Philippe PIPO - Switzerland
About the artist
Member since 2011-02-28
This colorful story begins at the Red Cross hospital in Zurich on the
eleventh day in november, the year is 1977. Elvis has died that same
year while others just begin their journey, my birth certificate shows
the following repeating numbers as my date of birth, 11.11.11.11.1977.
My early educational career began just as mysterious as my date of
birth. While other kids were on time for kindergarden class i was more
interested in counting snails along the way or collecting dewdrops with
my hat.
Since then i have visited countless schools in different parts of
switzerland before i moved to the United Staates where i graduated in
2006 with an Associates of Arts (with emphasis on photography) from the
Community College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Throughout my early
childhood until now i have always found pleasure in painting. During the
seven years i have spent in Las Vegas i have set up a little studio in
the garage and i started to paint larger scale canvases with Acryl and
oil sticks. While it was a hobby i enjoied besides school some people
started to show interest in my paintings and i, for the first time, sold
some works.
After graduating i decided to move back to Switzerland. I took on some
jobs and finished two apprenticeships in the film industry for which my
interest seemed to fade away slowly. I started to work several odd jobs
to pay for rent and setup a new little studio in my cellar. Mostly
through my brothers connections, people in Zurich got aware of my
paintings and soon after i had the chance for my first solo exhibition
at the Mad Art Gallery in 2008. The show went really good, i sold half
of the pieces and more importantly i have gotten loads of good feedback
and have ever since been asked to produce new works.
Whenever i`m asked what the meaning behind a certain painting is i must
admit that a lot of times i do not know it for myself, Mostly a meaning
emerges over a certain period of time after i have walked past a
painting over and over again and reflected upon it. I have never seen my
paintings as anything grounbreaking but in the end the shoe fits and i
find satisfaction in what i have created.To me, painting is to love, to
create something fresh with my own two hands. When i paint i`m on
another level, a place where i feel comfort, strenght and pleasure.
Oftentimes the themes are saints and sinners, love and hate, kings and
fools, in general things that stand in contrast to one another. It is a
way to process certain feelings and emotions for me. Since canvas is
quite expensive i paint on whatever is around, if i see an object, a big
cardboard or a large piece of wood i just pick it up from the street
and paint it. I like the idea that one can turn trash into something
brandnew
and give the object back some life. Like lots of artists i do not like
to talk about art or a certain piece of work, i believe that a piece
should stand on its own and either one finds pleasure in it or not, i
like the idea that every viewer sees an image differently and that a
piece can evoke multiple feelings and emotions.
Skills
- Drawing
- Illustration
- Painting
- Digital Photography
- Graphic Design
