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Dex Fernandez: Having It Made in NYC

Calcoon born mixed media creator on his friends, his art and Garpata

Dreame Diaries speaks to Dex Fernandez, the Caloocan born mixed-media artist whose bold art is flavored with the intricate spices of religion, stickers and most of all, the life of a Filipino in Diaspora.

What are you working on right now?  I am currently residing in New York City, completing my 6 months artist-in-residency. I am working on my project on street art and a mixed media project for my upcoming solo exhibition at Owen James Gallery in Greenpoint Brooklyn.

How do you find the images in your pieces? Through my experiences that I then translate into artistic approach.

Walk us through your process for creating. I hang around with my artistic friends, collecting inspiration from our chats. I also collect images from experiences and I always keep these visuals mind. When I face my canvas everything is spontaneous until I feel contented.

How does the artist community in Manila motivate and inspire your work? Through the energy that I get from them, I never stop working when I’m there and they always inspire me to do my stuff.

How does religion play into your art? Religion is like a spice in my art. Sometimes tasteful sometimes not.

Who are the humans we see in your pieces? Garapata* represents us.

How do you spend your free time?I spend my free time with friends. If I’m too lazy to go out, I just stay at home listening to music or watching movies.

What things can you not live without? Stickers.

If you could make art anywhere else in the world where would it be and why? I think it’s happening now in NYC.

*a black and white tick symbol which is graffitied across large cities to represent  Filipino Diaspora and high urban density.

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Dreame art gotcha feeling all kinds of...

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By Artist Sagi Arad of Tel Aviv

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Juliana Ruiz: The Life of a Latin American Nomad

Colombian artist on audiovisual creations, muralism & living forever on the move

Upon arriving in Buenos Aires (after traveling by foot from Medellin), the 26-year-old Colombian born artist found a community where she could hone her profession as an audiovisual communicator and a self-taught muralist and illustrator. After three years, Ruiz begins her journey around Latin America to create rolling cinema alongside residents living in the countrysides. With three projects and an unquenchable spirit, Juliana Ruiz is leaving her print on the Latin American art world.

Describe Cinema Nomada (Nomad Cinema):

During my second year of University, I was taking a class called History of Latin American cinema class. My teacher mentioned ‘Cine móvil’ (Mobile cinema.) It was a technique created by Octavio Cortázar, a cuban filmmaker during the revolution to show his movie in rural areas that don’t have movie theaters. I wanted to create my own rolling cinema. I began by visiting the town where I grew up, El Peñol, Antioquia. For six months I showed Colombian movies in a little school in the rural area of El Peñol. While I was there I started an audiovisual workshop and by the end of the workshop, the participants had made their own short film ‘Paseo a la represa.’

Once I returned to Buenos Aires, I couldn’t find a full time job, so I spent my time delving into my rolling cinema project, Cinema Nómada. I presented it last January to the mayor of Colón, Panamá and it was approved. I’ll be rolling with Cinema Nómada next summer in Colón. The final plan for the project includes showing movies while incorporating workshops in filmmaking, muralism and art using all recycled materials.

What is your process for creating?

I make a lot of lists, notebooks full of thoughts. At night, when I am at my most creative, I sit down, play music and start to review my notebooks. What comes is pure randomness, so I sit down and take a look into what other artists are creating and it gives me a motivational rush.

Describe the inspiration behind your project, La Huella Del Caminar (The Footprint of the Walker)?

The idea was born during my journey from Colombia to Argentina. I saw a lot of street art in Quito and Cusco. Many of the pieces were made by people from other countries. It was amazing to see how travelers were leaving their print. It was this beautiful intercultural exchange that inspired the idea to show my own experience and share it with others who have a similar vision. I wanted to spread my creations amongst muralists, travelers and locals alike, to learn from others and find commonalities that gather us as humans and move beyond borders or beliefs. Usually I am more involved in the artistic aspect, but for this project I am using my studies in Communication and Cultural Creation to develop and plan the project: budget, social media and artist coordination.

How do you think traveling and art correlate, why is movement so important for the artist?

The day I discovered I wanted to work globally and not settle in one place, I started to think of ways to merge the ‘nomadic’ lifestyle with my desire to share what I’ve learned and to learn from others. Projects like Cinema Nomada and La Huella Del Caminar are the beginnings of my journey.

What is your favorite medium of art and why?

