Back in December, Boeeuen Choo’s spiritual art inspired by the design and template of original tarot cards featured on kdoutsiderart. Last month, Boeeuen got back in touch about a new project that I really wanted to feature here. It’s always great to hear from the artists featured in the artist showcases; to hear about their new work, new inspirations and ideas. So, below you’ll find a paragraph from Boeeuen about the ink drawing project, as well as a selection of great images.
“I have always been fascinated by the idea of ‘mind.’ Our mind is like another world – it is impossible to fathom its depths. My idea of psychology is better illustrated visually than in my writings. That is why I decided to create a series of drawings related to the human mind. These drawings are not straightforwardly illustrated, instead, they are quite surreal. However, I want viewers to engage with the stories of drawings personally, emotionally.” – Boeeuen Choo
The Artist Showcases on kdoutsiderart aim to share the work of emerging or ‘outsider’ artists. This time, it’s the turn of Wayne Wolfson. Read on for information on Wayne’s work and his life as an artist.
Wayne Wolfson, Blue Dress
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
I have always drawn and painted. Writing has been my main thing and as I contemplated a passage I would draw as a means of achieving a sort of relaxed concentration. I then upped my game by doing acrylic easel painting in-between short stories or passages of a novel. While I was doing this, I never would have called myself a painter as I was not working on my chops or anything but merely just doing (it). I switched for practical reasons to watercolors after getting a great little travel set as a gift. My first forays into the medium seemed to resonate with people, although I had a long way to go before achieving my current voice. This spurred me onto to really putting effort into my chops, evolving, delving into various mechanics of the craft. Looking back on it now a decade or so later, I am far better with the watercolors than I had ever been with acrylics but it was an important start for me.
Wayne Wolfson, Razzamatazz
What is your starting point for each piece?
When I first started out there was a definite component of feeling my way through during the creation of each piece. Now, I usually have a fairly good idea of what I want to do before starting and how to achieve the effects. There is a perpetual striving to evolve artistically but for myself there are really no big surprises halfway through a piece or when I am finished. The chance element for me is less chance and more improvisation, like jazz, and that occurs only if I am at a bar or something and just borrow a waitress’ pen to do something on a napkin or place mat.
Wayne Wolfson, Cecilia’s Show
Who or what influences your work?
Music is my biggest influence. I am constantly listening to things. My list of favorites remains but I do also explore. I think my own emotions are an influence to some extent, as are those of whoever is modeling for me and my knowledge of what makes them tick. A sort of figurative-narrative, the truth not for all time but just that moment my eye traps them onto paper.
Wayne Wolfson, Stressed at Airport
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
I would like them to feel something. Emotion is the most important thing to me. I think even with the greatest artist in any medium, regardless of how technically adept they are, from Mahler to Coltrane, it is their emotions resonating from their work which we treasure.
Wayne Wolfson, New Year’s Eve
What do you think about the term outsider art? Is there a term that you think works better?
I liked the idea and term initially but it is played out; it has become a sort of institution unto itself. It used to be people outside of academia and the gallery/museum scene: People with talent but no connections to make things happen with their work and perhaps also outside of trends. Now, at least stateside, it has become a sort of shorthand for folk/naïve art which is not necessarily that good done by people who have weekly meetings, monthly, annual shows etc. Now, just another group with a sort of faux- keeping it real cred.
I would almost like to return to a medieval artisan type of term such as “craftsman” in hopes of such a less glamorous/cool title weeding out those in it only for attention or who put only a modicum of effort into it.
Wayne Wolfson, Lew Tabackin
What are you working on at the moment?
I have several pieces to draw for my portrait project. I am very fortunate that I work fast. I am about to start a new watercolor portrait. I draw every day, seven days a week no matter where I am in the world. If I am not drawing actual pieces, then I am wood-shedding, practicing drawing hands, eyes and what have you; the way a musician would practice scales. I view drawings as fully realized works unto themselves and not merely appetizers to a painting, so I give that equal attention to my painting.
