Interview with:Dmitry Samarov [samarov]
ART
 | What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? I paint primarily from what I see. What this means is that something outside of myself is necessary to bounce off of. When it works, the picture created is one that others can recognize themselves in. My part is to catch something of the world in a series of marks, to create an analog to a shared experience. This is not a description of style, as that changes over time, but of approach...
Cityscapes have been occupying me most for the last few years. Driving a taxi has put the streets into view on a daily basis, so it's no wonder that it forms so much of the work. What's important is to make marks that both live on their own as well as describe... |
| What is your message? Haven't a clue how to answer this. Seems to beg for some sort of summing up which I'm hardly ready to do. Probably someone else's job any how as there isn't the required critical distance. |
| Your biography in four lines. Born: Moscow, USSR in 1970
Immigrated: United States in 1978
Graduated: BFA from SAIC in 1993
Work as a taxi driver in Chicago, IL |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? No ideas as such, only unexplainable attractions toward certain subjects. Mostly places and people regularly encountered and permeating perceptions in some way that can't be ignored or shoved aside. |
| What role does technology play in your creative process? The internet has expanded the audience a bit, though it has it's drawbacks. It's difficult to impossible to convey the true qualities of a painted or drawn picture in pixels. But complaining is pointless, one must use what ever tools are available and at best it can be a good way to advertise, the way a trailer makes one want to see the whole film perhaps. Also, learning the ins and outs of building a website from scratch has been a valuable, if frustrating and humbling, experience. |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? Don't remember ever not defacing some pristine surface or other with my scribbling... |
| Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities? Get off my case, Jesus Christ!?! |
| Do you consider yourself postmodern? No and that term's so vague as to have little to no meaning... |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? Never. My part is the making, after which it'll fly or crash to earth under its own steam. |
| Is a work of art purchased, or is it better said, that it is the artist who is bought? Only the work. It seems that many collectors have the notion that they're buying a piece of the person and in those cases it's best to keep one's mouth shut and not disabuse them of that harmless delusion. |
| In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is? Have to trust one's instinct and make lots of mistakes as there's no roadmaps on this trip. |
| What role have the figures of art dealer, gallery owners, representatives, and intermediaries in general played in your career? Very little, probably to my own detriment, but they tend to be unpleasant to have business with, so I've done my level best to avoid them... |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? I drive a taxi. |
| Which of your jobs or tasks do you most enjoy? There's no job that I've ever enjoyed. My dream is to be unemployed. |
| What advice would you give to those just beginning? DON'T unless you just can't help it. |
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941 visits Whohub
Dmitry Samarov
Chicago, Illinois, USA
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99685 interviews created
![[samarov] Dmitry Samarov](http://www.whohub.com/_pics/21261.jpg?1368884004)
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