in the way she talks about her career. Six years in, self taught, still finding the balance between the studio and the pressure to be seen.

She does not pretend to have solved it.

What she has settled is where her priorities lie. The work comes first.

And when someone stands in front of one of her canvases and recognises a feeling of their own, that, for her, is the whole point.

Artworks by Mihaela Berg Divald