Illustration comes most naturally for me, but I definitely merge all styles. I begin my murals with a drawing and then I add color and design to my outline. My main incentive right now is to create a film that includes all stages of mural making. We are trying to spread our artwork across all mediums – to extend the message that dreams don’t just manifest out of nothing, they need to be worked on and built everyday.

Please tell us more about your project JUGO.

JUGO is a creative laboratory I started with three of my friends: Manuela Monselva is a muralist, PickaBel is a graphic designer and an amazing visual artist and Laura Gamboa is a marvelous photographer. We are the base of JUGO, but there are others who help us with greater tasks.  We are painting the walls of hostels, bars and restaurants around Buenos Aires while involving kids and teens in lows-income neighborhoods.

What is your first memory of creating art?

Kindergarden! The teachers gave us huge sheets of paper. We had to walk, dance and jump on the paper with our feet full of paint. Come to think of it, I think this is was the inspiration for The Footprint of the Walker.

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6 Artists Recreate Lena Dunham’s Hilarious Dream

Surreal artwork based on Lena's dream from her memoir 'Not That Kind of Girl.'

My most frequently recurring dream is one in which I suddenly remember I have a number of pets living in my home that I haven’t tended to in years. Rabbits, hamsters, iguanas, stacked in dirty cages in my closet beneath the bed. Terrified, I open the door, and the light touches them for the first time in ages. Desperate I dig through the clumped, wet, wood chips. I’m afraid they’re decomposing in there, but I find them still alive, thin and milky eyed and filthy. I know that I loved them once, that they had a better life before I got so distracted with work and myself and let them shrivel up and nearly die. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, ‘ I tell them as I clean their cages and fill their bottles with fresh water. ‘How can I make it up to you?’

Rabbits, hamsters, iguanas, stacked in dirty cages in my closet beneath the bed.

By Natasha Kostovskas of Skopje, Macedonia.

Terrified, I open the door, and the light touches them for the first time in ages.

By Nathan Gotlib of Venice, Italy.

I got so distracted with work and myself and let them shrivel up and nearly die.

By Sandra Smouha of Geneva, Switzerland.

I suddenly remember I have a number of pets living in my home that I haven’t tended to in years.

By LeetchiSan of Johannesburg, South Africa.

I find them still alive, thin and milky eyed and filthy.

By Natasha Wigoder of London, United Kingdom.

‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, ‘ I tell them as I clean their cages and fill their bottles with fresh water.

By Emre Karacan of Eskisehir, Turkey.

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Stunning anniversary gift created by artist Felipe Duque via www.dreame.me! 🌹

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Jason Segal and Me by Dokino Dee of www.dreame.me

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Love, Struggles and Beautiful Accidents

Filipino Artist Nikki Radan on Life as a Freelance Illustrator, Love Quotes and Learning from Dad

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on some new watercolor paintings for the next arts-and-crafts fair that we will be joining next month and an illustration for a product review on the new paints we bought online – the fruit of our work for Dreame. Yay to productivity!

Describe a day in the life of artist, Nikki Radan.

A day in my life as an artist is a day full of love and struggles. Artsy adventures, beautiful accidents which leads to new ideas, colorful failures and exciting new stories. As well as, dripping watercolors, iced coffee or milktea in cozy cafes and a lot of other experiences that make my soul grow.

Which Musicians, artists, authors, etc. influence your art?

I admire so many amazing artists around the world but to name a few Hikari Shimoda and May Ann Licudine are among those who inspire me a lot.

You show versatility in a variety of mediums: sculpting, digital art, illustrating and watercolor being a few. Do you have a favorite and why?

My favorite medium would be watercolors. There is just that magical feeling when I’m painting with watercolors. Painting digitally is fun, but the feeling of actually dipping the brush in my watercolor palette and stroking it against a textured paper is a lot more fun!

I really love and enjoy each step of painting with watercolors. From visiting our local art stores for paper, brushes and paints, preparing/stretching the paper, squeezing out colorful paints from their tubes, mixing colors and slowly painting each figure until I complete the whole image. It is also relaxing to watch the paint spread itself on a damp paper, there is always that element of surprise. Also knowing that there is no ‘ctrl z’ to undo a mistake adds excitement. Even if there is a mistake, watercolors are so beautiful that it doesn’t look like mistake at all.