Wayne Wolfson, Paris Rooftops
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
I honestly do not know. I am outside of trend in what I do and also realize that I am not reinventing the wheel. So I do not have the power of novelty nor shock of the new to aid me.
I do figurative art and cityscapes, some still lifes. I am not afraid of beauty in a time when derivative Basquiat skulls get more attention. I would like to do an album cover or something like that for one of the musicians I admire. Of course I would not mind some more gallery shows. As things unfold I will continue with my portrait project, which is informal portraits of various musicians and other artists I admire and to work towards further evolution.
The artist showcases on kdoutsiderart aim to bring new and emerging artists into the spotlight. This time, I’ve asked Amanda Weckwerth a few questions about her work and her life as an artist. If you’d like to share your work on this blog, please email kdoutsiderart@yahoo.com.
Amanda Weckwerth, Depressed Many
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
Although my initial interest in creating art began in high school – in art class – I became hooked on using the arts to depict my personal experiences with mental health and the stigma resulting from such issues. I only began creating at the age of 24 when I completed my Bachelors in Psychology and a friend of mine bought me a cheap child’s art kit. Over the years I realized the healing power of the arts in dealing with intense emotions and the deleterious effects of stigma.
Amanda Weckwerth, Blue
What is the starting point for each piece?
Because I dabble in multiple art forms the origins for each type of art vary. Take for example my pastels; when I feel strong negative emotions or hurt resulting from differential treatment I immediately grab my pastels and pad of paper. Before creating any image I take a moment to stop and think about how I can best capture my emotions through visual mediums. For the most part I am driven by a need to make the internal external. Paintings and anti-stigma posters are planned when I am experiencing strong emotions but are created once I have gathered needed art supplies.
Amanda Weckwerth, Sadness
Who/what influences your work?
As mentioned, my work is influenced by my current mental state (extreme moods, or hurt resultant of differential treatment) and how I believe I can best capture and convey my experiences. There is the odd time however where what I believe to be a cool idea pops into my head and may or may not be related to my state of mind. I have a flare for the strange and unusual and try not to be influenced by the work of others. In general I do not create art with the intention to sell although I would like to sell more pieces.
Amanda Weckwerth, Life in a Fish Bowl
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
I can only hope that my art allows others to understand a number of things. My anti-stigma pictures are meant to make others aware or to strike a personal chord related to the negative impacts stigma, stereotyping and differential treatment have on those who suffer from mental health and addictions. With regard to pastels I hope to create an awareness of the lived experience of having mental health issues and addictions; or, to provide a unique insight into the world of the oppressed. With regard to my paintings I hope to engage the minds of those with an appreciation of the strange and unusual.
Amanda Weckwerth, Race Against Time
What do you think of the term outsider art? Is there a term that you think works better?
These are very good questions; I certainly feel and am treated as an outsider so the term seems fitting. Nonetheless, I feel that the term inadvertently creates an “us and them” mentality. Perhaps a better term might be “Experiential Art.”
Amanda Weckwerth, Noise
What are you working on at the moment?
With regard to mental health and the arts I am working with a local art gallery to develop an outsider art collective devoted to educating our community. My current art piece – which I admits sounds – strange is to use plaster rolls to obtain a mould of my body parts which I will adhere to a canvas as large as myself. I want to create a woman coming out of the canvas. I hope no one knocks on my door when I am plastering myself; how do you explain what the hell you are doing?
Amanda Weckwerth, Anorexia
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
Maybe it will lead me to the “looney bin” (again); just kidding. Possessing little knowledge of the art world but knowing how hard it is to get recognition, I dream of having the opportunity to share my art on a large scale; namely for the purpose of educating the public (via the creation of bold yet heart felt pieces) about the realities of mental health and stigma. I’d love to make my living making art but know how hard it can be. I’d like to combine my educational assets (Masters in Community Psychology) with experiential knowledge/creativity for the purposes of mental health advocacy and stigma reduction. I can only hope but to use my art for public awareness given the opportunity.
