Dominique Baduel from Exton Oakham Rutland UK, took time to to talk to us about his art.
Here is our interview:
Please describe your artwork style
My work is digital. I am blending pictures on my computer using double exposure techniques, my main subjects are portraits of women which I fuse within various landscapes. I move away from the reality of the initial pictures to create a surreal hybrid,resulting into an intriguing concoction visually full with emotion.
What’s your background?
I am French and was born in a small medieval town in south west France called Figeac. It is also the birth place of Jean François Champollion who succeeded in deciphering hieroglyphics, the ancient script of Egypt, from the Rosetta Stone, and numerous other documents. NowadaysI live and work in the UK.
How long have you been an artist?
I have been an artist since childhood starting with music and playing the violin then in my twenties making paper collages then painting water colours. With the arrival of the internet in the new millennium I have since started to work digitally on my computer.
Who or what are your biggest influences?
First of all my older brother with whom I share my passion of art, he is also an artist and very good at drawing with pastel. Then they are painters such as Caspar David Friedrich for his romantic landscape and contemplative human silhouettes, Salvador Dali with his surrealistic vision, then Antonio Mora for his digital art work. Finally there is three writers Charles Beaudolaire with his masterpiece of poetry “Les Fleurs du Mal” and both Edgard Poe and Jules Verne with their vision of the fantastic!!!
How have you developed your career?
With the help of social media such as Facebook Instagram Pinterest but also Deviant Art, and building my own website also attending various exhibitions.
Which current art world trends are you following?
I am not following any specific art trends as such. But I like to go to London and see exhibitions I went early on this year to the Tate Gallery to see the paintings of Amedeo Modigliani but also went to the monochrome exhibition at the National Gallery.
Where do you create your work?
I do all of my work at home I could not work anywhere else.
What do you feel is the role of the artist in society?
Artists record history for future generations. They see things in a totally different way, challenging the boundaries of rules, society, and imagination through emotions, colour and texture.
What techniques / mediums do you use?
I am using double exposure techniques then add layers and depth using various software on my computer. My work is digital.
Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?
I think they are both part of a same thing, one cannot dissociate one from the other, if the subject is the beginning of an art work then the way it is executed is surely the accomplishment.
How do you feel when you are letting your emotions loose on the canvas?
I a feel complete and fulfilled.
What project are you working on now?
I am always working on new projects - I am quite prolific!
Any current or up-coming exhibitions?
Yes with the association Garozartistes at the 3ème salon de Gragnague in France next to Toulouse 14-15 April 2018. Then in Leicester at the Cank Street Gallery for their summer open art Exhibition (dates to be confirmed).
Where do you find your ideas for your work?
Through images I found browsing through online databases, magazines and blogs. My main source of inspiration are the forest and the sea.I like Greek mythology but also German romanticism the poets painters and musicians. I also like geology and astronomy and collecting minerals, I am fascinated by the landscapes from northern countries such as Norway and Iceland but also Antarctica with the aurora phenomenon.
Is there an artwork you are most proud of?Why?
My favourite work is called “portrait démoli” (demolition portrait) it represents innocence purity and the survival of beauty in a violent world of chaos and destruction.
How do you know when a work is finished?
When nothing more can be done to improve the work. But I also share Leonardo da Vinci say “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
My computer and a connected wifi.
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? Why?
Yes light because out of darkness comes light! Without it a work of art looks dull and unattractive, lifeless and boring.
