Biography
I consider myself a self-taught artist who has been drawing in secret since the age of thirteen. I never really nurtured this passion, but I noticed that in my free time I always had a pencil in my hand, and this very lack of commitment led me to choose a technical diploma. Around 2010 I discovered pyrography and developed in that direction for many years: studying and preparing the surface to be burned, finding the right product to protect the work over time, experimenting with various shading methods, and finally using an "open flame" (a gas burner with adjustable power) to increase the depth of the burnt effect. I then began to "wander" from village fairs, exhibiting my works in small stands, selling them and supporting myself in this way for a few years. In 2013, as a bit of a joke, I was given my first tattoo machine, and after a year of experimenting on synthetic skin, then on myself and friends, I discovered a passion for this form of modern art. In 2015, won over by the world of tattooing, I attended courses at the "Milano Tattoo & Piercing School" in Milan and collaborated with a few smaller studios, serving my apprenticeship and improving my drawing technique. As everyone knows, the first step towards a good tattoo is an excellent drawing. The techniques of tattooing and pyrography are very similar for me, and as a result I pursued both working methods for a very long time, collaborating with several tattoo studios while continuing to sell my pyrography works. In 2018 I discovered the airbrush and the versatility of this tool which, again as a self-taught artist, I used to give depth to my pyrography works, thereby adding value to them. My passion for the airbrush grew exponentially over time, to the point of almost replacing pyrography and tattooing, though without entirely suppressing those earlier artistic practices. With the arrival of Covid, exhibitions and fairs came to an end and I was forced to change jobs, starting to work in nightclubs as a cook or maintenance worker, so the time needed to return to exhibiting no longer existed. I found myself creating my works at night and working during the day. I still do that job, so for reasons of time I cannot physically take part in any exhibitions, and I use social media as a way to show the world my art, which is based on pyrography, airbrushing, brush painting and the use of products such as fluorescent powder to give depth to my works. I have always had a passion for anime, tattoos and Japanese style, so many of my works contain references to these genres. Alternatively, I produce "modified" portraits of a sensual or erotic nature, playing with the "see-not-see" concept, which almost makes the work abstract (if you are interested in further details, I can send an example). To this day I create my works at night, using pyrography, airbrushing, brushes with various techniques, and different types of paint (water-based, acrylic, oil paints and, at times, spray cans). I give my paintings free rein, sometimes attempting to measure myself against great modern and contemporary artists, trying to reproduce works that at first seem unattainable but, step by step, the painting takes shape, and I feel I am coming ever closer to the greatness of artists such as Luis Royo or Anne Stoker. "The challenge" is always on my agenda for me, although the real challenge is to reinterpret such works with my own vision or "addition".
Artworks by Ardo Borsari
