Interview by Jimon

1-Why so anonymous? in a world where everyone wants to be famous.  Growing up I was always very shy and never liked to be in the limelight.   This is why, when I first shared my art with the world, it was in the form of street art.  I liked my art to speak for itself, and for the viewer to interpret the piece the way they see it, not based on what information they are given from me.

2-What is behind the name SHYGLO, what is its origin?  I have always had a passion for neon light.  The way it glows based on a tube of glass being filled with gases has always intrigued me. As a kid my nickname growing up was Shy, so I just incorporated the world glo into it.

3-How long have you been making art and how did it all start?  I have been making art since before I can remember.  As a kid it was my favorite thing to do…I have always loved to create starting with Legos, then spray paint, and now oil.

4-What was the inception of your style?  The inception of my style was me taking the things I love and putting them together.  I love photorealistic oil painting and neon glass.

5-How do you pick the images you neonize?  I pick images of classic and iconic people and things that I have enjoyed growing up from  rock stars to my favorite animals at the zoo. I paint the first thing that pops into my head. For example, when I think of the Michael Jordan, the first thing I think of is G.O.A.T.

6-What is your dream image for neonization?  I like to keep neon lighting alive.  Every year more and more neon is replaced with LED which in my opinion is practical but not an art form.

7-Are you open to collaborations or only you choose the photographs?  I am open to collaborations and incorporating photographs of other artist who share my vision.

8-What would you be doing if you were not an artist?  If I was not an artist, I would probably have become a landscape architect.

9-What emotion do you expect to be on people’s faces when they look at your art?  Happiness.  Some people say my art is simple, and not complicated but it does what I want it to do which is to make people smile.

10-How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now? Years from now I hope to be seen as the artist who is known for putting neon over oil paintings….I’d like to see my work all over the world in galleries, private collections, and museums to say O.M.G. I saw that years ago and fucking loved it.

11-What or who has had the most influence on your work?  The most influential person in my life was my mother. As a kid, she always kept me occupied with things that have inspired my choices of paintings.

12-Do you have a favorite among all the pieces you have created?  I have several but my “Love Panda” has my heart.

13-What other types of art interests you?  I love modern, pop, and street art.

14-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table?  It would definitely be Warhol, Haring, and Basquiat.  They are all so iconic and the stories would be amazing.

15-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration?  Not one thing in particular. When I need inspiration, I just walk around a city, I look at murals, listen to people talking in the streets, and just take in my surroundings without thinking too much.

16-How would someone find you on Social media?  Instagram @shygloart

17-Please name the first thing that comes to your mind while reading the following:

Art= Obsession

Food= Hungry

Sports= Football

Politics= Help us

Sex= Smile

Luxury= Love

Poor= Help

Rich= Give

God= Respect

Religion=Free

Picasso= Legend

Afterlife= Hopefully no time soon.