Weekly Gems #6

Time for Weekly Gems #6! This past week I featured many good artists on the Daily NFT Show. The ones that stood out to me and I’d like to give a little extra shout-out are Roberto, LeafSwan and Marc. Ready to learn more about them? Then let’s dive in.

Roberto Pazzi (@RobertoPazzi.eth) | Documenting Exotic Cultures

Roberto Pazzi worked for 15 years in information and communications technology as a software engineer and sales manager before he went all-in on photography. He discovered his love for this form of art in 2013, and in 2015, he quit his job and became a full-time photographer.

“I bought my first good camera in 2013, right before a trip to Indonesia and West Papua. Those first shots were noticed and published by the most important newspapers in the UK. This provided me with some pretty good, short-term exposure. A little while later, I got some exposure again, thanks to the shots I took during a trip to India. Thanks to all this I started to get some collaborations with galleries and editors and I was invited to share my work at exhibitions in different countries.”

Roberto never wanted to see photography as a job. He wanted it to always remain a passion. Hence, he has always said ‘no’ to all projects that didn’t spike his personal interest:  “For example, I’ve always avoided projects like wedding shoots, personal events, studios and so on. Since the first moment, I have done only what I really "want to do", instead of what I "have to do".”

Roberto’s passion is to meet and document remote cultures. He likes to tell stories of people from different cultures, their lives and their traditions. “Behind every person, there are stories of sacrifices, happiness, emotions, scents, rumours, pain, memories, voices, marks of the time, smiles, etc.”

The most challenging aspect for him is to create a relationship with his subjects. Building a relationship is fundamental for him to document their stories and to transmit their emotions. “According to my availability in terms of time, I may stay with the same people from a few hours up to a week.”

LeafSwan (@leaf_swan) | Digital Emotions

Denise lives in the Netherlands and started creating art about 12 years ago. She discovered her love for creating art whilst working in an elderly home. She saw how painting and drawing classes/workshops could really help people express themselves in meaningful ways. This triggered the start of her own art journey.

At the start, she created 2D art. She did this until she got more familiar with computers. She then made the move to 3D, developing her skills by watching YouTube tutorials. Her current work exists purely of digitally created art. Her biggest sources of inspiration are magazines, fashion and nature. 

In March 2021, she joined the NFT space. It took a while for her to get her first sale, but once she did, she reinvested it right back into the community. Doing this she became not just a creator, but also a collector. 

Marc Simonetti (@kemar74) | Stunning Concept Art

Marc has been creating art ever since he was young. As a child, he and his family would often visit Italy. Thanks to many museum and church visits, he quickly got acquainted with art in general.

His drawing endeavours didn’t immediately lead him to become an artist. He actually became an engineer, however, after two years of formulating polymers, he was on the brink of depression and decided it was time for a switch. He quit his job and went all-in to pursue an artistic career. “I studied for one year, then got a job in a video game company. After one year of modelling backgrounds for PS2 games, I decided to become a freelancer. I designed book covers, illustrations for RPGs and everything I could get.”

Marc’s art style comes from his personal taste. “Books, painters, sculptors, movies and such all influence me, and then there are my 15 years of experience working on cover arts, video games, theme parks and movies.”

As a freelancer, Marc built up an interesting career. He designed the Iron Throne for G.R.R. Martin, illustrated the cover art for Dune and worked one year with Luc Besson on Valérian and The City of a Thousand Planets. He has now found a healthy balance where he’s able to combine his freelance work with his own personal art.

If you’d like to discover more talented artists, then make sure to follow @redlion_news and the Daily NFT Show.