❀ vina@bmtv ❀

Have you been an artist all your life? When did you realise this was your path, how old were you?

Bernard: I have been drawing since a very young age, but I never considered myself as an artist. To draw was important for me, though. I was about 20 years old when I was sure I needed art as my main activity.

Do you believe in a proper “training” for art and that it is important or necessary for an artist to go through an educational institution focusing on the art for him to become an accomplished or better artist?

Bernard: I can’t tell for everyone, each case is obviously different. Some masters never had art classes – Francis Bacon, for instance. Did Gérome Bosch had some?

Whatsoever, I enjoyed my educational art classes a lot. It was in a local but nice Fine Art School. I had a lot of freedom for three years (I really need freedom to create) which I spent mainly drawing and drawing again.

Maybe the most important thing the teachers told us there was for us to focus on inspiration, not technical skills. That reminds me of an interview of Francis Bacon once again, where he said too many painters were confusing “Painting” and “illustration” …

You started in your early years with classic art, painting and drawing, who were your influences then and why did you feel inspired by them?

Bernard: Yes, I had some art classes at the age of 11 until 15, an afternoon a week, drawing or painting still lifes, just learning, no influences so to say. At the same age, I was reading a lot of comics, my own drawings were mostly influenced by these “books” rather than old masters. I did some females portraits, at the age of 15, from photographs, without knowing about Hyperealism at the time. I remember also of a copy that I did of a soldier’s head by Léonard de Vinci. Laterly, I saw an exhibition of huge hyperealistic paintings by French painter Jacques Damville. His works were scenes of the ordinary life, his mother cleaning plates, a farm, ruined cars in the countryside, his brother, a butcher … I was very impressed and it maked me start some urban landscapes and portraits from photographs and colour slides …

Later, you progressed into Surrealism and digital art, how did you feel about the transition, and what inspired you to change or experiment with new style and techniques?

Bernard: I learnt a lot about the different artistic periods during the art history classes (that’s another good point about the educational art institution). I was very interested in fantastic art, surrealism and hyperealism and I was reading a lot of books on Surrealism, always looking for pictures of painters of this movement.

I admire very much the drawings of Gérard Titus-Carmel and Surrealist masters as well.

In the year of 1999, I discovered both the internet and graphical softwares. I enjoyed my first experiments tremendously as they were very close to some earlier drawings I did, and the computer softwares were really fast to create!!! I immediately understood the fantastic power of the Net and its ability to share my works worlwide.

Do you feel that working on a painting is more difficult than working on digital art? Where does the difficulty lie in the work you create?

I think each technical medium produces its own inspiration – difference between drawing and engraving for instance – the process of each medium influences the final result of the work.

Digital art is faster to realise and create than real painting. I have painted in oils from digital using a print of the digital sketch. The time I spent on the work was one week or so for digital, and months for the painting on canvas.

The negative point with digital, in my opinion, is the process of rapid reproduction as this can lead to quantity instead of quality.

Please indicate four of your work and the ones that have the most meaning to you, and let us know a) what inspire you with the piece, b) how difficult was it to create, the process of preparing your vision until the actual execution; c) what message did you want to deliver, and d) what excites or touches you about the piece?*

Difficult to tell, but first, I would say a painting from 1980 “On irait” which was done copying and resizing in a larger format a collage sketch.

Secondly, a painting from 1999, “Doigt” (Finger) in which I used the same process, but utilizing there a digital imaging software for the making of the sketch (the title comes from the last digital tool I used when making it).

Thirdly, my series of drawings and paintings “Le fond et la forme” using sometimes tiny and aleatory “sculptures: of modelling paste as models. The French title refers to a literary mode, but is more a joke concerning “the meaning and the look”.

At least, the “Exquisite Corpse” series which I did with a lot of international artists, each being done once again with traditional or digital mediums.

I enjoy a lot making these, a very exciting moment being when the half cover is removed to show the completed piece !!!

Without the possibilities of the Internet, the contacts necessary to produce such collaborative works with international artists would have been impossible some years ago.

And it’s a nice mix of new and old technologies because finally the drawings were sent by postage service!

Your painting series, the “Magical Mystery Tool”, please explain the inspiration, the concept, and the message you want to deliver.

Bernard: This series started from sketches with ink on paper back in 1995. I modelled and coloured some in the year of 2000 with my computer tools. Once printed, I enlarged and painted them with oil on canvas.

With the series, I wanted to make “trompe l’œil” objects, but without existing models – no sticks nor threads were harmed in the making of my ink drawings, haha!

The title is a pun from The Beatles’ song “Magical Mystery Tour”.

I must add there is so much serendipities involved in these works that I feel like any other person watching them, I am unable to tell much about the meaning(s).

You are French, do you feel that there are a great number of talented artists in France? How do you feel your place in that world?

Bernard: Well, there is certainly the same percentage of talents here than everywhere in the world … I just feel I am not an “avant-guarde” artist, but I do not care about that.

