We met up at the Delano Hotel’s Rose Bar on a Wednesday — Eddy Bogaert, NYC based artist, wore red jeans and a charcoal tee with his red suspenders dangling on his waist like a drunken cowboy. The ladies in the stool next to the bar were staring at him in a sensual manner. He turned to the beautiful bartender and ordered the dirtiest martini they had. This was just the beginning of our Questions & Answers…
What are you working on right now that you’re most excited about?
I’m working on painting a G6 (a private jet) for a client right now and I just finished painting a Lamborghini sports car for Super Cars of Miami. I’m also really looking forward to taking care of art week in LA, a show in St.Barts and another race car in Abu Dhabi. I’m working on selling more of my paintings into different galleries all over the world. I actually sold two paintings today to someone in Chicago. I am thrilled with the way my artwork looks printed on silk carpets thanks to the help of Marc Phillips, who actually sponsored us for Art Basel, which was a great success. My most recent catalog of work is always available for commission, I encourage people in Miami to buy my art because Miami is home to me and I enjoy creating one-of-a-kind custom pieces too. Wilhelmina Modeling Agency just had their men’s fashion week based on my art as well.
What is your ethnic background, Eddy?
My mother was from Dominican Republic and my father from Belgium. My mom actually passed away in 2006, the pain never goes away but I’m trying my best to make her proud. My art usually has a depiction of a female figure hidden underneath more layers of paint, symbolizing a longing for my mother and my desperate need for love. I believe every artist has a story that makes you feel at ease with yourself and your soul: this is my story, I wear it on my sleeve like I wear my painting on my leather jacket.
What artists do you look up to?
I look up to figurative painter, Francis Bacon, because of his bold, emotional and raw imagery in his paintings. I also like the style of Spanish-American artist, Domingo Zapata with his colorful and chaotic way of painting. I really love the works of English artist, Damien Hirst too, along with admiring his techniques and the way he does his PR.
What is art to you?
Art is a reflection of my reality. My art is my escape — I went through struggle in my life, I give the canvas human characteristics that mirror what I’m feeling at the time. If I’m happy, I paint. If I’m sad, I paint. I love beauty, I originally wanted to pursue modeling based on that love but I transferred that same concept into my paintings. I need to start getting deeper though, I’m trying to show a new side of me too. One side is happy and one is more chaotic and crazy. I don’t do it for the money or fame, those are all just perks to me.
What creative medium do you wish to pursue that you haven’t yet?
I currently work with mixed media: from spray paint, to acrylic to markers and crayons, to collage and glue. I also make patterns that are transparent, adding depth and mystery to my paintings, similar to that of a human persona: the mask is up but underneath is the depth and true colors, which in my paintings you can actually see with a blacklight or 3-D glasses. A common theme in my work is personifying the art, giving them human characteristics. My paintings come out very three-dimensional because of the layers and depth that I add to them. Although I already am creative and experimentative with my materials, I still would like to start working with metal and sculpture. Obviously, this is not something that you just pick up and start doing straight away, so I will need to research using websites like Weldinginsider.com and perhaps take some classes to learn how to do it. But I think it’s possible and I’m excited to try it. I also want to add photography into my artworks.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Never give up. Perseverance will get you places. Keep working and keep active: follow through on what you start and keep developing and evolving. I’ve come a long way from sleeping on rooftops and trains. I currently have myself a king sized-bed to sleep in and I’ve also been gaining attention from art galleries and art enthusiasts but it wasn’t always like that. I still have a long way to go, in terms of inner conscience and outer expression.Through this journey, you have to learn who your friends are and who your enemies are in order to succeed, that’s really important. Be true to yourself and keep your integrity as in-tact as possible, only then will you persevere.
PHOTO GALLERY
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