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Posts Tagged ‘Interview’

Artition: Interview with Shaun Gribouski

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Starting off this week with Shaun Gribouski and his interview with Artition.

Shaun seems to be fascinated by humans and urban lifestyle in our modern society. He draws with charcoal and pastel and paints with acrylic in a fascinating way. Creating shadow and light is one of his greatest talents and certainly his brand-mark in the works.

Artition:  How would you describe your work/art/style?

SG: I view my art as a cross between expressionism and realism, created by fusing passion with technical calculation. My work usually focuses on people or some aspect of human society because I believe that they are the most powerful and interesting subjects. Humanity, from its beauty to its brutality, is one thing that any viewer will relate to.

Artition:  What or who inspires you?

SG: My greatest artistic inspiration is Hip-Hop music. The best Hip-Hop is to me the epitome of that fusion of emotion with the technical. Aside from that, humanity is my inspiration. I draw inspiration from vast and varied sources, some of which directly translate into my art, while others fuel the emotion that drives me to create. A quick list of a few of these many diverse sources: strong and beautiful women, the AK-47, Rio de Janeiro, the legacy of slavery, the Boston Celtics. As you can see, there is little overt connection between all of these things.

Artition:  Is there a message you want to communicate with your art?

SG: It can be debilitating to art when the artist focuses too much on the message because it often sacrifices quality in an attempt to say something specific. I might have some idea in mind as I’m making art, but my energy is directed at the process of creation. If a message comes through, so be it, but people can take whatever they want from it. All I hope to communicate is the passion that went into making it, because there is an interconnectedness of all people, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, or any of the other lines we divide ourselves along. I’m not saying that in a “peace on earth”-type way, just that raw feelings are pretty much the same. Anger is anger and joy is joy, regardless of how disparate the triggers of such feelings are.

Artition:  How do you like artition and what would you like to be added or changed?

SG: I like that it is designed in an attractive and unpretentious manner and that it is user-friendly. It is excellent as is and at the present time, I don’t see anything that warrants change.

Artition:  Who would you like to change life with for one day?

SG: It sounds a bit cliché, but I’ve never wanted to be anyone else.

Artition:  Who is your favourite artist?

SG: My favorite artist is Nasir Jones. He is not a visual artist, but I’ve never felt more moved and inspired by anyone else’s work than I have by his. Nas excels in every aspect of his art. He has every unteachable quality that an artist could ever want. For me personally, his album Illmatic is the single greatest piece of art ever made.

Visit Shaun Gribouski’s profile on Artition

Tags: Arcylic, Charcoal, Expressionism, Hip-Hop, Interview, Pastel, Realism, Shaun Gribouski, Urbanism
Posted in Art Scene, Artition, Featured Artitions, Interviews, Member Interviews | No Comments »

Artition: Interview with Heather Riccardi

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

After a long break of interviews we decided to focus a bit more on the biggest value in our network again: The artists!
And here is the first interview:

Heather Riccardi has joint our network a few weeks ago and already caught our attention. Her way of playing with color, may it be watercolor or a lot of oil/acrylic, leads always to the outcome she aims for in her works.

Especially her abstract paintings deliver either an illusion or a complete halt, when she paints her authentic “X” on the last layer. All though it seems her works are complete, each one is linked to the other forming an endless ellipse. We asked her some questions:

Artition:
How would you describe your work/art/style?

HR:
I have always been, since a child an Expressionist – in every way really. Expressionism I believe is where I fit in, in my abstract work as well as some of the figurative work I have done.

artition:
What or who inspires you?

HR:
My son most certainly is an extraordinary inspiration, he helps open my eyes and mind again with a child’s detail, brightness and really see things again for the first time, giving a perspective and a contrasting simplistic complexity. He is certainly foremost in inspiring me, however many things are inspirational, conversations, light, a drive in the car, walk near the water, music. If one allows themselves to be open, one will be inspired.

artition:
Is there a message you want to communicate with your art?

HR:
There is, however it is up to each of you to interpret it. This is a very strong belief of mine, and I have had this belief from the beginning, when my work began to have a meaning or message. I refuse to force a message onto another person, if I am communicating properly and well, the viewer will understand and feel the message as an emotion. However I also believe that if two people look at one of my paintings and understand something different or feel a different emotion, it is not a testimonial of my lack of communication but of the differences we all have.

artition:
How do you like artition and what would you like to be added or changed?

HR:
I believe Artition has what it needs to be successful. What I enjoy about it the most is it gives artists a genuine opportunity to see the work of and communicate with other artists on a daily basis from all over the world, that is remarkable prospect, a unique opportunity and advantage our generation has from prior generations, technology. It is important for me as an artist to be in contact with not only artists in my own community or locale, but having the ability to be in contact and view current work of artists outside of the States to me is extraordinary, imagine how much we could influence each other or collaborate on a world level instead of locally – possibly a start of artitionism?? Could be an interesting movement in art, involving artists throughout the world.
What would I suggest as a change? Maybe an easier way to upload and update details of the work. I have not had a chance to thoroughly move around the site to see how it really works, so I may have some other suggestions (or questions more likely) as time goes on.

artition:
Who would you like to change life with for one day?

HR:
This is a difficult question, funny thing.. it took me so long to be comfortable with myself, in my own skin, I think I may just want to be myself and sit in Cy Twombly’s studio for a day, having the opportunity to exchange conversation and ideas. If I had been asked this question 10 years ago… the answer probably would have been a little different.

artition:
Who is your favourite artist?

HR:
Cy Twombly