Saddo
“Omule : Hey, Saddo. What is like to be an illustrator/painter?”
“Saddo : Mmmm, I don’t really know, for me it’s kinda normal, regular life. But I see how it could be perceived as interesting and exciting, and it is, a lotta times, because I keep getting involved in new, different projects. And I kinda try to approach different subjects and mediums every time I get the chance, like jewellery, tapestry, socks designs, etc. And I also get to travel in cool exciting places every once in a while, to paint murals. But most of the time I just gotta put in the work, and sometimes it gets boring and frustrating. Like now for example, I’m working for my first solo show in 5 years, and seeing my friends travelling to cool places makes me wanna travel to, but I can’t. The upside is, that sometimes I just have to fill in color blocks, so I can watch tv shows or listen to audiobooks while I work, so it doesn’t get too boring. But I feel I should be a little bit more grateful that I get to do this, but you know how humans are, they get used to stuff, and even the most exciting thing gets levelled out pretty quickly.”
“Omule : Where do you get your inspiration from?”
“Saddo : I always follow illustration, art, graphic design Instagram pages, whenever I travel I go to art museums and galleries. I also do a bit of research online, buy art books, my latest inspiration / influences come from Matisse, Iranian miniatures, Orthodox icons, Middle Eastern tapestries, Hawaiian quilts, Naive Art, hip hop, Walton Ford, Grayson Perry, and lots of other things.”
“Omule : What is your ideal creative environment like? How is your process? Do you have any kind of creative patterns and routines?”
“Saddo : Not really, I don’t think I care that much about where I work as long as I got all I need, a laptop, some books, art supplies, music. But I might be lying, cause I recently got a flat together with some friends, as a studio space, and initially my room was pretty basic and minimal and with the help of my friend Evelin, in time the room became much cozier and nicer, and I kinda feel better working in it, I got lots of sketches, drawings and prints from friends artists, on the walls, a small corner for my dog Umi, and some cool, creative artists/designers/friends in the next room. So I guess it is pretty close to the ideal creative environment. As for patterns and routines, I don’t know, I try not to be too lazy, but that’s about it.”
“Omule : What kind of tools do you use?”
“Saddo : Most of the time pencil, eraser + liner for sketching, Adobe PS for colouring, and then paper or canvas + acrylics and brushes for the final piece, and finally a scanner and PS again. And when I paint murals it gets a bit messier, with rollers, bigger brushes, lots of house paint, small recipients where I mix different shades and tones, paper towels, ladders, scaffolding, lifts, umbrellas, etc.”
“Omule : I can see a lot of hip hop elements in your work. Is that your favorite genre?”
“Saddo : At the moment yes, but it really depends on my mood, sometimes I work on a portrait of a rapper but listen to some completely different genre. But mostly hip hop yea, because it’s just an inexhaustible source of inspiration, elements, surprising contrasts, cool unexpected lines, and it is actually the theme of my next show for these exact reasons, because it fits so well with the fact that I love working with LOTS of elements and colours, and as often as possible with contrasting images that bring together flowers and butterflies and cheezy kitschy stuff, with guns, blood and Molotov cocktails.”
“Omule : What would be a great achievement for you?”
“Saddo : I don’t know, maybe to illustrate record covers for some of my favorite rappers? Or paint more murals and travel to more places? And do what I’m doing until I’m OLD, and also do it good, fresh and relevant if possible :))”
“Omule : What do you love to do in your spare time? Do you have a favourite place to go on a holiday?”
“Saddo : I’d love to go to Lisbon again soon, I lived there for a year and I loved the city and I miss the overall feeling, the air, the river and the sea, the light, the plants, the food. I also wanna take a trip to New York, New Orleans, Atlanta, etc. But I’m always happy to travel basically anywhere, it’s great to travel for murals, I get to visit new places, meet awesome people, make friends, sample local foods, and also do some work. I also love listening to audio books while I walk my dog, watching movies and tv shows, hanging out with my friends for coffees and prosecco, stuff like that :)”
“Omule : Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party?”
“Saddo : I don’t know, my friends I guess? Because I know I can talk to them freely and relaxed, I wouldn’t say .... I don’t know, Kanye West or Grayson Perry or Larry David, cause maybe it’ll be awkward cause I don’t really know them? And I’m shy and quiet with people I don’t know.”
“Omule : What superpower would you like to have and why? Also , if you had the power, what would you forbid?”
“Saddo : I don’t know, maybe to dilate time? so I can spend as much time as I like on my work, and also travel to all the places I want to, and watch ALL THE TV SHOWS AND MOVIES I missed out on. What would I forbid? I don’t know, people who get triggered because they don’t like political correctness?”
“Omule : What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?”
“Saddo : I don’t remember word for word, but I think stuff in the vein of: be kinder to yourself, be more grateful for the small things that you might overlook in search for grand achievements, try to listen more, don’t judge and don’t immediately jump to conclusions, try to apply your art to different mediums and techniques, etc. Random useful stuff about life, communication, art, being a rational and mildly happy person.”
