Interview
Robert Grillo (SolCre8or)
Robert Grillo is a 27 year old self taught artist from Connecticut, USA. He is an American with an Italian and Irish ancestry, with a touch of German and Danish as well. He goes by the art name SolCre8or (Soul Creator).
SolCre8or mostly paints and draws, but also designs clothes and logos. He has exhibited his artwork in various galleries. What SolCre8or truly hopes to do with his art is to help people feel more comfortable expressing themselves and feeling a connection when they see his art. He wants them to realize they are important, that they are loved, and they are not alone.
Whatever their emotions, SolCre8or wants viewers feel deeply when viewing his work.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I love to paint and draw. I also design clothes and logos for myself and others. Currently, I’m working with digital art.
My journey into the art world is a pretty long one, but I’ll make it brief. I took painting and drawing seriously in 2017. I was broke and unemployed, and living in the basement of my mother’s husband’s house at the time. I tried going to therapy but that wasn’t working because at the end of each session, I found myself retreating deeper into my negative self. So I started painting what was going on in my head in the best way that I could — painting the emotions that I felt, trying to find peace through that. I also painted what I thought other people might be feeling, and through my paintings, I tried to connect to the people and let them know that they were not alone.
After attempting suicide in November 2021, I was evaluated at a hospital and diagnosed with clinical depression with suicidal tendencies. Every day is still a battle because I can’t afford therapy. Painting does help, and now I’m able to talk more openly to my close family members and friends about what’s going on instead of bottling everything up. I go to the gym, read self-help books and work a lot, but I’ve found painting to be the one thing that really helps. Taking a break from social media is also helping, as it allows me to focus a lot more on painting and drawing, while also providing me with an opportunity to experiment with different techniques.
I have recently discovered spray painting, and in the fall, I’ll be enrolling in a school to learn video editing as a way of expanding my skills.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work throughout the years, has said many things as I've gone through different phases. These include a portrait phase, and a collage/mural phase which probably contains my most social and politically charged paintings, especially ones about police brutality. Then I started doing love/comfort based paintings, and then space type paintings.
I appreciate Malcolm X and Martin Luther King so I started painting both of them together. There was only one photograph that I saw of them together and they were shaking hands. I wanted to make it look like they were talking to each other, so I found internet pictures of them talking to different people and I picked both pictures and painted them together to make it look like they’re talking to each other.
COVID-19 was the theme of some of my collage/mural based paintings. I painted a photo that went viral, which was of a couple in China that was crying as they said goodbye (see slideshow below). The story is that the man was a doctor and he was going to help one of the hospitals in Wuhan that was in very bad shape and it was considered suicide for him to do so. That was the focal point of the painting, and then all over the painting I put the COVID-19 cells. I painted another photo in Italy under this same COVID-19 theme, of two doctors, one was very stressed sitting against the wall and covering their face with their hands, while the other doctor was placing a hand on the shoulder because of how stressful it was in Italy.
Ukraine has also been another theme. One of my paintings shows a heart with the colors of the Ukraine flag, but at the bottom of the heart is a little torn. The painting symbolizes great love for Ukraine but because of the hard times, it’s difficult to keep that love intact. Another painting was a bloody arm holding up the Ukrainian flag, symbolizing that its people are still strong and they’re still going to stand up for what’s right.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I have an interest in NFTs which are becoming a thing now, and I’m trying to figure out on a deeper level, what exactly that type of art form is. I’m also learning how to create art digitally. But I have a hard time following trends because I ask myself if that is what I really want to do, or would I be doing it because everybody else is? I won’t follow a trend just to get followers on social media because my heart wouldn’t be in it.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“How I work depends on my mood. Sometimes, I’ll just start painting without even an outline. I simply pick up the brush and paint whatever comes up. At other times, I’ll pick up a pencil, go to my sketchbook and sketch an outline. Then, I’ll think of what colors I should use, and all the other details. For example, I can decide to make the background a cool color palette and the foreground a warm color.”
“My art is about expressing my true emotions in the hopes that other people can feel connected and comforted because they feel the same way.
That’s the goal of my art; to touch someone’s heart and soul through what I paint.”
What process, materials, techniques, etc., do you use to create your artwork?
“I wasn’t really trained in art so everything I do is mostly self taught. I took one class when I was a freshman in high school, and another class when I was a senior in high school. I never took any of those classes seriously, and took them to just have fun in school.
I look up techniques on YouTube if there’s something that I’m trying to do and don’t know how to do it. If somebody was to watch me while I was drawing, they’d probably identify my technique, but as far as names and techniques go, I don't really know them.
My process is very relaxing and calming, and is a lot of fun. Before I start painting, I’ll meditate, go for a walk or listen to music, depending on the painting, I’ll look for music that matches the mood that I’m feeling and is in line with the ideas that I have in my head. With the right combination, I find myself more attached to the painting. Sometimes, I’ll burn some candles or incense, and maybe smoke a little weed because it’s legal in the part of the country that I live in. So, after creating my own atmosphere of total Zen and creativity, I’m ready to start painting or drawing.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My art is a means of expressing my true emotions. Since I was about 4 years old, I’ve always looked up to Bruce Lee. He talked about expressing yourself honestly. With any type of art, being able to express yourself and have that accepted by your peers in the in the art world, your family and by your friends is important.”
What is your favorite artwork and why?
“I absolutely love graffiti and street art, that’s what got me into art as it was all around me. I went to the Wynwood Miami street art gallery in Florida in the beginning of May this year — it was the most amazing thing that I saw while in Miami, apart from the South Beach. They had artists from everywhere. I particularly liked Kobra and his portraits. He was from Brazil.
I also like the works of Martin Whatson, Michael Vazquez, Tatiana Suarez, and Ernesto Maranje. Initially, I was never really interested in traditional art, I thought it was boring. But then I saw art on the walls and how vibrant the colors were, and I’d just stand there staring at the beauty of the artwork. It was there for everyone to see, and you didn’t have to go to a gallery.
Some graffiti and street artists that I watch on YouTube are Cope2, Kiptoe, Zexor (R.I.P), Sicoer, Alone, Ojea, Nemz, Earsnot, Robbo (R.I.P.), Enem, Claw, Dream (R.I.P.), Futura, Kansas, Banksy, Chino. And of course, there are the old school graffiti writers like Kase2 and Seen.
What is interesting is that now that I’m an artist, I can tell if somebody used brushes or if they used spray paint, and it becomes more fun trying to figure out.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“The first art exhibition I took part in was RAWartists:Premiere. It gave me the opportunity to get my first taste on what art shows were, how to set up for them and how to network and talk to other artists as well.
Recently, I have taken part in the following shows:
- Earth Fest art festival in Lakeland Florida.
- an art show at the Hartford Art Space Gallery.
- Blue and Yellow art show in Hartford. This was to help raise money for Ukraine get medical supplies. You can see more about it here.”
Instagram: @sol_cre8or
