EN: How did you come to take an interest in photography?
AP: I wanted an excuse to go out to different concerts when I wasn’t playing. Artistically I always wanted to be involved so I took photos of bands playing. Some of the bands noticed my work and started requesting that I come, hiring me to do album art and band posters.
I started branching off into different areas of photography, eventually getting hired to do commercial work with bigger name bands and clients outside the local entertainment scene. As a natural progression of my passion for photography and study of art, I gravitated toward fine art photography, developing my own style to integrate fine art with commercial work.
AP: My favorite? Annie Leibovitz , for her ability to show the humanity in all of her subjects, famous or non. Robert Mapplethorpe, for his passion for documenting anything he found important. Robert Capa, for his fearless drive to take the important shots.
EN: What are some of the things that inspire you as an artist?
AP: Documenting my life. Photography has allowed me to slow down my mind and take notice of moments that I might otherwise would have disregarded or failed to appreciate the significance of. It also allowed me to reflect on my own life and my role in the lives of my friends and family.
EN: What’s your take on the Twin Ports arts scene?
AP: The Twin Ports Arts Scene has an amazing abundance of talent and passion. It is as relevant to me as the global arts scene and, in my opinion, as full of quality work as you will find in New York or any of the other art hubs in the world or United States. It is not without its cliques though. But as of recently it has been gaining momentum and many fragments of it seem to be uniting for a higher cause.
EN: What has changed in the way you approach your photography over the past three years?
AP: I’ve evolved into more commercial work and less Photoshopping. I approach each image with a little more clarity of thought and a more experienced eye.
EN: Does this mean you’re moving away from fine art photography?
AP: No, I am not moving away… but at the moment time constraints with my business do not afford me the time that I have had in the past. I am evolving and my tastes have changed so that my work is becoming more defined.
EN: In what way?
AP: I am pursuing creative projects with more thought and spending less time hunting for opportunity. In the past a lot of my fine art work has been the result of spontaneity, whereas my schedule is more structured, so I am approaching photography in a more focused manner.
EN: You’ve been involved with some collaborative work…. What kinds of things have you learned through those experiences?
AP: Collaborative work has helped me grow as an artist and given me the opportunity to try new things that would have otherwise been outside the scope of my interests. I have been fortunate to work with some very inspiring and talented artists who have enabled me to participate in other genres that would have otherwise not been on my radar such as Steampunk and fashion.
EN: Your shipping business is also something of an art gallery. Can you describe how this happened? How can other businesses get more linked to artists?
AP: After about four years of developing my business I was offered the opportunity to show some art from a local artist. The experience of being surrounded on a daily basis by that artwork changed my quality of life for the better. It was then suggested that I do an art show for that artist and the success of the show convinced me that other people in the community really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to experience the art.
I started getting an abundance of people requesting more art and stopping in to my business just to see the art. I found it to be enriching for both my personal life, my business and the community as a whole. The amount of enthusiasm of the local community towards the art I was showing also helped me develop confidence in my own art. I was overwhelmed by the support and interest of the local business community and city and decided to make it my mission to showcase local artists and provide an opportunity for them to get their work seen.
EN: Do you have any upcoming projects for 2013.
AP: I am currently developing a project with Friends of Industry where we will be creating photo shoots inspired by classic horror and sci-fi films as well as other art forms based on the same ideas, including sculpture, painting, fashion, etc. I'm also creating work for the May 10, 2013 Goin' Postal Art show which will include a lot of my new work and the works of sixteen other artists.
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| Alan Sparhawk and his Retribution Gospel Choir |
EdNote: Find more of Andy's work at www.andrewperfetti.com
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