You have started exhibiting outside of France, what made you consider going international with your work?

Bernard: Once again, the Internet helped a lot with this, these exhibitions were and will be made after some encounters over the net.

What direction do you feel Art is going these days? Is there a difference in trend in Europe and say, the U.S.?

Bernard: If your question concerns Surrealism, I would say there is no difference in trend, haha!

It’s difficult to give a global answer to this question, the main difference between contempory art and art of the past centuries, is the burst of Art in plenty of differents movements at the same time – land art, various abstracts and realistic tendancies, body art, conceptual art, and so on … and more and more art involved in new technologies.

Are you working on a project at the moment or planning one?

Bernard: I recently had a full-time job for digital backgrounds for cartoons for TV, but I hope I will have a bit of free time soon to start some new paintings. I am currently having a local group exhibition, and I will exhibit some digital prints in an International group show in Spencer, Iowa, on August of 2006.

READ THIS FIRST: All images here are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. You are advised to contact the artist direct for permission to re-produce any of his/her images. Contact details are available at the end of this article, or in absence thereof, please contact the writer.

This SERIES is housed in this site temporarily and is under preparation for media production. Notification of transfer and the new site address will be posted in due course.

Do you like where you live now, if so, why? If not, why?

Brad: Dallas is great! Everything’s at our fingertips. Despite the snooty rich and abundant SUVs, people are remarkably friendly. It has a growing art scene and a ton of live music venues, both of which are great for an up-and-coming artist/musician like myself

When did you first become interested in art and illustration?

Brad: Making art has been crucial to my personality from early childhood, but it wasn’t until college that I really began using overt narrative in my work, which then led to an amped interest in illustration. It’s amazing how much your drawing skills will improve when you’ve got a story you’re desperate to tell.

Could you give us a brief summary of your experience so far, what were the jobs you’ve had, and how are you able to use your previous experience in your current endeavours?

Brad: I haven’t had a great deal of art-related work experience, outside of my personal work. Throughout my undergrad years I did a number of animated shorts which displayed at campus festivals and in local galleries, and my thesis was a wordless graphic novel (“Stressed Out West”), which I’m self-publishing. That led me to publish “Bad Painting”, my new book, and I’m also directing a music video for alt-metal band Failsafe (MySpace.com/FailsafeOK), which should be on display in the coming weeks.

Describe your typical work day, do you work when the mood takes you, or are you organized in a 9 to 5 schedule?

Brad: I tend to work when inspiration strikes, but generally the real grunt work is done while I’m at my retail day job or while hanging out at night. I tend to think about my work at all times, though, which I suppose it where most of the ideas come from… just driving and walking around

What part of your work do you enjoy the most, and the least?

Brad: Holding the physical product (namely my books), and then seeing the audience react to it. It’s a beautiful thing after all the time spent working alone, wondering how it will finish up. The worst part? Finding motivation to brainstorm the next project, and figuring how to get the work in people’s hands

Who are your favourite artists (living or otherwise), and why are you drawn to them?

Brad: Tim Burton, Dave McKean, and David Fincher–I know two of these people are film directors, but their work is so visually arresting that they hold high ranks in my book. I love artist that can tell a powerful story with deep gritty visuals… it seems to tap into that vulnerable part of our psyche and leave a real impact.

Were you influenced in your work by anything or anything, say, films, writers, fashion, music, culture, travel, etc.?

Brad: Absolutely. Film, music, and novels probably hold more influence over me than any fine artists as you’d call them. Mark Z Danielewski’s “House of Leaves” is an incredible, haunting novel. I think I’ll be inspired by it until I die. I’m constantly listening to music while drawing, particularly metal bands, like NIN and Fear Factory. It helps with all the shading in my drawings. Otherwise I like a lot of different music. Gatsby’s American Dream are pretty amazing too.

Are you working on a special project or planning one right now?

Brad: Well, I just finished up Bad Painting and I’m working on getting it out there so people can read it. I’m brainstorming, though, for the next book.

What are three or four of your best work?

Brad: “Bad Painting” and “Stressed Out West”, my first two books. Also “Grief” and “Western”, two of my animated shorts. All of my animation is up at BigDumbAnimal.com, by the way

What do you feel are the difficulties you face in the execution of your work?

Brad: I often go too dark when I’m drawing. Ballpoint pen is great for what I do because it’s such a slow buildup of value, but one that is really detailed. Not like pencil which tends to blur together and remain a gray tone. As far as my narratives go, it’s definitely tricky trying to develop a story that is meaningful to me, but will resonate with an audience as well. So far it hasn’t been a problem though, knock on wood.

What do you envision for yourself in the next two years and five years?

Brad: I plan on doing a new book every year, so hopefully by then I’ll have a whole slew of books and a bigger fanbase. Right now I’m just trying to figure out the market, and how to get the work seen. Ultimately it would be nice to have folks saying “hey, when’s Brad Albright’s next book coming out?”

