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I really like it when I’m able to get a picture of a real (not posed) smile. These expressions of joy always seem to be contagious, and they make me feel as though I come away more happy after I view them.
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I feel like the great subject, and the great light, make this a picture I enjoy looking at.
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The gentlemen in this picture is Daniele Rossi, an amazing artist based in Toronto. You should really check out his work. In the mean time, I did a short interview with Daniele which you can read below…
1. As a visual artist what do you find keeps you creative?
I am always motivated to try a new look or technique when I see a work of art. I also get inspired by the real world around me. Just yesterday I was on my way home from Ottawa where I saw a number of beaver dams in the Rideau along the road. It immediately made me think of the Van Gogh exhibit I saw a few days earlier. I decided to try to use the artist’s technique on a beaver dam painting I’d like to work on.
2. You are involved in many different projects, some of which are personal, while others are professional. How do you balance the two?
Easy. I work on my projects in my spare time :) I usually try to devote weeknights and weekends to my art as a way to get me away from a screen.
3. What are you working on now?
Along with the beaver dam painting mentioned above, I recently built a web app for my Super Spud comics so I regularly populate it with issues.
I’m also making a choose-your-own-adventure comic for my niece and nephew. I draw and email them a page at a time asking them to share what they’d like to happen next.
I’ve also been working on creating promotional infographics for Stutter Social, a community-turned-organization that I co-founded which connects people who stutter through Google+ Hangouts. I really like the challenge of communicating with simple graphics and with as few words as possible.
4. Who are other visual artists who are currently having a big impact on the way you view art in general, and/or your own work?
It was seeing the artwork of Canada’s famous Group of Seven which got me into painting a number of years ago. I love their use of bold colours and textures. In particular Tom Thomson and A.Y. Jackson.
I am also inspired by the illustration style of the 50s. It’s so wacky and happy. I have design and illustration inspiration boards on my Pinterest account and currently have works by Saul Bass, Paul Klee, Juan Gris and everyday people who post their work on the web.
5. What do you think of the portrait of yourself posted here?
Awesome! It was all so spontaneous. I saw you hold up your camera to take a photo and I struck the first pose I thought of. I’m a big fan of black and white photography. Especially with dark blacks and crisp shadows. I think you’ve framed this photo perfectly.
Plus, I’m such a sensitive and easy going guy that it’s fun to be portrayed as the opposite sometimes :)
Posted June 20, 2012 at 9:59am in Black and White Daniele Rossi PAB2012 men portrait sunglasses interview
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I’ve been working on getting the eyes to reflect light in such a way that they look very alive, and draw the viewer into the subject… I think that this picture does that. Also, the subject’s facial expression also helps create something, eh?
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This picture reminds me of the minor character Taki in William Gibson’s book Pattern Recognition. (One of my favorite books of all time, because it captures the zeitgeist of the early 2000’s better than anything else.)
