Grateful Gifts Interview Page



For the record, your name is? Steve Solimanto. And how old are you? Twenty-Eight years of age. Under what sign were you born? Gemini. When was your first Dead Show? Last summer at SPAC, and it was actually Phil and Friends,,the latest reinvention of the Dead. I'm shocked, for some reason I'd thought you'd seen dozens of shows..? Well, I've been listening to the Dead, and playing their stuff for years, so I think that it's safe to call me deadicated. Did you find any artistic inspiration at the Phil and Friends show? The kalaidescopic lighting gave me some ideas that might eventually work themselve's into a piece. Do you have a favorite Dead song? As a matter a fact I do! In terms of just listening, my favorite is Unbroken Chain. When it comes to playing them on my guitar, it's definitely Althea, and Mississippi Half Step. Is there a particular Dead line or lyric that you carry around in your head? I'd have to say that my favorite is ispiration move me brightly. Another one that gets stuck in my head goes something like thinking about less and less, and forgetting the love we bring. How about- what a long strange trip it's been. That's for sure!	What other artists have inspired you? Daniel Merriam is a fantastic fantasy artist in my estimation. I 'm also a fan of Salvador Dali. Me too! How would you describe your art? Psychedelic or fantasy art for the most part, although I enjoy experimenting with classic genres such as still-life and self-portrait. I have often experimented with blending these various forms to interesting effect. My SELF-PORTRAIT is an example of this sort of approach. In general all my work begins with a simple idea, which is allowed to expand, as inspiration sees fit. Talk about a favorite technique or two? In my larger more complex pieces, I often make use of multiple vanishing points to generate a visionary sort of perspective. Done right, it generates a strong optical illusion. I think that GEOMETRIC SPACE illustrates this idea fairly well. I am also fascinated by the relationship of humans and color. I use color to both convey and generate particular states of mind. I have also found that the pairing of particular colors can suggest a sense of animated psychic vibration. It's hard to explain, but I think SELF-PORTRAIT is a decent example of this.	Do you have a favorite media and/or medium that you prefer to work with? I mainly work with sketch paper and pencils, but you're going to have to teach me Photoshop! Yeah man, I'd give it a shot, but tell us more about you please. All kidding aside, paper and pencils are very basic and inexpensive. Art supplies are expensive, and with a family support you do what's practical. Not to mention, if you add colored pencils into the equation, the possibilities are unlimited. I love my Mars Lumigraph pencils! Anyway, GEOMETRIC SPACE is a good example of what can be accomplished with simple pencils and paper. In fact, all the work that I contributed to your gallery was done with pencils and paper! Where do you hope that your art might lead you? Wow, at present I just wish I had time to devote to my work. Between family and work responsibilities, I never seem to get a minute to myself, but the kids make it all worth it. I'd have to say that they are my greatest source of inspiration. I just wish I had half their energy! Yeah, me too - no doubt! But seriously, I do dream about making it as an artist. Who doesn't dream? I have lots of faith in my self, and my abilities. The hope is that other people might appreciate my talents too. I think I''ll take the advice of the Dead, and just keep on trucking! Sounds like a plan. Keep up the faith brother! Good luck to you to - its been a pleasure working with you. Don't forget that you promised to teach me Photoshop!

When did your artistic inclinations first manifest themselves? Oh, I'd say when I was around four or five years old. It's how I made all my friends in kindergarden! What were you drawing then? Mostly dinosaurs, lizards, and reptiles. Man, kids are totally fascinated with dinosaurs. Do you have any formal training? I learned a lot of fundamentals during my years at Lake George High School. I especially enjoyed the classes that I had with Doug and Barbara Wilson. Were they related? Yeah, they were husband and wife. Interesting. He taught the basics up until tenth grade. She taught 11th and 12th grade art, which delved into the more creative side of things.	Tell us some more! Well, when I am working in black and white, I pay tremendous attention to my shading technique. I think that STILL LIFE WITH THE WALKMAN is a good example of how shading and careful work with pencil an eraser can create a tremendous amount of detail. I can't believe that I did that drawing over a decade ago. I was still a kid. I'm happy to say that I've spent countless hours in enjoyable practice since then. In recent years my work has been heavily influenced by my association with Michael Berlin. Mike is super talented, and a master of exploring three dimensional space on paper. He taught me the fine points of using an eraser, and now I percieve it as a sculpting tool.	Many thanks to Steve Solimanto and his family who were kind enough to put up with me for the course of several extended interviews, and a number of frantic phone calls. Steve was also kind enough to donate a substantial volume of materials for my use with this project. Steve, once again, thank you!