Please introduce yourself to our readers.>

Hi. My Name is DeROSAart.

Please share with us your earliest influences that led you into becoming an artist.>

Art has always been at the core of who and what I am... when I was a very small child, the first person that I knew who could draw, was my Uncle. (He was so cool!) I wanted to be just like him, so I started to draw and draw and draw and draw.

What was your concept for your mural in the SF Hotel des Arts?>

I wanted to create a room where someone visiting my town could relax and recharge after a long day of sightseeing.This is why I chose 2 tones of blue for the main colors of the room. Psychologically, blue is the most calming color and helps us to feel happy, content and at ease. Conversely, I painted the bathroom in orange and red -- bright colors cause your synapses to fire which helps to wake the mind as you prepare for a new day... Did I mention that I'm a color theorist?

What stimulates your creativity?>

That's a hard question to answer. Being alive inspires me. A good book inspires me. Great music inspires me. My wife inspires me. Dreams inspire me. I'm flooded with images and ideas every second of every day. Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming...

Can you tell us a little about your studies and how this has shaped your work?>

It was very frustrating that the pictures I drew, never seemed to look like the pictures in my head. I became obsessed. I took every art class that I could find -- learning whatever anyone would teach me -- Printmaking. Etching. Drafting. Sculpture. Photography. Graphic design. Silk-screening. Sign painting. Color theory. Geometry. Biology. Philosophy. Theology. Composition. Anatomy. Lighting and staging. Psychology. Fashion. Illustration. Film. Animation... When I was 12 I had my first exhibition but was still not satisfied with my abilities. So, I kept on studying and practicing. Eventually, this lead me to 4 years of art school and a year and a half of medical school. (in medical school I was able to study anatomy piece by piece from the inside out)

What or who is your biggest influence in terms of style?>

As I mentioned earlier, I find inspiration in everything but my greatest influence, is Rodin. He taught the artist who taught the artist who taught the artist who taught me.

What is the key element of your artwork?>

Color theory and the transformation of light and dark into positive and negative shapes.

Have you ever confronted any difficulty when creating?>

Yes... (insert a long sigh here)

Your work reminds me of POP art. Please share with us your inspiration.>

I call what I do POP IMPRESSIONISM which is a theory or "practice" I've been developing whereby I utilize traditional painting techniques and elements of design, color theory and geometry to translate a depiction of an instance, emotion, event or character thereby creating simplified, graphic icons of complex and often candid moments that visually "POP." In my observations, I have seen our society evolve with our technology by training us to absorb a lot of instant information. For all we know, "A.D.D." may not actually be a disorder but rather a side-effect of our broadband, high-speed lifestyles. With that in mind, instead of bombarding my viewer with tons of superfluous information that forces them to slow down their thinking and thereby losing their attention, I decided to go the other way and eliminate whatever I considered to be unnecessary information. In this way, I invite the viewer to fill in the gaps with their own content as a sort of visual "ad libbing." It's the difference between speaking and being articulate and ultimately, my attempt is to create an after image that lingers in the viewers mind.

Which artists do you admire most and why?>

My biggest art heroes are: M.C. Escher, Alphonse Mucha, J.C. Leyendecker, Coles Philips, Rothko, Mondrian, Frank Miller and Frank Frazetta. I dig their attention to detail and technical mastery.

What kind of lifestyle and personality do the characters in your art usually have?>

I paint the everyday. Candid moments. People I meet or admire, banal yet poignant landscapes, personal iconography...

Please recommend anything you find inspiring.>

Music is the big one... I always have some sort of soundtrack playing while I work. Jazz if I want a piece to be playful and complex, Classical if I want the piece to be spiritual, Rock if I want the piece to have sensuality, Punk or metal if I want a piece to be political...

What is the most important thing in your life and how does that reflect in your work?>

The most important thing in my life is art and to me, everything is art.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?>

That would be telling! ;) I'm just taking things as they happen: one day at a time.

Please drop some suggestions to the people who want to be artists.>

Always remember: Talent is inherent; genius takes practice so -- whatever you do -- never stop learning, growing or developing your art... because to do so, would be creative suicide. X