We are up to #27 in the STAMP Artist Feature series. The week’s interview takes us to Poland. Even though our artist featured has worked with Nike, Powerade and Sony he is still hungry for more. And if you are in demand, who could blame him. Check out are conversation and soak of the inspiration below!!!

STAMP: When did you become interested in art?
Gabz: Since the very beginning I was pretty much obsessed with images whether still or moving. At first I was a huge fan of comics, graphic novels and I dreamed of becoming a famous comic artist one day like a guru of mine Jean Giraud “Moebius”. I think back in high school, thanks to my art teacher, I focused more on art (mainly Renaissance masters like Albrecht Dürer and Matthias Grünewald to name the few), which later on became more than a hobby and a true passion of mine. As for now, I guess I’m somewhere in between two worlds: art and design.

STAMP: What is your medium of choice and why?
Gabz: It’s hard to point out just one, since I work in many different styles and techniques. But my favorite medium at the moment would have to be pen or pencil, later on perfected on my iMac. I also cannot imagine my work without Adobe Photoshop, which is my most preferred digital tool. Whenever I get at least slightly bored with those two, I often work with vectors in Adobe Illustrator which I also enjoy greatly.

STAMP: Did you study at an art school?  If so which one and how was that experience?  If not, do you wish you did?
Gabz: Yes I did. I studied in my hometown, at the Academy of Fine Arts and in 2003 in which I got my Masters degree in Graphic Arts and Drawing. During my studies I wanted to learn as much as possible and I worked really hard to improve my skills. I did everything from printing art and drawing to painting and sculpting. Studies helped me a lot in understanding art, composition rules, how to use light/shadow and color in works. On the other hand, I don’t think studies are necessary to become successful in the art field.

STAMP: I see you do storyboarding.  Did you study this while in school?  How hard was the transition?
Gabz: Storyboarding was one of my main income sources a few years ago when I started my freelance experience. But it is not anymore and happens rarely. Now I mainly focus on all kinds of illustration and graphic design. Answering your question – I never studied it. But what I learned during the studies and my past comic hobby turned out helpful when switching towards that type of work.

STAMP: You have a very recognizable style.  Do you find it challenging to infuse this signature look with your diverse range of clients?
Gabz: Thank you for the compliment, since you claim my style is recognizable. I sure hope it is! It’s not easy I have to say. Especially since like I already said I have a huge variety of techniques in my portfolio. Sometimes a client expects a work done in a style I haven’t used in a long time or combining few different styles in one job. Then I have to think of a way of pleasing the client, and at the same time staying true to what I enjoy doing and specialize at. In the end whether it’s a pencil work, vector or any other type of medium I always try to implement some special characteristics of mine, like wild colors for example, to give the work my “signature” – as you call it.

STAMP: Have you ever felt limited or trapped by your style?  With so much pressure on mainstream art, have you felt peer pressured into conforming?
Gabz: No. I don’t have a problem with that at all. I love to hear that the client likes a specific work of mine and wants his work to be done in the same way, then everything is quite simple and obvious. On the other hand, there is some conforming needed. I don’t see a problem in adapting some necessary changes to make the client happy, as long as it doesn’t mean pretending to be someone I’m not, something I don’t believe in and/or doing stuff I dislike.

STAMP: Can you remember the first piece you ever did and what inspired you to do it?
Gabz: I’ve done a lot of works in my childhood and during high school but I’m not particularly sure if they can be referred as “the first piece”. During the third year of my studies I made a large-scaled drawing titled “Suicide” on which I made an anatomical cross-section for the first time – and back than, I pretty much knew how my diploma should look like and what themes should it explore. When it comes to what I do now, I guess I have to say my Omega Code piece was in a way breaking-point image, cause with that particular work I think I managed to successfully combine my academic realistic drawing with some modern design feel.

STAMP: Can you tell any interesting stories about specific pieces, artists, or projects that you’ve worked on?
Gabz: Vector Movie Posters I did in 2008 was a personal project of mine, which apart from being a long awaited break from storyboards done at that time, was mainly my tribute for my favorite movies and great acting roles. It is by far, my most appreciated project of all time and as far as I know it has literally been all over the web, which makes me very happy obviously! That is one of the reasons why I decided to get back to that project, and you are actually the first to know, that I’m working on 5 new Vector Movie Posters at the moment

STAMP: When a clients approaches you for a project, what factors, enter into your decision to take it (besides money)?
Gabz: So far I was lucky enough to work for clients I have huge respect for. But if it were so to happened that I was approached by someone whose ideals or politics I don’t approve or disagree with, I would have to turn it down. Period.

