This installment of Artiscopic focuses on Inge Vandormael, an artist and member of the prestigious art group “Breed” whose work is characterized by an acute awareness of the natural order of living things.
Captured by Mortality (detail) © Vandormael
1. What drives you to make the work that you make?
I’m mostly driven by questions that keep me occupied in daily life.What awaits us after our life is over here on earth?
How do we undergo our transformation from a pupa to a full grown butterfly to a life unknown? Is our path on earth stippled out before we even take our first breath?
Do we rise from the ashes, or does life end once we have released our last breath?
Is there something as a higher power, or is that just a creation by human kind, to have something to fall back on in difficult times? Or we finite or infinite creatures?
Immortality. Mortality. Transformation. Metamorphosis.
Those are the keywords.
2. What are you working on now?
I’m working on a few things at the moment, some with deadlines, others just for my own enjoyment.
I have two traditional paintings to finish by the end of February. Unfortunately I am the worst procrastinator you have ever encountered. The work gets always done in time, but always last minute. I’m also working on my half of two Exquisite Corpses, which is a surprisingly fun project to work on. In between the projects already mentioned, I’m currently working on a new series, called “Mortality Triumphs”.
Art is a never ending story.
Butterfly and Skull Collection (detail) © Vandormael
3. How do you feel about artwork that is made using digital tools?
My jaw constantly drops when I’m viewing digital artwork. I’m truly amazed by what artists are able to create digitally. Certain digital works are very hard to detect as such, they have a very traditional art look to them. I for one have ventured into the digital art medium, mainly by coloring other artists work, but something seems to be missing.I miss the physical aspect of painting. I like to touch my paintbrushes, mix my paint, and enjoy seeing a painting take form on paper or canvas.
Divided Mind (detail) © Vandormael
4. Where do you think the work you’ve made will be 100 years from now?
In a perfect world, my works would be spread all over the world, hang on living room, bedroom, and even bathroom walls. But since we live in a world that’s far from perfect, I would like to think that some of my work would be owned by friends and some fellow artists. Oh wait, did you say 100 years? Well, that’s a whole other story. I hope my work will be recycled, and be used to create a supersonic toilet bowl. Now that would make me feel special.
5.Ology refers to “the study of”. What is your Ology?
Painting would be the obvious answer. I like to study other artists’ works, visit museums and art galleries, browse the art section in book stores. I enjoy having discussions with friends about art, and the effect it has on life around us.
You can see more of Vandormael ’s work at: http://alexiou.deviantart.com.
