Featured Artist: Opawapo aka Lou Patrick Mackay
DBH:
Where are you from?
LPM: I’m from the Queen city of the South - Cebu, Philippines
DBH:How would you best describe your art style?
LPM: It’s “OPAWAPO’S STYLE” I guess, (HAHA) its a mixture of grunge and pop art. I love playing around with colors and details.
DBH: Where do you find your inspiration when creating your art?
LPM: As you notice, most of my designs are “Animals & Skulls” which I both love. I definitely adore animals, in fact, I’ve got 4 of them and I combine them with grunge-type of atmosphere (this is where the Skull comes in).
DBH:When did you know you wanted to make a career in the art world?
LPM: It was my officemates who keep on pushing me to upload/sell my designs online. At first, I really didn’t care about it, until such time I realize that I was earning more and more each month, I started knowing other artists and talked about the art world and that changed my life. I have overcome my fears by giving a small talk about my art and experiences in one of the Universities here in Cebu.
DBH:
What does a day of creating artwork look like for you and how to you start your creative process?
LPM: I spend 50% on thinking of a concept, 10% sketch and 40% on shadow/highlights. Sometimes, ideas will come up in my head when I’m watching TV, drinking beer or even when I’m taking a bath (haha).
DBH: What artist (either current or past) do you most admire and why?
LPM: It would be “Nicebleed”, the duo-brothers here in Cebu. They are the one’s I look up to when it comes to creative ideas. We are part of a small art group here in Cebu called “DESIGNUBEC”. Aside from them, I also love the works of Angrymonk, Demonyo and Uwanlibner.
DBH: What's the best advice that's been given to you as an artist?
LPM: “Keep your feet on the ground and respect other artists”.