Please introduce yourself and describe your background
My name is David Pagani and I’m a representational painter and draftsman. I earned a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and have been an award-winning commercial artist (illustration, motion design, and animation) promoting some of the biggest sports and entertainment brands for over 20 years.
What is your earliest memory of creating art?
I was greatly inspired by the bold graphics and fantastic worlds I discovered in comic books, sci-fi films, and video games. As early as 7 years old, I remember asking my parents to take me to see Star Wars (again and again), and then rushing home afterwards to draw all the characters and ships.
Describe your primary medium and why you’ve chosen it for your artwork
I work primarily in charcoal for drawing and oils for painting. Given my background in commercial art using digital
imaging software like Photoshop and 3d programs, I sometimes employ these tools in support of my drawings and
paintings.
What other media have you used?
I’ve used acrylics in the past, but once I transitioned to oils I haven’t looked back.
Describe your artwork in 10 words or less
The slow and deliberate study of life’s design and relationships.
What inspires your work?
I’m inspired by the often overlooked spaces in between the obvious, the quiet stillness in our busy lives, and the rich
subtleties in life you discover when you slow down and take the time to truly observe a person, place, or thing.
If you could spend the day with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
It’s hard to pick just one… but right now I’m really into Lawrence Alma-Tadema. He was a master at rendering the
human form and using the pictorial plane to create complex multi-figure compositions rich in subtle details and depth.
His paintings elevate the everyday into compelling stories, dynamic characters, and emotional connections (which is
what I aspire to).
Do you show your work commercially? If so, where?
I do not.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I got my first paying job as an artist doing storyboards for The Incredible Hulk cartoon long before Marvel was a media
empire.
What advice would you offer younger artists just beginning their art careers?
I would say: Make the art you want to make in the moment and put in the time. If you show up and do the work, everything else will follow.