The artist showcases on kdoutsiderart.com introduce you to new, emerging and established artists who align themselves with the term ‘outsider art’ in some way. This time it’s SOMA, whose work has an emotional core which changes the shape and aesthetic of every piece.
No TV makes SOMA something something
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
I don’t know if I could pinpoint a time when it began. I like to think that like every child, I was born an artist. Recently, my dad unearthed some schoolbooks and old work that I had done while in primary school and I was absolutely blown away by some of the drawings in them. I’m training to be a play therapist which has really validated and uncovered how creation and art are children’s natural forms of self-expression. Children draw and create art long before they can talk. Those drawings from when I was a child remind me that I’m just doing what comes naturally and my style now very much taps into when I had the most fun creating – when I was a child.
Black British
What is your starting point for each piece?
My starting point varies. For pieces where I use colouring pencils, I often start out by drawing a shape and then allow myself to scratch, claw, dab, and swivel all over the page with as many colours as feels necessary. This process has been described as fierce and ferocious by onlookers, but I’m just there with my tongue out in concentration having a wonderful time. With these drawings, I like to create with urgency. I tend not to hold any particular colouring pencil for more than a few seconds.
With other works that I have done on canvas and found objects like doors and wooden boards, I tend to have a theme in mind that inspires a piece. Sometimes it’s a song, sometimes a one-liner from The Simpsons (“You’re not the boss of my teeth” or “Forget about the badge! When do we get the freakin’ guns?” – fans of The Simpsons will know what I’m talking about). I did a piece recently on a door based on a poem that is in a book that I self-published called To Have No Technique: Thoughts, Poetry & Art about Manhood. I did a piece called Intermittent which was initially based on the unsightly ganglion cyst that lives on my wrist, but then turned into an exploration of African culture. I guess I go where the moment takes me.
Intermittant
Who/what influences your work?
My work is influenced by emotion. When I look back at stuff that I’ve done, there is always an emotional core to the work, whether that’s anger, fear, happiness, pride, hope, sadness, curiosity. In that sense, the work I create is influenced by moments. I like to think that if tomorrow I had the same idea for any piece that I’ve done, the final outcome would look different depending on how I feel. It’s one of the amazing things about art to me which leads me to believe that everyone is an artist. It’s about communicating a feeling in a moment. We all do that every day.
With that said, when I’m not creating art, I work for a domestic violence charity whose aim is to keep women and children safe by holding perpetrators accountable for their behaviour. I also volunteer for a charity that goes into schools to discuss gender stereotypes with boys and young men. Issues relating to gender, patriarchal culture, and violence against women and girls all emerge in my work, naturally, as these are all issues that I am passionate about.
Milkshake
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
In keeping with what I said before, I hope the work creates an emotional response in the viewer. I’m recently finished reading Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The story of Rashomon itself is fascinating in that people can experience the same event and give contradictory accounts. I like to think that our experience of art works in the same way. I have heard many different (and often contradictory) interpretations and emotional responses to my work and that is just the way I like it.
Untitled (Dancer)
What do you think about the term outsider art? Is there a term that you think works better?
I think that the term outsider art says a lot about the societies that we live in. Like I said before, I feel that everyone is born an artist. There is a quote from Picasso where he says that “every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” I think that the change comes when children start learning to label and box things (and people) – and I’m not just talking about art.
For whatever reason, humans seem to dig boxes and straight lines. Things always have to make sense and we can’t sit with the ‘this is different’ without finding a label for it.
I don’t dislike the term outsider art. In a lot of ways, I have always been an outsider. I have selective eating disorder, which, in my case means that I would rather be a social pariah than eat a slice of pizza. I find the consumption of alcohol and other drugs stupid (trust me that makes you an outsider, particularly when that belief isn’t grounded in a religion). So, I tend to find myself on the fringes a lot, which is fine with me. But it’s a fascinating question and one that I’m in no hurry to find any kind of answer for.
Peaces
What are you working on at the moment?
