This Belgian humble artist knows how to makes us look a little longer to his paintings on walls or on canvas… just to absorb all the details he leaves behind. Weird and wonderful creatures – often with animalistic features, that pop up to immerse us into a world of imagination. Their evocative traits are distinct and common engaging the spectator into – what Pso Man refers to as – his/her own interpretation of visual poetry.
We had the pleasure to meet him last summer and help him overcome his fear of one particular creature, a dog : ) And we are definitely pleased to share some of the insights to his works in Belgium, Portugal, Finland or any other country worldwide.
I’m PsoMan, a muralist, painter and sculptor from Liège, Belgium. I studied Graphic design but naturally evolved to drawing and painting. I did a formation in Switzerland in 3D about welding and polyester which opened my eyes to bigger stuffs. Murals arrived later, an envy and a dream I accomplished little by little.
I’m a lot inspired by nature, shapes that we can find in the wild, animals but also architecture. My travels are bringing a lot of images that infused my style. Artistically, I’m inspired by Rauscheberg, Schile, Art nouveau and old naturalist engravings. I’m buliding an imagery of lost cities, powerful animal endangered, imaginary cults. But I don’t have an explicit message, I prefer let the audience build their own explanation about it.
Q. When and how come you started to share your work in the streets?
I started as a teenager to do some stencils in my neighbourhood. Later, when I started to feel confident with my drawing, I wanted to go for bigger. I was tired to work in front of my computer or on a table, I wanted to work with my hands and be confronted to the exterior. Painting outside comes always with a lot of interaction with people and I like it!
Q. Where do you paint? How do you use the space in addition to your work?
First I have my studio at home where I work on canvas, and an other room more for 3D stuff like sculpture. And besides that, I love to paint outdoor. My ideal wall has a piece of soul. I love when it’s integrated with the surrounding, it influences what I do. When I travel, I often walk the city, asking when I see a wall if I can paint on it. I also love big walls, in need of cherry-pickers, but this needs more organisation.
Q. What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I am very touched when I am painting in the street and older people or people really not into that kind of stuff come to me to share their appreciation. It’s very strong.
Usually my last wall is always my favorite, then I look forward for the next one. But one of the more intense works I did was the 95 sea animals I painted in Kahosiung under 35 degrees for 6 days, 8 floors. An other one was in Vantaa, Finland, so big wall but very rough with a small cherry-picker and wind, rain… It was scary but I amm very proud of the result.