Do you feel your illustrations project your personality? Would you say they carry more pessimistic or optimistic messages? What were the concepts behind them?

Brad: My drawings definitely convey my personality. Even the drawings that are independent of a larger story tend to have some narrative quality to them. I think I probably walk a line between pessimism and optimism, which creates the sense of dark humor in the work. “Bad Painting” is a good example of this. Those who have read it know that the story begins fairly dark and revolves around lonely or cynical characters, and ultimately ends with a very positive view of people, love, and the world at large.

Right now I’m probably best described as a comic artist or graphic novelist, although I’ve worked in animation quite a bit and hope to continue doing video work, such as the music video for Failsafe.

READ THIS FIRST: All images here are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. You are advised to contact the artist direct for permission to re-produce any of his/her images. Contact details are available at the end of this article, or in absence thereof, please contact the writer.

This SERIES is housed in this site temporarily and is under preparation for media production. Notification of transfer and the new site address will be posted in due course.

“MY WAY HOME
This is my path; this is my way home; it leads to my little paradise, to my source, to my hobo’s castle…

Here, my every day’s springs suddenly reawaken, all my hidden hopes immediately revive, and my life becomes finally true…

This path could tell so many stories, could echo so many laughters, and could also pour such a lot of unforgettable tears…

Here, even the stones have a crying soul. They have the memories of those proud and brave men who have sculpted the whole mountains with their own hands, who have irrigated this hard and barren earth with their own sweat and tears, and who have sung with their pain screams the most beautiful songs Mother Nature had ever heard…

They have extracted millions of stones from the ground during years and years, just with a pickaxe, just for being able to cultivate some vegetables or some vine, just for staying alive and free. Everyday, when I see these stones walls, I’m always thinking about these gentlemen: I’ll always be very grateful to them; they have built my ramparts against the bad winds, the last bastion of my own liberties, where the virgin moon and the dying sun can reflect, when the daylight just hesitates for a short while, their most wonderful and ambiguous silver-gold dreams and then naturally enlighten my way home …”

Introducing Michel Chavarria from France, a gentleman with the eye of an artist. The above photograph was taken in the beautiful South of France where Michel lives. Michel has been able to capture for us in this one shot all the vividness, strength and extraordinary melange of colour from his home and environment, and we are hit with incredulous disbelief. Does such an amazing scene of such stupendous beauty really exist in this world?

Now, the challenge, what would happen if one were to take an artistic, creative soul out of his familiar surrounding and element and place him in a country half the world away, what would we see through his eyes?

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is where these photographs taken by Michel during his trip to China have to do the talking, accompanied by the touching poetic verses and wonderful introduction Michel Chavarria has added as an overture to his beautifully orchestrated ensemble.

Which of your photographs do you feel are your best, and why? What was the inspiration behind them?

Michel: As I have a limited time for photography (because of my work) I just take some walk on any Sunday and try to shoot all around me. So, landscape photography is my favourite and where I feel comfortable…

You have a very poetic way of capturing your images, after seeing the result of your shots, how do they move you? What do you feel?

Michel: One of my passion is to bring some poetic or conceptual feeling and emotion to any of my pictures. I call my style “Poetrimage” so the mix is major for me. Usually, I take the picture first, then when I’m editing it with Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, it brings some idea to my eyes and heart and then I write the comment/poetry/prose…

Do you feel that your photographs carry something of you? Some of your spirit?

Michel: I hope so…! I should be very happy and proud to bring some fresh ideas about humanism, freedom, beauty to my watchers through my pictures. The images are just the vector to say my feelings about the world around me.

Do you remember the first photograph you took? How did you feel about it?

Michel: Yes, I remember it, it was in a park in Toulouse, France, it was a magic moment because I was sure I had captured something special, even if it was really ordinary, I’ve just fixed a moment of life, a mood through black & white, a feeling through my eyes…

What do you feel is important for a good photographer to have or know about his camera and tools?

Michel: I think that technique is just a tool, not a goal. I am not interested in all that technical stuff, it is honestly boring me… I prefer to concentrate on the subject or crop or emotion than to think about aperture of speed shutter…

Who do you admire if you are to think of a known photographer? Who are the photographers who inspire you but are not known, and why do they inspire you?

Michel: Mainly Gilad Benari and Bernardo Medina. They bring so much beauty on my screen with their photography, they are really great artists and friends. They are doing photography with their heart and soul… and I like that. And their works are so well done together with a lot of emotional touches in a modern style, I love that…

Do you feel you will continue to take photographs? Why?

Michel: Oh yes, surely… It’s now a big part of my life…! I try to combine photography and my work and that’s fine… More and more exciting!

What would be your advice for any person inspired by your pictures and wanting to take up photography? What would you tell them?

Michel: My advice should be that it’s better to create one’s own style… That’s more important than anything else…! Not copying anything or anyone, just throw one’s feelings through the lens and through the screen… Be yourself in your life and in your heart, and share your sensitivity around you… That’s the secret of happiness… and of success…!