I had the privilege, long ago, of seeing numerous paintings done by Brett with oil paint and a series of different sized spoons, in person, in his then small apartment while he was finishing up a few. He was creating spot-on large versions of cereal boxes from the sixties and seventies.
The best advice that I’ve been given is to work from Life a lot. A lot of Life drawing sketches because that’ll give you a good solid knowledge of reality, but at the same time work from your imagination and try to be honest and genuine with your vision. Own what you do.
On September 11, 2001, both Vigiano brothers responded to the call from the World Trade Center, and both were killed while saving others. Here, John Sr. remembers his sons and reflects on coping with his tremendous loss.
He mixes comic book icons with the idea of the homeless or the struggles of the street and paints pieces so rich in color and feeling I can’t stand it and get severely jealous of his gifts and his output. (Chris Bonno)
Best advice received: I’m rather fond of the expression “Under-Promise but Over-Deliver” (a former boss of mine said) when it comes to the work I do for any client. I like the idea of not making too ambitious a promise about the work I will do, but then going that extra mile so the client feels that I went far beyond their expectations.
I’m excited when I get an assignment from an art director to solve their problems visually with my style, talent and choices. It’s challenging, and an illustration could go South so easily if I make poor choices so the challenge is in coming up with a strong concept and executing it with skill, craft and as much panache as I can afford.
