How did you get into art?

I became interested in drawing when I was twelve years old. Until then my interest was sports. With the years, I realized my greater passions were art and cinema. In high school, I studied art and design, deciding to pursue cinema in college. The local colleges’ program weren’t as good as I hoped for cinema, so I decided one day to study filmmaking in North America. I had grown up in Toronto, Canada, which would have been a better location to pursue cinema than in Portugal. I began working temporarily for my family’s clothing companies; this became a full-time job giving experience in fashion and graphic design. I also took a path into web design. I’ve been commercially designing for ten years. I paint on my free time, as well as illustrate for magazines.

How do you get inspiration for the pieces you produce?

My inspiration comes from analysing daily life situations. Everything that surrounds me can influence a theme. My life, other peoples’ lives…stories, facts, things we see on TV and elsewhere. How I interpret reality can vary in form, and art is very liberating and unlimited. I also get inspiration from art, cinema, music, and literature.

What has been your best creation?

I’m not really sure. Each painting reflects a point in my life. A recent one I like is “Butterfly” (2006) and an older piece is “The Man You Fear” (2003).

Last time you cried?

Not too long ago. Why, do you have a Kleenex?

How much do you think hype affects the public perception of what good art is?

Fame can give a perception of how much something is worth, and many times resulting in perception of “good art”. If it has value, demand, is this good art? An example is Marilyn Manson, a well-known singer who one day decides to paint and sell his work. His watercolor paintings sold for $25,000 to $50,000. He isn’t a bad painter, but the point is you see artists who can’t sell for this price, not even close but they are better skilled, better overall. Fame inevitably gives you status, making you more accessible to be considered good, especially if you can get into the gallery market. And yet the question remains what is good art? You can have a personal collection of work that is brilliant but not commercial/unknown. Good art relies on various factors, theme, form, and the criteria is somewhat subjective to each spectator.

I think there is still judgement that traditional techniques override or are more valued than newer ones. Oil painting is highlighted in the art community and yet digital art is still trying to filter its way through “is everyone a digital artist just because they have a computer” to really defining who are the good digital artists and establishing this movement as painting and photography.

About my own work, the more I see art out there, the more I realize a person doesn’t need to paint a cathedral ceiling as Michelangelo to reach greatness, because there is room for Picassos and others—whose techniques go against traditional perfection and beauty. I’m learning to be less self-conscious about what I do, enjoy illustrating and exploring themes, techniques, and my creativity. I have my own path and I should feel comfortable with it.

Why do so many pay to listen to music yet so few pay to see art?

If we’re talking about iTunes, well paying $1.00 for a song has revolutionized the cost of music tracks. I used to pay 17.99 Euros for a full CD and now on Apple I can buy the same CD for half the price. So you can buy twice as much if you want.

I agree that people do spend more money on music concerts and music in general than they do with art. Music appears to reach a larger audience than art does. Music is played everywhere, radio, concerts, CDs, instruments—accessible for consumption some way or other. Art can be just as accessible with the Internet and other platforms, but when we speak of museums, exhibits, and events—some of these locations require paying a high fee to view art. And that is where the general public divides itself due to costs. At a recent LA exhibit, I saw photos of the event on the Internet— I had made an observation that only people ages 35 and up were there. It looked like an elite event. If some of the higher-end exhibits have accessible rates for students I’m sure this would attract a larger audience. We know that many museums are funded and entries are free, but yet if you were to buy an original painting—normally it isn’t cheap or sold by the dozens as songs, so is this not exclusive to certain buyers?

Poor & happy or rich & sad?

Hahaha. Neither! Happy and rich would be pretty good. I wouldn’t need to be rich to be happy, but have enough to not think about bills, and be able to focus solely on art and my personal projects.

Last CD you bought/downloaded/shoplifted?

I have been buying single tracks. I bought two recent ones: “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis and “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. I saw two recent films about both musicians which inspired the purchase.

What makes me happy?

A simple question, but not an easy one to answer. I am constantly in search of personal happiness in my work and life. A continuous quest. I’m not sure if you can always be happy, like every day, but you can find a balance to your life and find enough positivism. Something that makes me happy is knowing my family and friends are doing alright.

What makes you sad?

We study history in school to avoid making the same errors as our ancestors, however many bad decisions by Politicians ruin the evolution of our society and well-being. The on-going wars in the world make me uneasy and sadden as to where the future may lead. History repeats itself; I wish some mistakes were less repeated.

Sex, drugs or rock n roll?

Lots of Rock and Roll!

Last book you read?

Good Grief by Lolly Winston.

What else do you like other than art?

I like surfing, playing tennis and rollerblading. Playing the drums. Writing poetry and articles.

Any regrets?

Not really. I try to make the best with what I have, not take things for granted. I tend to be direct with myself as I am with others. I don’t like holding on to things that need to be said or confronted, so I don’t have any upsetting regrets.

Where can we see more of your work?

They say if you Google someone’s name, you’ll know if they have a presence online. You can give that a try, and let me know what happens.

Interview - Mr. Burrows 16/08/06