Creative Pro Show, Rome, Italy, November 2012
I really want to know what's the meaning of life. I think there is no answer to this question, so my single ambition is to bring a bit of happiness, surprise and entertainment to people through my graphic work.
How did you get started in Art?
I started to draw from a very early age, then I discovered painting, my passion for photography came much later during my studies at university. And more recently I tried to mix all these passions together.
What is something unique/interesting that most people wouldn't know about Ben Heine?
I love to dance, I love electronic progressive music, I always work on my projects with music in my ears! I couldn't live without music.
You have astonishing talent with the art, how did you conceptualize these art innovations?
Mainly by trial and error. I've done lots of bad works in the past. I like to progress and see an evolution in my images, so innovations come naturally.
Tell us about Ben Heine’s work ethic in the studio and how you achieve small & large goals?
I'm definitely trying to be organized but my studio is quite a mess in reality... I spend time on my projects to achieve my goals.
Where is your studio and what are the day-to-day operations of an artist?
The studio is a separate space in my house. It's big and I love to spend time there. I just moved to a new house in Lessive, Belgium, with a new studio, it's really a cosy place. I plan to start many new works there.
What are some of your most recent achievements?
I travelled to Lisbon a few weeks ago for the launch of the new Samsung phone and tablet in Portugal. Samsung invited me to use the new “Galaxy Note 10.1” (tablet) and the “Galaxy Note II” (smartphone) to see how it is possible to be creative, to draw and take photos with these new digital devices. Basically, I made photo-drawings (Pencil Vs Camera) like I usually do but instead of using pencils, pieces of paper and a reflex camera, I used the 10.1 tablet as a drawing surface area, the magnetic S-pen as a tool to draw and the powerful integrated camera of the Galaxy phone to capture the final results... You can read the full story here.
Where can people find/buy your art? Can they visit museums, stores, or your website?
Limited Edition Prints of my creations (Dibond and Diasec finishing) are regularly exhibited in different galleries in Europe. I always let people know about new shows on my public Facebook page. Some images are also for sale on my website.
What motivates you when creating art?
I've been drawing since so many years, I don't really know what's the purpose of all this to be honest. We artists don't really change the world, engineers, scientists can change the world and improve people's conditions, artists just can't. All we can do is "feed people's soul". So I guess that's my main motivation.
Who are your influential role models?
My father, my mother and some big artists, I can't give names, because there are so many... What do you have in store next and how different is it to your previous projects?
I'll soon be working on big size portraits with colored pieces of paper, it will be similar to "Digital Circlism" but in a traditional way. Also, I plan to work on musical projects. I already started, it's very hard and time consuming because I have to start everything from scratch.
Do you have any advice for other aspiring artist out there?
Listen to your heart first, then listen to your brain and finally never listen to people criticizing you if there is no good reason for it.
(*) Pruvology aims to provides vast amounts of real life stories from which people can develop entrepreneurial motivation, build opportunistic thoughts, and find the inspiration to make dreams a reality. You can read the above interview on Pruvology blog.
© 2012 - Ben Heine
