EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK FRANCISCO

What can I say about Patrick...I will start by saying he is an amazing artist, and a genuine guy! I ran across his work on the KR forum , and I knew I had to start digging deeper to find out more about him, where he is from, what his inspirations are, and what future plans he has. Please continue through to the interview and get a glimpse into the life of artist Patrick Francisco!

1.Hey Patrick, tell us a little about who you are and where you are from.
I am an artist living in New York City. My work tends to depict strange, intense, and melancholic moods. It is my goal to incorporate all three in most of my work. I have shortly lived in Jersey City and the Philippines, but I spent most of my life in NYC. I have an Illustration BFA from SUNY FIT and have spent some time in both the Art Student's League of NY and Spring Studio SoHo.
2.Is there anyone who really inspires you in the vinyl toy and/or art world?
I am inspired by the vinyl scene in general. I especially love the work of Kathie Olivas. Also, Hans Yim, Kerry Lee, and MonsterDecay have stuff that I think is awesome. And Sketchbot too - I hope he plans on selling blanks - I love that character!

3.Do you have any of their pieces in your personal collection?
Not yet, but I hope to soon. I am finishing up a trade with MonsterDecay and I can't wait to have his creation on my shelf. With non-toy stuff, I NEED to get something by Silvia Ji, and I have been a huge fan of Kent Williams for years. I might be stalking him.

4. So what's up with painting primates?
My traditional work has been portraits, but I've found that painting monkeys and apes allows me to just have fun creating art. I painted a monkey's face on my oil paint box some years back and I've loved painting them since then. Now that I've gotten into vinyl toys, painting apes just seems to make even more sense.

5. What can we look forward to from you in the future, are you involved in any upcoming vinyl or art shows?
Currently, I have two mini munnies on display at an urban culture boutique on Smith St., Brooklyn (rimenyc.com). I also just sent a munny and two minis over to Australia for the Melbourne Stencil Festival's Devinyl08. I had to split up my Pantless Bunch, unfortunately. This Fall, I will be participating in APW's vinyl (records) group show, and that should have a huge turnout. Most recently, I was contacted by a Florida curator about exhibiting a drawing for a show in Sept/Oct and some paintings for Nov/Dec. I don't want to say much about the gallery until its finalized, but I will post the news on my blog when its confirmed. Till then I have some toy commissions to keep me busy.
Thanks for the interview and the pics Patrick, I am really looking forward to following your progress as an artist and wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavors.

If you would like to check out more of Patrick's work visit his flickr, blog and his website.