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By
Traci Belanger
There
are new creators coming to the scene all of the time. That being
said, UVC would, from time to time, like our audience to cast their
collective thoughts toward some of the new talents we think you'll
like and hopefully will be on the rise. Please meet pBc - Peanut
Butter Cookiez:
So
you were born in the Philippines, but raised in Las Vegas - what
kind of culture clash did that cause?
I
was about 5 years old when I moved to the United States but I did
go back a couple of years ago and [they] are two different worlds.
My mom is from one of the provinces in the Philippines so she grew
up basically poor. Similar to my dad, he is from Jamaica so they
both kind of grew up in poverty.
The Filipinos are very humble people. That's something I've kept
with me growing up in the States…When I went to visit my family
there, most of them lived in little huts, barely even houses, made
of wood and bamboo. In the Philippines, they treat neighbors like
family. Although the majority of the people are poor in the province,
they are extremely happy, friendly, respectable…Vegas, that's an
entirely different story.
How did those cultures influence your art?
Many
different ways. I like to focus my art on people and the characteristics
of human beings in society and in their environment…on emotion and
expression. Since I come from a background of strong-willed individuals,
I like to capture power…drawing strong, heroic, unruly characters.
Living in Vegas, I've sort of developed this tough shell…that's
one of the reasons I like drawing tough characters. On the other
end of it, I also like capturing the "human" side of things…the
fragile, vulnerable side of a person or character.
On
your MySpace page you mention that you're a self-taught artist and
photographer. How did art enter your life?
As
soon as I could pick up a crayon, I used to scribble in the little
bedtime books my mom would read. Growing up as a quiet child, I
needed that channel of expression…I explored as many avenues of
art that I could to satisfy that need. I used to be really into
animation, particularly Japanese anime. I would draw and draw for
days…My freshmen year in high school [is] when I got into fine arts,
painting, portraits, photography, and graphic design. My notebooks
were always filled up with little doodles and drawings…I still find
myself doodling (in college). I took one art class in high school
and didn't like it much. I would prefer apprenticeship over any
school. One-on-one training with a master artist would be one of
my dreams.
You
also say you like to model. Do you see yourself as artwork?
Well,
modeling is fun every once in a while but I don't get into it too
much…modeling is as much as a part of art in the aspect that I get
to create different characters by dressing up, creating an atmosphere,
and assigning an emotion for the photo.
The
art on your MySpace page varies from "street or graffiti art"
to portrait painting. How do you define your style and technique?
That
gets very tricky. I like to call [it] the "do whatever, you
feel like you need to do" technique…I'm a very experimental
artist…way too antsy to settle for one style…a free-style artist…The
main reason many artists focus more on one particular style is for
marketing and recognition purposes and for that reason I do plan
to discover a style that I can easily repeat. I do want to master
numerous techniques. But for now it's all about experimenting.
You
name Simon Bisley and Hajime Sorayama as artistic influences. Your
artwork reminds me of the art in Heavy Metal or Juxtapose magazine.
Who else excites you artistically?
I
always feel excited just thinking about the answer to this question
because there are so many wonderful, extremely talented artists
that I look up to. I'm still a big fan of the Renaissance artists…Leonardo,
Caravaggio, Dali, and all of the original masters still amaze me.
Modern artists that I like include H.R. Giger, Michael Hussar, Nicola
Verlato, Sam Flores, James Jean.
Where
is your art going? Any grand projects or goals you've set for yourself
at this time?
Overall,
I see my art going in the direction God meant for it to go, following
my mission…to positively inspire youth and elder minds to recognize
their limitless potential as individuals by constantly challenging,
creating, improving, and reinventing themselves as part of human
evolution. That's something I do when I work on art and that's ultimately
what I would like to inspire others to do. I want to eventually
be an international artist…Work-wise, I've got a few product pieces
on the way, including t-shirts and prints. I've set quite a few
personal goals this year…gallery shows, more work in print, and
finishing up my main source of exposure, my website.
On
your MySpace page you say you "LOVE" television. What
are your favorite shows and how have they influenced you?
Did
I say that? I rarely watch TV…When I do I like to watch the informational
channels…National Geographic Channel …sometimes the Sci Fi and History
Channel as well…My favorite part of the day is watching Cartoon
Network at two o'clock in the morning eating a cup of chicken ramen
noodles and sipping on vanilla chamomile tea with honey and a cinnamon
stick. I watch a lot of movies…foreign films, horror, some indie
stuff. There are so many inspirations that come from film. Film
is a great form of art.
Where
can one see your work right now? Any upcoming shows?
Myspace
(haahaha.). My website's still in the works, as soon as it's complete
you can see all my work on www.pbcactivity.com. As far as shows
and events, I will have that posted on my website, but none planned
just yet.
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