Well, recently one of my favourite rappers of all time, Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest passed away. So I am working on a piece in memory of him. The piece is on a wooden board that I found on the street a couple of weeks ago which I’ve painted black, red and green (the colours on the Low End Theory album cover).
Untitled (Head)
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
It’s hard to say where I see my work taking me in the future. I do like the idea of exhibiting and sharing my work with an audience. I find the relationship (between the artist and the audience) particularly interesting. In keeping with that theme, I am also keen to do some community-based work which aims to engage people in being more creative. I think that when it comes to art, folks tend to only see value in doing it if they are ‘good’ at it (whatever that means). I’m much more about facilitating everyone engaging in art. Everyone has the ability to put something on paper. And in my experience, the process of making or creating artworks can be cathartic, relaxing and essential for one’s self-care.
I also aim to continue combining art with themes that I’m passionate about such as ending violence against women and girls and challenging patriarchal culture.
The artist showcases on kdoutsiderart.com introduce you to new, emerging and established artists who align themselves with the term ‘outsider art’ in some way. This time, we show you Bahrull Marta’s ‘dark art.’
Magdalena Von The Ripper
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
I began creating and focusing on my art after my work was published in my friend’s band’s booklet. This was around 2008, and since then, I have eagerly been getting into art – especially dark art. In 2010, with some help from a friend, I found myself with a moniker: ‘Abomination Imagery,’ and I started illustrating and designing for different brands.
What is your starting point for each piece?
I usually start with a brush or pen on paper, before transferring the idea onto digital canvas, or I might use one of my photographs and just start painting over it. My personal artwork is based mostly on my abstract mind. It starts from there, and it grows as the work progresses. I’m a fan of a traditional look created in a digital way, and I try to make myself comfortable working with no boundaries.
Self-Apocalypse IV
Who or what influences your work?
I am inspired by many different artists and photographers, including Joel Peter Witkin, Affandi, Travis Smith, Dave McKean, Spiros Antoniou and so many others.
Prophet
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
Hopefully happiness in the darkness, but I’m appreciative of anything the viewer takes from my work.
Saviour
What do you think about the term outsider art? Is there a term that you think works better?
I think there are no rules. It’s just me and the medium – it’s freedom and it’s raw.
Monk
What are you working on at the moment?
I have a couple of personal pieces of work on the go, and I am making a cover for a metal band based in Ohio called Psychlosarin. I am also starting a new collaboration with French artist Ludovic Cordelières (or Rusalka Design) and Malaysian artist Dixon Jong from Intuitive Design. I’m also starting to practice tattoo art.
Self-Apocalypse XXI
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
I would love to see my artwork share some space with other great artists in an exhibition and perhaps in a book – maybe with other pieces of ‘dark art.’ I’d also like to do more collaborative work with artists, bands and publishers.
The artist showcases on kdoutsiderart.com introduce you to new, emerging and established artists who align themselves with the term ‘outsider art’ in some way. This time, we show you the work of Royston Slayton, who is influenced predominantly by his own personal life experiences.
In a Little While
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
Since I was a child, I have always been interested in a person creating something that wasn’t there before.
Something I Can Never Have
What is your starting point for each piece?
That’s a hard question. I mainly start in one of two ways: I either have a loose idea and I just start to sketch it out, or I have no idea where it’s going to take me whatsoever. I am not a fan of Jackson Pollock, but I do like the way he worked. I think it’s more interesting when a person sits down and just lets their hands take over.
Me and Her
Who or what influences your work?
My main influence is myself. A lot of my pieces are based on memories or people I have met. A large part of it is also my childhood. Somethings I create and I understand where the idea or inspiration for them came from, others I have no idea what they are, where they are or who they are. If you study one of my illustrations, at some point you will probably find yourself wondering why in the world I put something in there.
All That I Want
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
Honestly nothing. I know that sounds weird – or harsh – but it’s the truth. I am not trying to connect with the viewer or leave a lasting impression, or make a statement. I was once told that the viewer wants to feel like a part of the art or creative processes, and I couldn’t help but think ‘why?’ They weren’t there when I created it, and they weren’t there when whatever event in my life happened to inspire it. If someone does get something from my work, that’s great, but if someone just sees a bunch of children and trees and nothing more, I’m OK with that too.
