The following is an interview with Camilla d’Errico, the Italo-Canadian artist best known for making waves in the fine art and comic book industries with her surrealist, yet mainstream, pop paint style and for inspiring a new generation of artists. In this interview, Fanboy Comics Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with d’Errico about the expansion of her artwork into fashion and accessories, her upcoming art books, where fans can find her at Emerald City Comic Con, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanboy Comics Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the expansion of your artwork into new mediums of entertainment through fashion. What inspired these forays into new mediums?
Camilla d’Errico: I’ve always loved fashion, especially after having moved to Vancouver; I started to get more into shopping then. What really sparked my interest was when I went to Italy as a child and had my eyes opened to European fashion. Ever since I’ve been able, I’ve been trying to diversify my art into fashion – to make it wearable art. Working with companies like Hot Topic, This Is A Limited Edition, Modify Watches, Nuvango, and now Coastal.com & Clearly.ca. Hopefully, one day, I’ll have my own runway show!
BD: How do you feel that your pop surrealism art best translates into fashion, specifically with the upcoming release of your eyewear line?
Camilla: I think it’s when you modify the art in a way that complements the accessory, or the article of clothing, where it highlights both the art and the medium its on. With the glasses specifically, I wanted them to reflect my art by the wood grain on the side, which is a call back to the fact I paint on wood. It’s the little details like that which I think make such a great cohesion.
BD: In addition to your fashion line, you will be releasing two upcoming books – a hardcover art book of your most recent work and how-to book on painting pop surrealism. What do you hope that readers will take away from these releases?
Camilla: Both books have their own significance. “Rainbow Children” is a comprehensive collection of my newest artwork. It’s great for people who follow my art, because they get to see this new chapter of my paintings and my artwork. It’s also excellent for new audiences to see the kind of art that I do, which has taken a very surreal and explosive visual direction. I hope people who read “Rainbow Children” come away excited and impassioned about Pop Surrealism, and that they have fun with it, since my artwork is intended to be fun as well as emotional. It may connect with them personally.
“Pop Painting” is intended to inspire artists and creative people who want to find their own voice in the art world and may not have had the opportunities to learn how to paint in a new and contemporary fashion. Most how to paint books tend to be very traditional, and I believe Pop Painting is the first of its kind, focusing on a new art style and movement. I’m self-taught for the most part, so the book is a very personal journey for me. I’ve been very fortunate to have received a lot of support as an aspiring artist, and it’s something I want to impart to new readers in turn, and offer them support as an artist that I wish I had. I hope also that this look into my process is very interesting for people who follow my work, since one of the most engaging parts of my social network is looking behind the scenes at such an inclusive look at my studio practice. It’s a good way for people to get to know me as an artist.
BD: Many of your fans find inspiration from your artwork and its unique style. From where do you draw your own inspiration?
Camilla: That’s one of the hardest questions for any artist or creative to answer, because there is no answer good enough that I can give you that would satisfy that curiosity. I draw my inspiration from many different sources. Although I do wish I could just dial 1-800-inspiration and have someone show up with a chocolate egg that I can eat that gives me an idea. My basic inspirations I keep coming back to are nature, literature, and colour – as simple as that sounds, I’m fascinated by colour and continuously driven to push for maximum colour overdrive.
BD: You will soon be attending Emerald City Comic Con to promote your current and upcoming work. Are there other upcoming conventions where readers may be able to find you?
Camilla: Absolutely, fans can follow my upcoming appearances on my Calendar of Events on camilladerrico.com to see when I’ll be coming to a show near them. At Emerald City Comic-Con I will be at my booth #204 and will also have a panel tomorrow, Friday, at 4 p.m. called “Painting in Comics: Behind the Scenes with Top Artists.”
Finally, I would love to add that I have my first solo exhibition in Los Angeles named “Dance With Dreams.” The gallery show will begin on April 23rd at the Corey Helford Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. I’m very excited to unveil a new collection there.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about your eyewear line and your upcoming books?
Camilla: Fans can find all the details of my upcoming releases, like sneak peeks at my new coloring book “Pop Coloring,” on my blog on camilladerrico.com. I’m active on social media (@camilladerrico #camilladerrico) and love sharing new art & release info there where I can interact with fans directly, too. The eyewear collection is limited edition and currently on sale here.
