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What is your current residence and occupation?
I live in Guadalajara, Mexico and work as freelance illustrator and graphic designer, I'm also husband and father.

How did you come to be a professional artist?
After I finished studying at the Visual Arts School, back in 2001, I had some solo and group exhibitions in my city and in other cities here in Mexico, a few months later I started to work with a good friend of mine doing illustration for advertising and t-shirt designs for a well known mexican clothing brand. Almost everything was done by hand but eventually we started to use the computer. After that I worked as illustrator and graphic designer in one ad agency and as art director in other agency, this process made me put the visual arts off for a while, but I learned a lot of other areas and it helped me to develop my graphic design skills. Now I'm focusing my work more in illustration and trying to keep in balance the commercial work and my personal work to create a much more appealing and unique portfolio.

What cultural influences have influenced your style and subject matter?
I think that my style hasn't been defined yet but my work has been influenced by comics, art, movies, animation, music, my surroundings and the wonderful work of every illustrator, painter, graphic designer and photographer that I have know in person and through the internet over the last years.

Tell us a bit about the BVOTW on your website
Well, this is a project in collaboration with Geninne, the main idea is that we choose a Bible verse every week to make an illustration based on that particular verse, then we publish our illustrations in our websites and add them to a flickr group. This is an open group so anyone who may be interested is invited to join us. (inset right - BVOTW Illustration for I Kings 17:6 - And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.)

What does the "Tree" mean to you?
The Tree has been present in my work since long time ago, I have given it many meanings, in my early works it was a symbol of dryness, but with the time it became a symbol of abundance, shelter, permanence, hope and faith. I've used it as an image of the human spirit.

Where did you get your inspiration for "Tree" ?
Two years ago my wife and I made a trip to Nicaragua and there I found a beautiful landscape formed by a group of trees aside from a narrow road, they were connected to each other through all kind of branches. It was a wonderful view and I took some photos.

Three months ago in Illustration Friday the topic "Grow" was announced and I drew the Tree based on one of the photos that I took in Nicaragua. The Bible verse Genesis 2:9 was the concept that gave substance to this drawing. I started drawing the basic trunk shape and delimiting the foliage area, then I drew the rest of the leaves, the trunk details and all the branches, adding more and more detail and volume where it was required. It took me four to five hours to do the final drawing and it was done directly with pen on a 11 x 14 Strathmore drawing book.

Which is more important in a Tshirt design - style or content?
Both. I think that a design is greater if it's supported by a good idea.

If you could magically fix one issue facing the human race today what would it be?
Irresponsibility

Who is your favorite artists of all time?
This a difficult question because I admire the work of many artists and the list goes on growing. But If I had to choose just a few they'd be: Rembrandt, Caravagio, Siqueiros, Orozco, Tamayo, Jorge Gonzalez Camarena, Gabriel Flores, German Palacios and Justin Gerard

What would be the most important piece of advice you would share with aspiring illustrators and designers trying to "make it"?
It'd be a piece of advice and a reminder to me too, Always keep a sketchbook at hand and be authentic.

Notes

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Oliver Flores Sketch Blog

Oliver Flores Portfoliio Site

Check out Oliver's winning "The Tree" T-shirt design in the DBH shop

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