Moonshine
What do you think about the term outsider art? Is there a term that you think works better?
I think it’s just a term – human beings like to label things. It makes us feel comfortable. I think the term ‘art’ works better, but who am I to rock the boat? I mean, what’s the difference between Henry Darger and Rembrandt? A label and dollar signs, basically. Their styles are different, but both are artists. I don’t see why someone has to be put into a category.
A Place Like This
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on smaller pieces at the moment. I am finishing some watercolour illustrations and I will be doing a lot more graphite drawings this year.
Where Did All the Fire Flies Go?
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
I really don’t know. I know where I’d like it to take me, but knowing where you want to go and actually getting there seem to be two different things. I just hope I can continue to have success in the art world and build on it.
The walls – and ceiling – of Into You Tattoo in Clerkenwell are currently covered in the religion-inspired, life-portraying works of Brighton-based artist Jim Sanders to mark the closure of the parlour’s central London franchise. The body of drawings plastering the space have been created over a period of five years and feature images of faces, figures and animals acting as studies of the human behaviours and interactions in an overcrowded world.
Image courtesy of David Toolan
Jim Sanders // Artist
“I first met Alex Binnie about eight years ago as we shared the same framer (Alex is also an artist and originally trained as a medical illustrator, I believe) – Tim Harbridge, who ran a place in Kemptown called the Fair Trade Gallery. Tim is also a very fine musician and would put on gigs in the tiny gallery space, and Alex and I came across each other at one of these and immediately hit it off.
A few years later Alex invited me to have an exhibition of my work at his Into You Tattoo shop in London and that was the first time I saw the place. I have had maybe two or three exhibitions there now and Alex has visited my house on several occasions. I think him seeing the way my house looks prompted him to ask me to create a similar installation to commemorate their last year in their Clerkenwell location.
Image courtesy of David Toolan
I had a vague plan of how I wanted to decorate the shop and my actual physical starting point was using the A0 photocopies of Alex’s woodblock print portraits of shop tattooists past and present. Alex had provided me with them a few weeks in advance of starting the installation and I had altered them by staining them with tea and cutting them in half vertically and mixing up the faces to create strange distorted characters. I pasted these onto the walls at a certain height all around the shop to create focal points and from there I let it grow pretty much organically. For example, a box of old polaroids taken in the shop 20 years ago served to make a fine frame around these portraits.
The starting point on the wall by the stairs (which had the largest drop) was three A0 photocopies of the full figure of Blue; the heavily tattooed receptionist. I wanted her to be like the God Shiva with many arms emerging, a towering presence to be seen when you entered through the door of the shop. The arms were taken from photographs of the other current tattooists.
Image courtesy of David Toolan
I also knew that I wanted to cover the wall facing the door, separating the front of shop with the tattooing area with masks and faces, echoing the installation I created at Le Lieu Unique in Nantes.
The installation took one week to complete. I would start work at noon every day when the shop opened and would stay until about 10 or 11 at night – sometimes even one ‘o’ clock in the morning. I wanted the walls to be covered as with the skin; with nothing left untouched, and reflecting the same themes of imagery, mythology, astrology, symbolism, sex, and death.
The installation is there for the entire year, so I wanted to present an abundance of imagery so those frequenting the shop can keep discovering new stories hidden amongst the cacophony. I hope my work acts as a memorial to the life that has taken place at the tattoo parlour over the last 23 years. A reminder to regular visitors of what has gone on there, and maybe a sense of wonder for those encountering the place for the first time.”
Alex Binnie // Into You Manager
“I’ve had my shop in Clerkenwell for almost 23 years now. It’s a big space; too big almost. For a while we had different art shows in the front of the shop, but it got to be a drag organising it. I thought – let’s let Jim do something big and fun, and completely different to anything else in any other tattoo shop. I knew he could work big and fast, and he was up to the job.
