Alex Marmarellis

Which new trends or South African artists do you find inspiring at the moment?
Two very different artists: Philip Barlow and Kilmany-Jo Liversage
 
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
Argenteuil by Edouard Manet

How did you get started? Did you always want to be an artist?
I have been creative from a very young age, working with different mediums and styles. Drawing and painting has been with me all my life and only recently in the past 8 years I have taken it to a more seriously.

What are some of the key themes you explore in your work?
People, Everyday life. Shadows. Reflections. Sun Light. Sky. Beautiful images.  City scenes.

What inspired your latest body of work?
Watching people move around daily from different views…be it going up the escalator or from 1st,2nd or 10th floor or a walk along an beach front or city streets.

So often I photograph people from a high view point so as not not disturb them going about their natural day.  I wonder about peoples mixed daily plans and how some people seem to have such pressing schedules and some seem to just aimlessly wonder about.  I find people’s daily routines quite entertaining and love to sit in a coffee shop with a big window and a really good cup of coffee in hand.

Tell us more about your creative process when making your art.
I love to source my own images,and am always carrying a camera with me.  I have learnt that you can never know when the opportunity for a great image will pop up.  I take hundreds of images and then go through them 1 by 1,  looking for a handful that will work on their own or together…even just a portion of a image can be inspiring to me.
I cut and paste people from one image into another depending on what I want the final out come to be and what will work best on the size canvas I have chosen.  My medium preference is acrylic paint on canvas.

What drives you as an artist?
My passion & love for art has been with me for as long as i can remember.  I am happiest when there is no box or time that restricts me and easily get lost in the creative space.  It is the closet one can be to that childlike, care-free play that adults can easily forgo.
 
Do you have a favourite or most meaningful work?
I have a handful but one that stands out is one I did of my Dad on the beach in my final year at school.

 What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
Giving back in appreciating value of my art to all my friends and family that supported my growth as an artist
 
What are your aspirations for the future?
To continue to do what i love and inspire the creativity in my two daughters.