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Foggy Grizzly
31 January 2007
by Claudio Parentela
Something about you…what
you want…
I would like to be a really good painter.
What are your main goals
when you create?
To produce work that causes people to think of a person or situation
in a new way.
Do you rule by any
tendency in your creative work, or you only follow what comes in
your mind?
I keep a note of things that shock or surprise me as I see or hear
about them. When I decide to do some work about the person or story
(usually at a later date), I research the subject thoroughly. I
don't start painting until I've done the research so I suppose you
could say that I have a kind of method of working.
How has the internet and
your website helped you spread your artwork to a wider audience?
My website has been incredibly useful. I have had lots of emails
from strangers who have seen my work in an exhibition or newspaper
and have looked me up on the internet and sent me a message.
How do you define your
style and how would you describe your art to someone who could not
see it?
In a nutshell: figurative but not portraiture. I choose my subjects
according to what they represent to me. I see traditional
portraiture as the other way around: where a subject chooses the
artist to represent them as they see themselves.
What materials do you use
to realize your creations?
Oil paint on paper.
What is your favorite
a)
taste b) sound c) sight d) scent e) tactile sensation?
(a) cheese, (b) waves, crackling fire and crunching snow (c) the sea
(d) freshly mowed grass, hot croissant and bacon (e) water
What are you doing
now…your current projects…
I have a few group shows arranged for this year (a few in London and
one in Munich) and I have two solo shows this year (one in London
and one in Vienna) so I am working on a variety of projects.
Do you listen to music
while you’re painting and what do you like to listen to?
I almost always listen to music when I'm painting. I only stop
listening when I'm absolutely fed up with my CDs and sick of the
radio. I have a very wide variety of music from Nick Cave to Julie
London, country music to rock.
Do you draw influences
from a wide range of artists, musicians, books…?
Yes, although I don't look at other artists' work when I'm in the
studio as I don't want to be influenced by them when I'm creating
work. I won't listen to the radio when I'm concentrating as I find
the adverts and news distracting. I'll listen to CDs instead to
allow my mind to get lost in the music and the work. I read a lot of
books before I start a project so I suppose I'm influenced by what I
read in them.
Name 3 things you
couldn’t create without?
Pure Gum (Portuguese) Turpentine from Atlantis art shop, oil paints
and paper from Falkiners on Southampton Row in London.
Where have you shown your
art…?
Various galleries around the UK and one in Italy.
What haven’t you done yet
that you definitely want to try someday?
Have children.
How important is
self-promotion for an artist nowadays?
Fairly important but artists shouldn't spend too much time on
self-promotion, if possible. I'm very lucky as I have an agent who
does it for me.
Would you say that your
work consciously reflects characters and situations found within
your daily life?
My work reflects my reactions to events and situations that I come
across. I wonder about current obsessions and attitudes that I
observe in the society I move in.
Favourite book?
I'm not sure if these are my 'favourite' books but these are some of
the books that I remember having been influenced by when I read
them: 'The Little Prince' (Antoine de Saint-Exupery), 'The Stranger'
(Albert Camus), 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell, 'To Kill a
Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck, and
loads more - I am a book worm.
Designers/Artists you
admire?
Chris Ofili, Chantal Joffe, Pae White, Marlene Dumas, Rineke
Dijkstra, and loads more.
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