STAMP: Are there any clients you wish to work with, that you haven’t already?
Gabz: Loads of them! I had the pleasure to work for some large clothing companies but none close to so called “big fashion”, so working for giants like Tommy Hillfiger or Karl Lagerfeld would be great. I find great joy in working in the gaming industry but so far had only an opportunity to work for Ubisoft. So I’m open to this market for sure! I feel I could do something great for the guys at MTV, VH1 or some famous music bands out there too if they were interested. And finally one of my biggest dreams would be to get involved in any type of project with Non-Format, a large film studio or David Lynch! Damn, I could even do it for free.

STAMP: What have been your favorite projects to work on to date? Why?
Gabz: Well, I had a blast when making an art piece for Assasin’s Creed. Everything I did for Nike was a great and rewarding experience, it includes both t-shirt designs and athlete illustrations. I was also very happy to work on wallpapers for Sony Ericsson, on the TV advert for Powerade, on the covers for Clone Magazine and portrait of Jimi Hendrix for Guitar World. Finally from my personal stuff most enjoyable seems my OldTimeHeroes series, Vector Movie Posters, TNHB project with some pretty amazing book and magazine covers and Omega Code piece.

STAMP: What are your challenges as an artist?
Gabz: Improving constantly. Don’t get bored with my own work and keep inspiring people. That simple.

STAMP: Have you ever shown in galleries? If so, what was the experience like? If not, how come?
Gabz: I had a solo exhibition back in 2008, where I showed my art pieces. It took place in my hometown of Poznań in the Nowa Gallery. It was a very satisfying experience, to not only see my morbid works correspond with such a modern space, but also to see the reactions of people who visited the show. Apart from that, some of my prints appeared on exhibitions around Poland during the 3 Biennale of Student Printing Art in 2003. When it comes to illustration and design works, my two pieces “Amy” and “David” were part of Clone Graphix Exhibition in 2009 in Sevilla, Spain.

STAMP: Have you ever created an amazing piece by mistake?
Gabz: One of my heroes Francis Bacon once said: “All paintings are an accident. But it’s also not an accident, because one must select what part of the accident one chooses to preserve.” I’m convinced this quote reflects any type of creative work, that includes both illustration and graphic design too. I have to say I am often surprised when something I have imagined or quickly sketched in my notebook in few hours turns out greater than I expected. Priceless experience!

STAMP: What role do you feel the internet has on art? Positive or negative?
Gabz: I think internet plays a huge and a very positive role in lives of not only creatives but all kinds of people. It is most definitely one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me, with blogs and sites that can literally blow one’s mind. Tools like Google for example, in few seconds can help in finding reference images, photographs or any kind of materials one may need or look for. And to add to it, I just cannot imagine faster and easier way to meet people from other countries or even continents, to later exchange and share with them ones thoughts and ideas.

STAMP: Do u feel like your work is evolving?
Gabz: Well I hope it is. But I’m not the one to judge, I think. I know for sure that some of my works got older and I would have done them differently now, so that kinda proves I’m evolving or my taste changes at least, right? I think I still have a huge crush for color and eye-catching imaginary, but I much more prefer simpler typography and cleaner layouts. I guess the main cause of that would have to be the existing trends in now-a-days design, which obviously affect me!

STAMP: What advice would you give a young artist just starting or trying to get started?
Gabz: As cliche as it may sound, first of all – work hard! If I would have to start from the beginning right now, I wouldn’t hesitate a second and would launch a personal portfolio website as soon as possible. Since it is not always that easy, I would consider showcasing my works on sites like Behance.net or Cargo, which are both really fine examples of easy to use, creative platforms. The idea is simple – let the world see you, simple as that! Send you works to well known blogs for artists and creatives, take part in design and art competitions and don’t forget to produce personal stuff, which will shock the world, whenever you have the chance!

STAMP: What can we expect in the future from you?
Gabz: There is really a lot going on in my life at this point. To give you some examples of what I recently worked on: I did a series of board graphics for a Canadian snowboard company called Endeavor. I also had the pleasure of doing 5 different t-shirt designs for Nike and alongside with my brother Kxx we are going to create and design all materials and visuals for an upcoming band from US called DeathJazz. I plan to keep on doing what I love. It’s going to be all about drawing and Photoshopping for sure, but I also hope to get some more graphic design projects in future, I wish to make a graphic novel and since I already fulfilled one of my biggest dreams, and made an animation titled “Krank”, I think it’s time to think bigger. I want to make a full-length feature film one day too. Something as mind blowing as “Apocalypse Now” or “District 9″ for example.

STAMP: Do you agree with the overall objective of STAMP Magazine?  Why or Why Not?
Gabz: Sure I do! I have a lot of respect for everyone who tries to get creatives together and shares ones taste, thoughts and ideas with other internet users. That’s inspiring alright! THANK YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW!!

Gabz is all over. Find him at www.iamgabz.com; http://cargocollective.com/gabz; http://www.behance.net/AnzelmgabzFfffound; http://ffffound.com/home/gabz/found/; or email him at grzegorz.domaradzki@gmail.com