Interview with Marco Bucci [marcobucci] on Whohub

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What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist?

I am a painter. I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to work as a painter (and actually make decent money doing it) in order to support my painting habit at home. In terms of being defined as an 'artist', I'm not too concerned about that. In fact, I don't even like being called an artist, because the term is so subjective. I just really enjoy trying to understand things from a visual standpoint, and interpreting it with paint. There's few things more satisfying to me than looking at a good painting.

Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it?

My website is: http://www.marcobucci.com
I also have a blog, which contains more day-to-day work: http://marcobucci.blogspot.com

How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration?

Ideas for me can come from anywhere - both from real life and from imagination. Often I will catch a quick glance of something as I quickly pass by it, and that can inspire an entire painting. Once I saw a pattern of dirt on a backpack, which my brain interpreted as a city. I quickly got home, and painted the city that I saw. Other times, I'll start a canvas without any idea what will come out, and just begin to improvise. Of course, seeing other artists' good work is another huge area of inspiration for me.

What role does technology play in your creative process?

Digital technology has definitely helped speed the pace of my learning, but I try to not to rely on it as an integral part of my process. At least, not as much as I used to. The roots of my training are in traditional media, and the peak of that technology is animal hairs glued to the end of a stick. I choose to bring that sort of mentality to the digital process too, and not get seduced by all these powerful tools I all of a sudden have at my disposal. It's sort of a catch-22 though, because it wasn't until I learned those tools that I was able to just use them (or ignore them) as second nature.

How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not?

There's a certain 'tick' I feel when I have an idea that I know I can do something with. I feel like I just have to follow through on it, no matter what I happen to have on the go at the moment, and I get excited like a kid with a new toy. Of course, experience has taught me that I will almost always deviate from that initial idea (mostly because it often actually doesn't work), and let the process be involved in shaping it as I work.

Three creative ideas that you would have liked to have created?

There are definitely animated films that I would have loved to work on. In no particular order, The Emperor's New Groove, Prince of Egypt, The Triplets of Belleville, Alladin, and any Miyazaki film are all projects I would have loved to have worked on as a painter.

Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities?

All of the best artists I know actually are not like that at all. They're humble, calm people who just happen to have incredibly refined skills. I tend to believe that an artist with a volatile personalty is really just suffering from an ego problem, probably caused by an insecurity about their skill level. In my university years, I was naive enough to think that my ideas alone were enough to impress people. I didn't have the skills at the time to pull them off properly, so naturally I'd get offended and defensive when someone criticized them. Seems that some people stay that way. Luckily, I don't know many of them.

How should a work of art be evaluated?

Using criteria that is as unique as the person judging it. For me, any piece I've ever liked has given me an immediate visceral response, that just makes me need to look at it. In a way, it's like love at first sight. That's pure emotion and I can't control it. But once it happens, I'll actually use my brain to try to break it down and figure out how that effect was created. So my evaluation uses a little of both sides of the brain.

Unfortunately, I can't use that method to evaluate my own work, because it's incredibly rare for anything I create to give me anything close to that visceral reaction...simply because I know every little part that went into it. The best I can do is simply 'approve' my own work before I let it out, and carefully gauge other people's emotional reactions to it.

Must an artist reinvent him/herself everyday?

Absolutely not. I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to master the very same things I'm trying to master today.

Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work?

This answer could fill a book. So I'll write the condensed version. I'm influenced equally by deceased artists (mainly those living in the late 19th, early 20th century), as well current living fine artists, as well as current working commercial artists. Looking at another artists' work is like getting a free pass into their brain, and I gain insights on things that I'd probably never have thought of in a million years. That kind of stimulation is essential for growth, I think. Of course, you can also break down other artists' work and make studies of it to build your own skills. I have stacks of those. If you want to know my favourite artist ever, I would have to say John Singer Sargent. And I'm not going to tell you why.

Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold?

No way. It's the opposite. I have absolutely no use for my own work once it's done. I'd give it away for free if I didn't need money. Now, the actual process of working on a painting is strictly for myself, but the final product is better off with somebody else, or else it invariably ends up in a pile in my closet, never to see the light of day again. That's why I love keeping a blog...it provides an outlet for those pieces that otherwise would serve no purpose.

In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is?

Practice, practice, practice. You just keep drilling the same fundamentals until they become second nature, then you drill them some more. The 'next step' will never be predictable, so you need to know that you can recognize and seize opportunities as they present themselves. To do this, you basically need to train hard enough so that you'll never be caught off guard by a problem. Sort of like how a boxer needs to know that he can react effectively to whatever punches his opponent is throwing his way. Most paintings fail due to lack of decision-making. Unfortunately, nobody is born with this ability; it can only be learned through experience, and lots of failure along the way.

What types of jobs do you usually do?

At work I do matte painting, colour key, and concept art for television/film projects. It's all digital painting at work. I do freelance as well, in the same field. I also take portrait commissions, which I paint in oil.

Which of your jobs or tasks do you most enjoy?

At work I enjoy being assigned creative tasks, that are also put under strict time limitations, because I get to see how well I can solve a problem in that time. In fact, much of my better work is done under some form of limitation.
Oh, and I love going to meetings. Could you tell that was sarcasm?

Do you personally collect any items?

Like most artists (man I really hate calling myself that), I have an ever-growing collection of art books, as well as some original work from other artists. I have some sculptures in my studio too, from an sculptor whose work I really like.

What advice would you give to those just beginning?

Don't be discouraged by your initial failures. And don't be afraid to fail, either. Your work will suck, and you will feel like crap for at least a year or two. Every good artist has gone through it. The good news is, it's up to you how quickly you get past that stage. Not that all your work will eventually be awesome, but your batting average will go up. Nothing is more exciting than learning something new, and being able to actually apply it! So look forward to that; it's totally worth the struggle.

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