SurfPaints Interview Series
We hand-select individuals from our community to hear the stories behind their designs.
We hand-select individuals from our community to hear the stories behind their designs.
Hi Vale, Welcome to the SurfPaints Interview Series!
1. Can you provide us with a brief background on your journey as an artist and tell us what you're currently working on in the world of art?
I grew up in Rome, Italy, surrounded by art and history with an architect mother and a musician father. Painting became my earliest form of expression and passion. Attending a prestigious art school in Rome introduced me to diverse techniques and artists. In university, I delved into cinema and drama, shaping my visual perspective.
A transformative time abroad in Spain saw me selling my artworks on the streets, a joyous and successful experience. Using oil pastels, I depicted abstract themes merging dancing figures with nature.
Upon arriving in Australia in 2015, I started creating marker paintings on printed portraits, exploring vibrant colours and intricate shapes to capture diverse personalities. My art has always centered on magical characters, textures, and patterns, serving as a meditative process for self-exploration. You can explore my previous works here: Vale's Design
2. We'd love to know how you came across SurfPaints. What aspects of SurfPaints do you find most appealing or inspiring for your art?
In my search for the right technique and tools, I found acrylic markers to be perfect for achieving multiple effects simultaneously—brightness, saturation, metallic and fluorescent touches—all vital for my colourful vision. Choosing markers over brushes stems from my fond childhood memories of joyfully colouring for hours. SurfPaints, among other brands, stand out for adding textures and fine lines atop coloured backgrounds or creating vibrant metallic backgrounds while maintaining a light touch.
3. Every artist faces unique challenges in their projects. Could you share specific challenges you've encountered in your art projects and how SurfPaints have been a helpful resource in overcoming these challenges?
One of my most hard things to achieve in my artworks is the precision, because working on big formats, sometimes is hard to be precise. With SurfPaints I have met a very good balance between colour range and marker size to achieve my objective.
4. Your canvas painting projects have captured our attention. Could you share with us your most favorite project and how you came up with the idea?
Recently, I received Inner Self Guidance Cards and a book on Australian Birds, sparking a desire to blend these concepts. Vibrant colours have always been my passion, creating an art that immerses the audience sensorially. Acrylic colours perfectly balance brightness and saturation for this purpose. I aimed to fuse each word from the cards with a corresponding bird, making the bird an ambassador of that word. To amplify the message, I used "Glow in the dark" paint exclusively on the words, allowing them to shine in darkness, enveloping the audience in an inner self experience.
5. As an experienced artist, do you have any valuable tips or techniques that you could share with others interested in creating canvas projects with SurfPaints?
A great tip is working with layers. SurfPaints, known for their saturation, require fewer layers to achieve vibrant colours, giving you more creative time. I've tested them on various canvases and recommend using pre-primed ones instead of priming raw canvases, which demand more paint. A traditional double-primed canvas works perfectly for SurfPaints without any additional priming needed.
Bonus Question:
What message or piece of advice would you like to impart to other artists at all levels, from beginners to seasoned professionals, who are passionate about expressing themselves through this medium?
My advice: take your time finding your style. Focus on what brings you joy without worrying about others' opinions. Explore techniques freely, embracing the process. When you discover your style, expressing yourself becomes instinctual. For me, acrylic markers on canvas perfectly convey the vibrant "colour bath" I aim to share.
If you would like to be part of Surfpaints Interview Series, email us at support@surfpaints.com