Today we’d like to introduce you to Seran Kayserilioglu Otterson.
Hi Seran, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story started in Istanbul. As long as I can remember, I wanted to do the fine arts: painting. I took art classes at a very young age until I got a full scholarship from the best fine art academy in the country. Even back then, my instinct has always been to become an international artist. I was eager to learn languages, explore cultures, learn different techniques, and expand my horizons not only as an artist but also as a soul in this life. First, I moved to Italy for 4 years and mastered multiple disciplines: mural painting, decorative painting, fresco restoration, tile design, etc. When I moved back to Istanbul, I opened my ceramic studio, where I would create 3-dimensional ceramic murals for residential and commercial projects. Soon, I earned a scholarship for a master’s degree in design in Istanbul and 2 scholarships from the EU and the University of Seville, so I moved to Spain this time. My gypsy soul needed that move! Each time I feel like my daily life is repeating itself, I need to get out of my comfort zone, shake my whole world, and put challenges in front of me. I know, it is not normal! A new language, a new country, a new job…even a new me. When you move to another country, people think that this is the time when you will learn and experience a lot about that culture. No, it is quite the opposite, actually. When you move to a foreign country, you learn a lot about yourself! You make new choices, all from the beginning. It is like formatting your whole system. Nice to meet me all over again! You need to be willing to fail and struggle. But the reward at the end is a life-changing experience. You truly get to meet your true self. I think it is all worth the pain.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? What is it?? Being an artist in core is challenging enough; you get to deal with yourself, with whom you get controversial with, a lot. I guess I saw it, and I raised it; so I took it to a different, challenging level by moving from one country to another! I have gipsy soul, and I do anything and everything with my soul. I take a real miserable night with storms where I dive deep vs a fake joyful day with sunshine. As a young artist whose only goal in life was to work as a Turkish Designer in Italy, I moved there when I was 21. As an ambitious young Turk, I mastered the language until I spoke like a native. I mastered fresco restoration, tile design, and mural painting. All I could think about was setting a goal and working with all my soul for it. Italy is not one of the most welcoming countries for immigrants. Plus, anyone and everyone in Italy is a creative person; they are the great-grandchildren of Michelangelo! But I made it. I became one of the well-known tile designers in Europe, and I learned so much about art, design, life, and myself. When I look at it all at this age, all that “victory” in the work field feels so meaningless… The only thing that matters is my memories: the first caffe latte of my life in 1996 in Florence, my first real Italian pizza that I had in Naples at Da Michele, touching original frescoes during restorations in Pompeii, painting a mural on the exterior of a whole building in Perugia with the masters, the laughter with my friends, taking motorcycle trips around Calabria, the dinners together, sharing the joy and the sorrows of life with dear friends.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I design walls! A decorative painter with 30 years of international experience; a mural artist who blends cultural storytelling with modern interior design; a surface designer who understands materials, architecture, and atmosphere. I specialize in creating custom murals and decorative surface designs that blend fine‑art sensitivity with architectural intention. I’m known for my ability to merge traditional arts like Mediterranean and Anatolian folk-art influences with modern Midwestern aesthetics. This cultural blend gives my work a unique visual language — one that feels both familiar and new. I am mostly proud of being true to myself throughout my whole career in art. I always followed my passions in life and did not fear any failure or any challenge. Being a full-time artist, running a small business is not easy at all. But despite the challenges, I truly love climbing on those ladders and painting on walls and ceilings. That is my happy place in life! That is where I forget all the struggles, who I am, what time it is, what day of the month it is, or if I am thirsty. As long as my eyes can see and I can hold a brush in my hand, I want to keep painting murals. I want to beautify the places that people live in and beautify the spaces where they spend most of their day. I want to keep merging fine arts with architecture; I want to use art to bond communities. There are so many things that I want to do for others…and if I can do it through my art, there is no one happier than me!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
As technology is growing every day, I believe that art is going to become more valuable. Along the way, in 5 -10 years, we might lose human fingerprints. We might get more disconnected from our emotions with each generation. As much as this worries me, this can also create a huge shift. Design trends are getting sleeker every year; we see fewer details. Plus, there are global trends that lead the majority. As our world becomes more digital, people will crave the opposite: warmth, texture, story, and humanity. I think we’ll see a growing desire for handcrafted work — murals, plaster finishes, custom patterns, and anything that carries the touch of a real artist. Global trends will continue to influence design, but I believe clients will start seeking art that reflects their identity, not just what’s popular worldwide. Personalization, cultural storytelling, and emotional spaces will matter more than ever.
In the next 5–10 years, I see a renaissance of human-made art — not despite technology, but because of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rumimurals.design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rumiwalldesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imuralmn
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seran-otterson/
