The Art Papi Q&A
Image via Instagram.
Fashion Advertising, but make it Extra Large.
The first Art Papi Q&A in English with painter David Shaughnessy.
When did you start painting?
I started oil painting in 2007.
Where did you study?
Began my studies at Middlesex county College, finished with a BFA at Mason Gross school of art, which is part of Rutgers University.
Where are you from originally?
I was born on Staten Island NY, grew up right over the Outerbridge in New Jersey.
Tell me about your day job - painting advertising murals - which one has been the most complex?
What I can say about my day job is that it is very much that; but also a lot more, it something (hand painted advertising) that didn’t know existed anymore but was heavily influenced by artists who did that as a job and came from that sort of training. And once I found out about the company Colossal, my current employer(who was at the time and now still very much is the biggest and best at what we do and actually brought the industry back to life) it was something I knew i wanted to do and sort of pursued it blindly but with a singular vision; and it took a while but I’m now living a life that I envisioned or dreamed of but had no idea in the beginning how it make it happen, and that’s a sort of indescribable feeling. And yeah, once you get the hang of it, it’s not rocket science and it becomes sort of routine and yet immensely satisfying. I could go on and on about my day job lol.
The recent portrait i did of Dolly Parton was probably the most challenging thing I’ve done so far. It was for a portrait workshop we did during the slow season but it was my first celebrity portrait, which is a benchmark in the career, and It was ground level in the shop there for criticism and I had to approach it differently then I would doing something way up in the air.
Image courtesy of the artist. Follow on instagram @bluecollar _ scholar_
Do you feel blessed to be a working artist? Being able to have a “day job” related to your craft?
Yes
Who are your influences - favorite artists?
Early on In college I became obsessed with the pop artist James Rosenquist who actually did what I do now in New York City before he became a working artist. There’s something super satisfying about representational painting and he was able to sort of find this abstract language using found images that I really responded to. Then later I fell in love with Martin Kippenberger for breath of work and humor and humanity. Also Nicole Eisenman is in my opinion the greatest living painter and artist.
What else inspires you that’s not art related?
It’s hard for me to say specifically what inspires me. When I make a painting it comes from somewhere internal, that won’t sort of go away until I work it out, wether it’s a random idea I have or scene or object I see or story I’m told that I actually pay attention to sit with for a bit.
What is your favorite color?
I don’t have a favorite color they’re all great!
What is your favorite movie?
The first time I saw Fantasia it blew me away, any cartoon that pairs with classical music is great even Looney Tunes.
A still from the movie, Fantasia. Walt Disney. 1940.
Favorite food?
I could eat Mexican every day.
When's your birthday?
I was born May 28th 1987.
Daft Punk during their Discovery album era.
Favorite record?
Daft Punk’s Discovery. It was the first album I listened to where I loved every track.
What's the thing you love the most about New York?
I love New York City because I was technically born here (Staten Island is one of the 5 boroughs) but also opportunities exist here I truly believe don’t exist anywhere else. And it is possible to come here with a dream and see it through.
What's the thing you hate the most about New York?
The thing I hate most about NYC has to do with the flip side of the potential of great opportunities. It takes a lot of work just to exist here. And you really have to burn the candle at both ends to try and make it here. It’s a place where you can get stuck hemorrhaging money for a long time on a gamble. The more people see the opportunity here the harder is it gets for everyone (transplants and natives just to survive).