Interview with Francesco Mai
Hi could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in CG and are you self taught or taken some training?
Hello everybody, in a special way to the staff of CGArena who permitted me to accomplished this interview. Well, I was born in Milan, Italy 34 years ago. Except to be a (digital) artist I am also a reportage photographer. I am self taught in both disciplines since ten years. I came from scientific studies of Biology. When I was child I was fascinated from organic shapes and certain structures of animals and vegetables. Sure that my university studies influenced my creation of forms that I use in my artistic research. I met the early world of Computer Graphic many years ago with the mythical Amiga 500 and a software called "Sculpt 3D" (that I keep jealously) from Byte by Byte and written by Eric Graham. But later I was dazzled with Lightwave 3D 5 (from Newtek).Then, with the passing of the years, the natural development of software and hardware always more powerful made the rest.
As far as I can see, your every image are of abstract shapes, why is this? Have you ever created something else such as an animal, human or a landscape?
You are right. Until now I always create abstract organic shapes. At the end they are the most important, significant and fulfilling for my personal concept of art. Every day I see the "real" objects and although I am a Nature lover and not tempted to recreate animals, characters or landscape but rather elaborate them with the filter of my soul.
From where you get all the inspiration and which artists work/style you like the most?
I take inspiration from observing some organic structures for examples shells or crust oceans. Also many scanning electron microscope images are extremely enchanting especially because with this instrument of survey is possible to penetrate so closely to the matter and go beyond our limit of vision. When you take a look my artworks you can easily understand that I really amazed from surfaces (especially metals) corroded by the passing of time. I also attracted from diametrically opposite materials:smoothed, reflective, chromed and translucent at the same time. I use both materials often in my composition to reach strong equilibrium and energy. Concerning my favorite artist I can say only a word: H.R.Giger! Often somebody try to related my Art to Moore or Pomodoro brothers and Giger of course. But I don't like that the artist must always link together another one. Giger is Giger, Moore is Moore and Mai is Mai.
What was the reason of chosen Modo as your main software in your arsenal and which thing you like to change/improve in the upcoming versions of Modo?
I have chosen Luxology's modo as consequence of Lightwave 3d modeler's natural evolution. Many people know that behind Luxology there is the NewTek’s mind and as I always worked with LW3D the choice was naturally. The most relevant aspect of this software is the huge power of modeling. With "few" mouse clicks you can develop some very interesting basic shapes that I can elaborate with the powerful modo's tools. Moreover is funny to use and also very configurable, fast and fulfilling. I hope for the next version that there will be more procedural textures; in fact I use them a lot during my rendering (that I make with Cinema 4d and Lightwave 3d) for simulate the real material. By the way, I used modo for render very few time because his limit of procedural textures and is a pity because modo's rendering engine is terrible powerful and fast. I would also like a more effectiveness system of anti-aliasing.
How you sell your artwork and what was the cost if anyone likes to buy? Is there any website where you sell the artwork?
Usually I sell my works during exhibition around the world but also personally in my studio and in my own gallery. The most production of my artworks is a limited edition of 9 pieces each one, printed with Lambda system from a minimum of 75*50 to the larger 160*120. I would like to specify that my native rendered images have a very big resolution until 16.000*10.000 pixels. This allows me to print a very large dimension with an incredible level of detail; I do not use interpolation. The price to pay for big dimension is the rendering time. In fact I need minimum two days until two weeks to render on a 4 core Opteron CPU (only for render, no modeling and no texturing), especially when I use refractive, reflective and transparent material. My artworks would be seen from near to appreciate the smallest details. Concerning the prices I can say that now they are in a range of 1500-3000 euro each one (for the limited edition of 9). There is also a part of my production that is destined for a unlimited edition printed on canvas: you can buy them at www.next2art.com under Alien Sculpture (here the price is less).There is also another one for American market called www.moreart.com It is clear that you buy directly from me you can find cheaper price.
|
|
|