Image courtesy of David Toolan
I asked Jim to create something in his unique style, using raw materials I would provide. We got together some images from all of us at the shop and I let him run with it. One of the main elements is blow ups of some of the woodcut portraits I’ve done of some of the guys that work in the shop. I mainly left the creativity up to Jim though.
The customers like it for sure. Tattoo shops have started to have a bit of a generic look, and I wanted to mix it up a little. It’s gone down well.”
If you would like to see Jim’s work at Into You, you can visit the shop at 144 St John’s Street, London, EC1v 4UA, Monday – Saturday 12 – 7pm. Click here to visit the shop’s website.
In light of his two current exhibitions in London, Julio Cesar Osorio talks about finding inspiration in the darkest of places and his want to portray his own unique journey, inviting the viewer to jump in and join him – not unquestioningly – on his travels to a more vibrant world.
Elephant
When did you first start making art?
Looking back at my life I can honestly say that I have always been very analytical about my surroundings. I have always looked for the beauty within things; even at a microscopic level, like when I looked at an onion skin under a microscope for the first time in biology class and thought that the shapes and patterns looked lovely. I have always visually admired things, but it wasn’t really until I landed in prison that I took up art. From the word go I was over taken by the therapeutic power of painting; it became my passion and provided an escape from where I was.
What originally inspired you, and what inspires you now?
I did a degree in photography and digital imaging 15 years ago and during that time Dali became my inspiration to create surreal work; to carve one’s own story to illustrate what’s on one’s mind. This was exactly what I did when I discovered that I could paint in prison. This would be the tool I would use to create – even in the environment I was in.
To this day, surrealism has been the genre I have chosen to work in and a surrealist is the type of artist I wish to be classed as.
Julio with his Lion Portrait
What is your process – from starting to finishing? How long does it take?
I write down ideas or do small sketches of what the idea involves, and then look for relevant imagery; photos, magazine cuttings, etc., that I think might work in my painting and then I’ll start by painting the background. Then I’ll move on to sketch the subject matter, making sure it’s all in the ideal place and when I’m happy with the layout, I’ll go on to paint them.
Each piece has varied in the time it’s taken to produce. Most of my work was produced in prison, where I became so prolific that I would work at least 10 hours a day seven day a week. As a result, I would produce at least two pieces a month. Since my release in September 2013, I have only produced one 190 x 190cm painting completed over a period of one year.
What do you hope viewers get from your work?
I produced all of my work and honed my skills in prison. I used the medium of painting to transport my mind with the goal of taking the viewer on my journey, encouraging them to place themselves in the work, to read and question all the thoughts and feeling that I used in every one of my pieces.
Fat Dog
What are you working on at the moment?
At present I am working on promoting my work and my name through social media, and I am preparing a marketing strategy to generate sales.
I am also working on a series of photographs that I have of body painting on females. I am adding paint to these so they become mixed media pieces.
Tell us a bit about your current exhibitions?
At present I have got two exhibitions running concurrently in two different parts of London looking at two different themes.
See Julio Cesar Osorio’s work in London…
The Communication of Colours from a Very Dull Place
Until 31st January at Coffee Wake Cup, 14 Clapham Park Road, London, SW4 7BB. Open daily from 7am – 7pm.
Concentrating on the use of colours in the works on display and how Julio used them vibrantly whilst in prison; a very dark and dull environment. Julio wanted to show the polar opposite of what he was experiencing at the time.
The Artist’s Subconscious
Until 31st January at Freud Bar/Gallery, 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JL.
“The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilisation. It was greatest before there was any civilisation.” – Sigmund Freud.
This exhibition concentrates on Julio’s works that evolved from his inner thoughts during his time in prison.
This Artist Showcase comes from Boeeuen Choo, who is inspired by the design and template of original tarot cards.
The Queen
I always have been drawing – ever since I was young. And then I decided to pursue art as my career. My interest is in the design and template of original tarot cards, and that’s what made me decide to turn my drawings into versions of tarot cards – although some titles are made up and do not exist in the original tarot form.
