Monday Post 2-22-08

Mario Zampedroni

Born in Milan in 1945, Zampedroni was only 13 when he attended Castello Sforzesco's High School of ARt in Milan. He participated in painting competitions until the 70's. He then gained degrees in Graphics and Advertising, as well as studying at Polytechnic in Milan. Afterward, he began working as a designer and an executive in the furnishing industry. Now, he paints full time, though he also does photography. His abstract paintings hint at landscapes and floral arrangements, and are often named as such. I found his images helpful in helping perceive landscapes in a more abstract manner. The first step in my work is to find something in the real world to photograph. Sometimes I am intrigued by an abstract quality something has, which later resembles a landscape after manipulation. Other times I take a photograph because I think that what I'm looking at may resemble a particular landscape. When I began, I was mostly working in the first mode, but as I progress more and more I am focusing on that first type of quality, not only to shoot more efficiently, but to guarantee myself that I'll have something to work with when I come back that won't look like a landscape I've already shot. But often times, the pictures that end up looking like landscapes are surprising, especially when I use the invert tool. By looking at these abstract landscapes however, I feel I'm gaining a better idea of how to find the objects in the real world that will have the look I want.

Website:
http://www.zampedroni.com/

Gallery:
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Mario+Zampedroni/10851.html

Interview:
http://www.artquotes.net/artists/zampedroni/artist-interview.htm