You’ve recently been doing a lot more sculpting and clayworking, how is it to make the transition from digital art to more physical work?

It feels great! Since I was a child I’ve been really into all things handmade. Claywork is fun, I like the feeling of the clay in my hands and messing around with it until I finally achieve what I wanted to create. Through this and other art activities I’m able to avoid having a monotonous day. Creating all of the things I love is a refreshing experience.

A lot of the pieces you create are centered around femininity and girlhood, are these inspired by women you know?

Most of my works are inspired by dreams, thoughts, memories, feeling and experiences. I usually draw little girls to depict innocence and the feelings that I want them to portray.

Being a self taught illustrator, what sets you apart from trained artists?

Every artist is unique in every way. Personally, I learned by discovering, so there are no rules. I do things freely which allows me to open a lot of possibilities.

Can you describe your work routine?

For watercolor paintings, first I try to imagine what I want to paint, I sketch it on paper and then I tape it on a board or any flat surface. I usually use a cake tray because I can move it around. Then I gather all of my paints and brushes (I use a Chinese brush), a glass of water and some cloth or paper for brush cleaning purposes. Then I start to paint the first wash layers on to my paper, I let the paint dry for a couple of minutes before I add the next layers of paint until the whole image is done. I like using a lot of pastels and candy colors such as hot pink, yellow, green, red-violet and so on. Sometimes when I feel extra inspired, I try to finish the whole painting within a day, but usually I do take breaks to relax my eyes and hands.

What will we find in your studio space?

A lot of mushroom sculptures, artworks, art books, glasses of paint tubes varying from watercolors, acrylics, oils and colored pencils. I also have brushes, a lot of papers, a microscope, my computer and a various other items.

What is the artist community like in Manila? How is life as an artist growing up on an island? How important/ influential is the local community?

There are a lot of art related events going here specially in manila, from art exhibits, arts-and-crafts fairs, art workshops, free museum tours, etc. I think the art scene is getting more and more active as the days pass.

What is your earliest memory of creating art?

My earliest memory of creating art was when I was a child. My father would draw a simple image while telling a story about it. From then on I was very interested in drawing. Then I went to kindergarten where I discovered the wonderful world of crayons, scissors, colored papers, world maps and other artsy school stuff we didn’t have at home. From then on I discovered the endless possibilities of the imagination.

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The Bland and Beautiful World of Xtian Torres

Filipino Artist Xtian on turning frustrations, fears and questions into art

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on some paintings that we will be showcasing at the next arts and crafts fair. I am also updating my online profile now because I need a decent source of money.

Describe a day in the life of artist, Xtian Torres.

My day as an artist is bland and full of struggles. It’s like a survival of the fittest. You have to take little and big steps in order to survive. On the other hand, I meet a lot of people with great minds, great philosophies and strong life principles.

Which Musicians, artists, authors, etc. inspire your art?

A lot of people actually, especially artists. Hikari Shimoda has a special place in my heart.

Who most influences you in your local art community of Manila?

Maybe May Ann Licudine and Dex Fernandez.

You use mixed media when making art, both watercolor and digital art, will you describe your process of creating.

I sometimes mix both. I create random watercolor dabs, scan them and use them as my brush to color my drawings. I prefer working this way if I’m working on a digital piece.

Your pieces are very colorful and bright, yet they also contain darkness and pain. Can you describe the force behind this mix.

They contradict, yet they jive well. I like contradictions and sarcasm. I want my work to be seen as happy at first glance and for the emotion to grow as the viewer looks longer. My work tackles my frustrations, fears and questions about life and existence.

How does being an artist in the Philippines differentiate you from other artists in say New York or Berlin?

I can’t really answer that since I haven’t been in any other country yet. Philippines’ artist circle is just small. Almost everybody knows each other.

What will we find in your studio space?

My phone, a glass of water, my watercolor paints, colored pencils, papers and my collection of photographs that I’ve taken.

If you could be an artist anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why?

Maybe in Japan or New York because  these places are havens for artists. Opportunities are all around.

Name 4 words to describe your art.

Colorful, random, happy, sad.

What is your earliest memory of creating art?

I remember when my father used to bring bond papers with typewritten lettering on the front. He’d bring home all kinds of scrapped documents from the office. I’d draw cartoon characters on the back of the papers. That’s how I learned to draw.

Create a custom work of art with Xtian at Dreame!