Interview with the First Place Winner of our March Show – Simona Zecca
“In The Spot Light“ by Dan Pyle was selected as “Third Place Winner” of July Show. Here is our short intreview with the artist.
1. How did you start creating art?
I started drawing as a child & always enjoyed creating things. Over the years through school, I tried pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, sculpting & charcoal. I found charcoal to be the one that worked for me the best. I kept drawing & entered art shows & art fairs, but in the early 2000’s I decided I wanted to be in real galleries. That is when I really became focused on my work & started producing a better quality of work. It kept evolving from there.
2. Please tell us a bit about the artwork that was selected as a third place winner (style, technique, your inspiration etc).
I am inspired by many things, such as human figures, old cars, anything old, tarnished, distressed & vintage. I love contrast & shadows & have been inspired by black & white photos. I started taking my own photos to work from whenever possible & have occasionally worked from photos by photographers that have given me permission to use them. The drawing I submitted to this competition, “In The Spot Light” was taken by Gil Cortez. I saw it on Facebook & loved the shadows & contacted him & his model asking permission to use the photo.
3. What quarantine has meant to you? Was it difficult to work in isolation and what effect this unprecedented time had on your work and creativity?
My work habits didn’t change that much during quarantine other than I probably worked more hours than usual. My studio is in my home, so I am usually home, but have other activities to get me out of the house regularly. When those activities were no longer allowed, it became easier to get cabin fever. My solution was a bike. I went out riding every day & it cleared my mind & made me feel free from all the bad things happening around the world.The difficult part was not being able to have art shows or travel. I had a show in March just before things got bad & have not had any live shows since then. I found more opportunities available online which is good though. I also took some time to think about stepping it up a little & trying some new approaches to my work & compositions.
4. What do you think about trends in contemporary art?
I can appreciate some contemporary art. We all know that art is subjective. Not everyone is going to like my art & I don’t like everyone else’s’ art either. I have a hard time with minimal art like a dot in the middle of a canvas. I think its because I can easily spend a week or more on one drawing & put a lot of thought into it trying to inspire a reaction or emotion, as opposed to the time it takes to paint a dot. I’ve seen modern art that I can appreciate, when its colors or textures or something about it creates a reaction. other times I just don’t get it. There is a lot of ‘fad’ art that hits it big & is gone tomorrow. A real artist has to stand the test of time.
5. Please tell us a bit about your current work and some future projects.
Currently I am finishing up a collection for shows that are opening in Germany at the end of September. I usually fly over once or twice a year to do shows in Europe & work live at the shows & mingle with the guests. This year, Americans are banned from entering any European countries, so unless something changes in a few weeks, I will not be able to be there in person. So as I finish up some new art I am also working on recording video footage of various aspects of my work & my career that my agents will turn into a promotional video that will be played at the shows in my absence.
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