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“I see it everywhere—this disposable culture. But for me, it’s colour, it’s paint, it’s text, it’s graphics, it’s something I can wield”—the American artist on turning trash into three-dimensional pop art treasures
Despite already being splattered with kaleidoscopic swashes of paint from head to toe, there’s one thing American artist Paul Rousso wears that’s even brighter: his smile. This is a common sight at Rousso’s studio, housed in a massive factory-like space nestled in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, where you’d find the eye of the storm to which all of his creative endeavours began.
The artist, best known for his mastery in “flat-depth”, has crafted a career around hyper-realistic, hyper-sized three-dimensional sculptures of everyday objects; harnessing techniques such as painting, welding, digital printing and heat infusion on plexiglass to bring these pop art works to life.
Don’t miss: Get into the mood with Patrick Rubinstein’s “Love in Motion” exhibition at Ode To Art
Over the two days Ode to Art founder Jazz Chong and I had spent with Rousso, his eyes always shone brightest when talking about two things: his wife Joy, and his pride in the fact that everything he’s done and achieved has been made out of necessity. “Necessity is the mother of all inventions. This whole studio was born out of necessity,” he would muse.
“I see it everywhere—this disposable culture. But for me, it’s colour, it’s paint, it’s text, it’s graphics, it’s something I can wield.”
