ART

June-July 2009

The purgatory 

of Lea Barozzi

"Spider Girl"
Oil on Canvas

"Praying Mantis"
Oil on Canvas

"No One Is Free"
Oil on Canvas

"Lacivious Bibliotecaria"
(The Librarian)
Oil on Canvas

"Lasius Alienus"
Oil on Canvas

"Requiem"
Oil on Canvas

Lea Barozzi

Los Angeles artist and illustrator Lea Barozzi, in and out of character

Lea Barozzi moved to Los Angeles eight years ago to be an actress. Since then she has fought Angels and Demons for possession of her unborn child's soul, went on to become a Chemical Engineer, a Mob Boss' Bikini-Clad Girlfriend, a Guitar-Playing Beat Poet, a Butch Lesbian, and, she killed a man -- but not in Reno. "It was here in Cali." After deciding acting is not for her, Barozzi went back to school. "Art," she writes, "spoke to her little black tortured punk rock heart in a away that acting never had. Now she is much happier painting demons then becoming them."

Q) Where are you from (geographically, and I don't mean Mars)?

A) I was born in Dearborn, MI, but we moved all over before settling in Colorado for about 10 years, currently I reside in Los Angeles.
  
Q) What prompted you to paint? who/what were your influences?
A) I just wanted to do it. I am a late bloomer in the art world. I started taking oil classes about 4 years ago.  I was really, really bad, lol, but I wanted to paint and express myself so bad that I did not give up, and now I learn something, that I feel makes me a better artist, with every piece. I had an art teacher who believed in me and made me feel like I had interesting concepts.
     My influences are Mark Ryden, Glenn Barr, Greg Craola Simkins, Glenn Arthur, Dan May, and many other illustrators and pop surrealists.
 
Q) What medium do you like best? I see you work in oils, but what about watercolors, pen and ink, charcoal, and the rest? What do you like about oils (technically)? What kinds of paints do you use? Why the preference?
A) I love oils. I like the control I have over them, I also like the tactile experience of mushing them together to get the shadows and variations you want. I cannot control watercolors, plus I like opacity. Acrylics dry so fast they stress me out. I use Old Holland Oils because they are the creamiest and the most opaque.
 
 
Q) Who is your 'favorite artist (s)'? is s/he the flavor of the day?
A) My fav is Mark Ryden. Though very popular, I think his skill level transcends the flavor of the day.
 
Q) What's art have to do with your long-term goals?
A) Well, it’s all I want to do. I want to paint and illustrate, show in galleries. It is who I am and how I support myself, now and hopefully in the future.
  
Q) Acting seems to have been a major "goal" in your life.... What changed?
    What did you like about acting? What didn't you like?
A) My whole life I thought I wanted to be an actor. Growing up away from Los Angeles, I was under the impression that people were actors for the art of it. I also though hanging out with other actors, would be like hanging out with other artists. They would be individuals, that had different view points and different likes and dislikes. Well the reality was a huge disappointment. Most other people in the entertainment biz were only in it for fame. And it was not like hanging out with artists, but like hanging out with a bunch of sheep that liked whatever they were told to like and agreed with whatever would get them their next gig. They were yuppies who liked everything the media told them to like, no matter how crappy it was! Plus it was all about how you looked. It did not matter how bad an actor you were, just how you looked and who you knew. It was too stressful for me to worry about my looks constantly. Looks come and go, I would rather develop something more interesting like my brain. I want people to like me for me, not for how I look or what I can do for them. So it was making me miserable and I quit. Quite happily! I’m a hard worker, so it was hard for me to quit, but I did not like anything about it anymore, I had had all love of it burned out of me by the sleaziness and fakeness of the business. Besides I love being happy, and even famous people seem pretty miserable in their personal lives. I decided I would rather have a happy personal life, then be a famous actor. I know a lot of people feel differently, but hey, that’s me. We all have to live life for ourselves.
 
Q) You're a punk-er at heart, but you also readily call yourself a dork... What's that about?
A) Well, most people who turn to punk as kids are outsiders. And I think dorks are cool. They usually have personalities, and are interesting and fun to hang out with. I am goofy, and love to poke fun at myself and others. I don’t mind making myself look dorky if it makes my friends laugh. And I like traditional geeky things: sci-fi/fantasy books (read every single night no matter what), video games ( I lost 6 months to World of Warcraft, lol).  And yeah I love punk, I have since I was a teenager, and that love never ever died. Punk is about not following rules and not conforming, though as an adult I recognize we all conform a bit. And the music is so full of great energy. I think you can be a punk rocker and a dork, I think most are, lol. Dork is not a bad thing, I think it just means being yourself, and not subscribing to the theory that there is some pre-laid out way you need to act and dress and talk to be cool.

Q) How do you work best? with music? In silence?With the TV on?
A) In the studio, I play music, and I enjoy chatting with the other artists I share space with. At home for some reason I turn on really bad tv, and barely pay attention, but I like the background.
  
Q) Stylistically, what's the intent of your painting? How do you see yourself developing technique?
A) My intent is to bring the viewer into the piece so that they can empathize with the feeling the painting is meant to evoke. I want them to be attracted to it but a bit unsettled also. I am constantly trying to develop my technique and skills. I like painting precisely, so I strive to be more precise and detailed with each piece. I hope to get even smoother gradients and even more precise brush strokes with every piece I create.
 
Q) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
A) In 5 years working as an illustrator and showing galleries, in 10 years I would like to be exclusively working on my own stuff and just showing galleries. We’ll see how that all works out :D      ragazine.cc

When she isn't painting, Lea makes a living as a graphic designer and illustrator. She is a member of the Society of Illustrators, LA, and The Professional Association for Design (AIGA). She can be reached through her web site, www.leabarozzi.com.

Artist's Statement:

The aesthetic world of Lea Barozzi is a purgatorial realm where a living fog sustains a sense of static tension and freezes the emotional states of its subjects in contemplative introspection. It is punctuated by symbolic props that engage the viewer with instant metaphorical recognition and elements of surprise which draw on our love of mystery. It is populated with little blue maidens and echoes of discarded dolls who are no strangers to loneliness but persevere to find their way in the dark out of the corners they have found themselves painted into.

Lea's art helps us to explore the perils and peace in the isolation we all find ourselves reluctantly enjoying when no one else is there.

Denis Bezmelnitsin:

Works on Paper

"Genesis"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2008
From Italian series

The Demiurge
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2006
From Italian series

"In Exile is Silent about the Mystery"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2006
From Italian series

"Iliad - The Exploits of Diomedes"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2006
From Italian series

"Madonna with a Rockflower"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2008
From Italian series

"Moonlit Landscape"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2007
From Italian Series

"I Have Come to this World to See the Sun"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2006
From Italian Series

"Metaphysician"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2008
From Cosmogonic Series

"The Madonna"
100 x 70 cm., pastel on paper, 2007
From Italian Series