Interview
Andy Show
Andy thinks his life is a journey about discovering the human condition and the interaction with the divine power of the universe, that the truth of conscience begins with time after the procreation and that remains sacred in science, philosophy, religion, mathematics, and psychology.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Ever since I was about 7 years old, I loved drawing and I loved about all kinds of illustrations shown on the newspaper. So at that time, my family especially my father had sometimes flew me to Italy, to Rome, and I would be able to see most of the paintings made in the St. Peter’s Basilica by Michelangelo himself. And, because I loved drawing comics when I was just a kid, and also loved drawing airplanes etc., my dad also took me to the air shows during the 80s. At the age of 15 years old, that was the very moment I had fallen in love with Mathematics and I loved to solve problems by playing word games. So, I decided that I was going to give up art because I was so busy trying to chase my other dreams during my high school years, but again I was very lucky that I didn’t give it up completely. I still loved drawing when I went to University but people were already aware that I was very good in art as an amusement so they asked me why are you trying to knock yourself out with all these rocket science? My only explanation would be because I wanted to ‘discover,’ I wanted to know more about what lies ‘hidden’ behind the curtain what has had made Issac Newton, Gauss, Decarts, Euclid, and Galileo so different and so unique? That was what I was after when I grew up but not until later when I had found out about exactly how to express myself freely. I couldn’t do it with math, I could only do it with art itself!”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My artwork has a lot to say about the divine power of the Creator and His mission to bring both Grace and Justice into the world. This given was because I knew that I had been heavily influenced by a lot of the early Renaissance painter’s work and what the purpose behind their works. I knew Michelangelo Buonarroti first when I was at very young age, then I got to know Leonardo da Vinci, then Sandro Botticelli, then Caravaggio, then Paul Rubin, then Titan, and then Raphael. For example, I had spent many years painting a Lady called Ethabella (Isabella d’Este) who was one of the leading Renaissance figures of all time and who was also a political activist for Criminal Justice and the Minister of International Relations for Italy during the 1400 ~ 1500s. The current issue about being a leader like (Donald Trump) with respect to the figures in the Renaissance period is that you must embrace ‘social equality,’ ‘gender equality,’ ‘rule-of-law with proper transparency and measurement’ and ‘moral values with responsibility.’ I think President Donald is in the correct agenda to make America great again, but he cannot be the ‘best’ candidate there is because (no presidents) can be 100% perfect but he can only be the best as he could through more guidance and training this I think is very true!”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I will absolutely try as best as I can to plan my work in advance because I have to know what I am going to draw, from which idea or ideology is it from, why I want to draw this, and how I can make my artwork to look (different) than other artists! I always think very hard to brainstorm (an idea), and then I always ask myself what techniques I need to bring that idea into reality so to tell a story!”
Are there any art world trends are you following?
“Yes! Absolutely! You know sometimes I go to Indigo’s Bookstore to check out the latest fashion magazines, like Bazar, Vogue, Esquire etc., and I also check out the latest Comics like Marvel and DC, and I also check out the latest Graphic Design and Music like The Rolling Stone etc. All these things give me ideas and helps me to solve difficult problems in my art brainstorming stage but they are only for references and not a substitute!”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“The process that I apply in my artwork almost all of them starts with figurative drawings and very seldom I will go straight into rendering. I must know how to plan out the process, such as do I have and collected enough references for my project(s)? Do I have (enough information) I need to help me to tell a story? So what has been interpreted onto my drawing can then (move on) to the next stage which is rendering and how to use markers, acrylics, oils, markers with variations etc., and also use computer(s) to analyze my works this is my overall technique(s) in summary. To generalize, to design, to paint and to draw an artwork is to know how to study it!”
What does your art mean to you?
“My artwork in its finished stage means so much to me! It tells me that everything I have had spend for the time it took me to establish a painting, a design, an idea, a concept through a huge amount of process, and dedication. This question would probably be the same if you were asking Leonardo da Vinci what does drawing Mona Lisa (Lisa di Antonmaria Gherardini del Giocondo) means to you? He would probably say it is the most important and impressive piece out of my drawing experience because it took him roughly 3 years to finish this painting in history. That is probably what I would also say to you about my artworks.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“My most important and favourite artwork is when I can be able to combine everything from either out of nature, human, animals or architecture, or machinery, you name it into one single marvelous piece that can tell a beautiful story to my audience!”
