Interview with Tony Philippou

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)Tony Philippou

q)Where do you live and work?

a)The Bronx, NY q)How would you describe your work to
someone who has never seen it? a)It’s what gets the people going.

q)How did you start in the arts? How/when
did you realize you were an artist?

a)Drawing… it always remained a constant
in my life. I was probably as young as 5 when
I started and really came into my own when
I went to High School. I was fortunate to have
a great group of peers that really inspired me
creatively.

q)What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)The brush that I do my line work with. I take a
#1 brush and slice off some of the bristles so I can
get a really nice hair like type line.

q)What/who influences you most?

a)Listening to some good music, reading a
good book, Photography, writing, and film
are all crucial influences on my creative process.

q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)Usually once I have a theme I start to collect
references for images. That I will follow up
with a quick thumbnail of what I want to
accomplish visually with my design. From
there I get my wood ready to paint on and
apply my finished sketch. Once that’s in
place I can start laying down some base
colours and get busy.

q)Do you have goals, specific things you
want to achieve with your art or in your
career as an artist?

a)The only goal I have is to be able to afford
to paint and inspire for the rest of my career.

q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Could take a couple of weeks or a couple of months.
Depends on the size and how much is going on in the
composition.

q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are
you emotionally attached to them?

a)It’s a beautiful thing to be able to create
something that people enjoy enough to own.
It’s definitely a pleasure. As far as emotional attachment I would say
I’m probably more humbled and grateful
than anything else.

q)Is music important to you? If so, what are
some things you're listening to now?

a)Absolutely. Right now its been Heartless
Bastards, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metallica, Lil Wayne,
Lupe Fiasco, Diamond Nights, She Wants Revenge,
The Bravery, Portishead, Gun’s N Roses, Brad Sucks,
Raekwon and many more other jams that keep
me rocking into the wee hours of the night.

q)Books?

a)Just finished reading Tripwire by Lee Childs…
great story, cool characters. Now I’m reading
Emperor by Conn Iggulden about the rise of
two young roman soldiers…very compelling.

q)What theories or beliefs do you have regarding
creativity or the creative process?

a)It’s all comes down to how much you put into it.
There’s fundamental ways to inspire creativity
and it requires what most successful skills need
and that’s a strong work ethic, being organized,
and prepared to work in a comfortable environment
with music and good lighting.

q)What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing)
when you're not creating?

a)I partake in the greatest gift man has given
to humanity. My very own PS3 which gets daily
burn and is no stranger to FIFA 09.

q)Do you have any projects or shows coming up
that you are particularly excited about?

a)This Oct.9th I will have be having a solo
show in the Project Room of Thinkspace Gallery
along side Esao Andrews in the Main Room.

q)Do you follow contemporary art scenes?
If so, how? What websites, magazines,
galleries do you prefer?

a)I check anything that crosses my path. I check
out Juxtapoz magazine and their website from
time to time to see what’s going on in the east
and west coasts over here.

q)Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Make sure work is quality and push it hard.
Be patient but with some time the results should come.

q)Where can we see more of your work online?

a) tonyphilippou.com

myspace.com/tonyphilippou