I’ve wanted to be an artist all my life. Since I was a child I’ve drawn on any scrap of paper I could get a hold of. My earliest inspirations were the Peanuts comic strip and the Marvel comic books. When I went to San Jose State University, I became more exposed to the works of the great fine artists and illustrators. My college paintings were heavily influenced by the humorous illustrations of Peter De Seve, an illustrator for the New Yorker magazine. I also fell under the spell of the great muralists of the 1930s, especially Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera. I graduated with a degree in Illustration.
Since my time in college, my goal has been to be a successful children’s book illustrator. I’ve illustrated 3 books: Two Moms the Zark and Me by Johnny Valentine in 1993; Night Travelers by Sue Hill in 1994; and Cherubic Children’s New Classic Story Book Volume 2 for Cherubic Press in 1998. I’ve painted murals for Lester Shields Elementary School in San Jose, the Berryessa branch of the San Jose Public Library, and Grace Community Church in Los Altos. I’ve had a few illustrations published in South Bay Accent Magazine. I am a member of the
Sunnyvale Art Club
. I’m a new member of the
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
.
Most of my paintings are done in a whimsical cartoonish style. With these paintings I try to tell a story in a humorous way. With the humor, I try to add a hint of melancholy or anxiety. Recently I have begun more realistic paintings. With these realistic paintings, I am attempting to respond more to the world around me.
A quote by Thomas Hart Benton continues to inspire me. He wrote: “I know there is no such thing as failure in the pursuit of art. Merely to survive in that pursuit is a success. Pictures may fail to please, movements may fail to survive, but the artist has his rewards anyway. He may lose his public and his market and still get full compensation for his efforts. Quite apart from the public values of art – those which give it significance in the social history of a people – the act of artistic creation has its own psychological payoff and a very considerable one. The rewards of art, for the artist himself, are concomitants of its practice. The only way an artist can personally fail is to quit work.”
For more information, contact Angelo by e:mail: ninongangelo@gmail.com
The artworks contained on the pages of this Web site are for screen viewing only. They remain the property of the artists and may not be reproduced with out written permission.
© Copyright 2000 — 2008 Angelo Lopez. All rights reserved worldwide