The Stranger
Initially, I decide what title I’m going to work from, and then I’ll draw something from my imagination that connects with that title. I believe that being in a different country to my family, friends and culture really influenced my work. I was originally born in South Korea and I moved to the US when I was fifteen years old. I was young and alone in another country, with my family back in Korea. I think this experience influenced my view on everything, including art.
The Dystopia
I hope that my work evokes emotion from the viewer. My goal is for the viewer to interpret the piece in their own way, as if they were looking in mirror.
The World
If I were to choose a term other than Outsider Art, I think I would choose ‘spiritual art’. I think this term more accurately describes what I do.I like to work on different things at the same time, and more recently, I have been concentrating on pattern work.
This artist showcase features the work of Daniele Valeriani, whose works have always been focused on the wonders of nature and science fiction. Describing his work as ‘Dark Surreal Art’, he has created work for some well known bands, including Dark Funeral and Dissection.
The Lake
When did your interest in art/creating begin?
In my childhood. My father was a Surrealist painter and I loved so much watching him while he painted. I could say I followed in his footsteps from an early age. My games were pens, pencils and paper – til now! It’s therapeutic for me to scribble on paper although with time I’ve moved entirely onto digital art. I feel more comfortable with it because it’s more immediate – not that it’s more easy, but I can understand sooner rather than later if an illustration has a certain potential or not. I remember when I was a just a child that I literally ate a couple of my father’s books about Bosch and Salvador Dalì. I still keep those books full of doodles here and there. Not only the Flemish painters and Surrealists have inspired me; I’ve lost myself in books about nature (minerals, insects, shells, plants) as well. The contemplation of nature was my main thrust and then then it was music. I can confidently say that art chose me when I was born and the same influences of the past are still present today.
Vanitas 1
What is your starting point for each piece?
Usually I start from some very coarse sketches on paper or maybe even a raw digital work, just playing with splashes of colour until the work emerges. Even for my 3D works I don’t use an orthodox approach, leaving everything dictated in the first instance until a more rational part of me emerges to dictate a certain order.
Vanitas 3
Who/what influences your work?
As I mentioned before my father’s influence was crucial due to the many inherited interests but if I had to mention some artists in particular of course HR Giger, as well as Bosch, Dalì, Beksinski and the great Master Agostino Arrivabene with whom I have had the luck and honour to work in more than occasion.
Landscape 1
What do you hope the viewer gets from your work?
In general, not indifference. I do what I do because it is vital for myself. My mind is too crowded to be the home of so many different fantasies and realities that I would end up exploding. It’s a way to exorcise and exercise my fantasies, my dream journeys. Sometimes I have different reactions once the work is done so it’s hard to answer properly. I wish my works inspire other artists too. Appreciation from other masters and cultural exchange with them is what satisfies me more. The more you grow the more you learn each time, this is my main goal.
The Portal
What do you think about the term Outsider Art? Is there a term that you think works better?
I could consider myself an outsider for sure due to the fact that I do not care about fashions or easy solutions. In fact what I create is not conditioned or calculated but simply what I like the most. I don’t care about judgments except from other artists I admire, and only then so that I can learn or increase my technique or cultural view. In my case Dark Surreal Art is the term that I find more akin to my art because better emphasizes my style and themes. Outsider is a broader term.
Garden of Delights XV
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m always working on new ideas and tests to realise my visions. Even the study of new digital tools is essential; I’m constantly updating. I started working on my portfolio / catalogue that I will distribute along with limited edition prints for those who want to buy them. I’m receiving lots of requests at the moment (and that’s great!)
Landscape 9 – Towers
Where do you see your work taking you in the future?
It would be nice to enter into the good graces of some enlightened gallery that doesn’t disdain digital art. I’d also like to realise my own sculptures, starting with my three-dimensional work. I also want to continue collaborations with other artists to create unique, valuable works of art.
KDOA 