Get to know the man behind the intense art…

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Tek: Hello Nuvem thanks for your time here, I'm actually very excited to do this interview since you already know I admire your talent especially when it comes to your wallpapers!

Nuvem: thanksss… you are so kind :)

Tek: Before we begin, would you be willing to share some personal stuff about yourself, you know the usual things including Boxers or Briefs (and what color too!). Don't worry Tek readers, this will be the “last time” (I promise) that I ask this question, but I jusss have to ask The Nuvem =)

Nuvem: lol… black or grey briefs… boxers disturb me ;) (ok, should I say something more about me?)

Tek: hmmm okayyyy well for me thazzz all I wanted to know, but yes the readers probably would like to know maybe alittle bit more… hehe

Nuvem: lol… k I'm a 32 years old Portuguese Art teacher, also I consider myself as a “traditional artist”. I have worked in areas like painting, sculpture, ceramics and some other stuff. I've been working with problematic kids for 3 years now, next year I'm quitting kids for some time, I think

Tek: Interesting. What does your nick “Nuvem” actually mean?

Nuvem: Nuvem means “cloud” in Portuguese — a white cloud, not a grey one :) I like the way it sounds and I thought that I would name my son (when I have one) like that. My ex-wife didn't think so, 'cause kids at school would make fun of the little guy, so I used the name for my dog and now I use it as my nick too.

Tek: Can you tell us alittle more about your occupation?

Nuvem: As I mentioned above, I'm a teacher for a living. That doesn't completely satisfy me, so I always did some other art related stuff, I made some exhibitions in the past and other events like that… till I bought my computer. I don't have the physical space to work in other medias, the pc is very handy and I love working with digital gfx.

Tek: exhibitions?

Nuvem: made some, won some awards… nothing big :) art world doesn't exactly attract me… too much vain and bluffing around

Tek: When did you first begin doing digital art? and what influenced it?

Nuvem: Skins I found in a Portuguese magazine something about windows customization, more exactly, skins for different applications. The site skinz was mentioned and it was my first approach to digital art. At first I was so surprised to see that my recently bought computer could be different from all the ones I saw before, then the design and originality of some skins were so fascinating!

I remember the first time I saw the skin suites from Treetog or Dangeruss Then I found the wallpaper section, which I was much more comfortable working with, because it doesn't have all the coding part skins demand. After that skinz went down and I found deviantART. It was better in a way, because of all the sections the site had to offer. After some time, Jerry (aka Grimspoon) invited me to be part of pixelprintz project, that made approach the digital scene more seriously. I bought a wacom tablet and decided to get serious about this.

Tek: so it was skinning and also skinz.org? that brought you into the scene *sigh* seems that site really played an important part in bringing alot of artist into the skinning scene?

Nuvem: oh yeah, I loved that site! I used to pick into the message board and read yours, Jafo's and the other guys post, had some laughs with those.. oh, it was a great site :) so I felt like I already knew you guys before you guys even knew that I existed :)

Tek: hehe yeah we all had alot of fun there ;) How long does it approximately take you to do one of your sketches? (your sketches are OUTRAGEOUS)

Nuvem: sketches are fast, to do a complete 3500px piece take me something like a all month and thankss again :)

Tek: Let's show one of your most recent...

Tek: Do you find sketching to be relaxing and therapeutic for you or hard work in reality?

Nuvem: oh yeah, I always take my sketchbook with me, when I have to wait in the bank line I never get bored :) relaxing, for sure now, I take my digital camera with me too, so I always take a big bag with me, hehe

Tek: Can you remember the first program you skinned? and do have a screenshot to share with us? always nice to take a stroll back down memory lane don't you think?

Nuvem: It was a desktopX theme and the wall to go with it, called yorn79 I was so surprise when I actually saw the screenshot uploaded and people commenting on it :) The theme was first uploaded at skinz and got more downloads than I ever expected

Tek: very nice and cool nuvem and to think this was your first

Nuvem: I tried… but I was just starting and well, my skills at that time were a joke :)

Tek: What piece of art work are you most proud of? And would you share a screenshot of that with us as well?

Nuvem: Emporium. It's the most elaborated digital piece of mine but is also the most consistent. All the details were worked 'til the exhaustion, every image means something, and have their own part in the big cake. Compositionally and technically, it is my best piece. The idea behind the gfx changed when I first started to work on it, that happens a lot to me, I start something that I have no idea what will become and after some time everything is very clear in my mind, I know where I want to take it. In the meantime when you don't know what it will be is the most fun and gives me such pleasure. Then it's just to execute the idea. Ideas are the most important thing, not skills. Emporium had all that, and at the end. I'm gonna have some fresh stuff soon… I'm in a creative period right now ;)

Tek: Let's show off two more, I really think these two are really neat!

Tek: mmm glad to hear that! ;) btw what are your thoughts on moderation?

Nuvem: I loved skinz moderation :) I used to love to have shoggot moderating my stuff (he refused my first trys, thank God) cause of 2 things: first it was a challenge, I like challenges a lot.

Tek: Shog moderated “The Nuvem” wow! hehe

Nuvem: second, well that made me improve and try harder to get real good stuff, apart from that it gives the site some high standards! he did mention it in the site rules… I also agree with sites that have no moderation, of course, but I miss some good moderating like he did… and he was right :)

Tek: Well he also Forced me by moderating me to death to make atleast “One” decent wallpaper in my life

Nuvem: I remember that wall with the piano, right?

Tek: yeah my one and ONLY wall… sheesh that really wore me out!

Nuvem: lol was cool :)

Tek: hehe ridiculous stuff compared to yours nuvem ;) your stuff makes my piano look like a preschooler made it

Nuvem: Everything you do with your heart and effort is valorous :)

Tek: I think “all art” comes from the heart right?

Nuvem: yeah… and mind, and sweat ;)

Tek: Are there any Digital artist in the skinning community that you yourself admire or gain inspiration from? would you care to share a few names?

Nuvem: there are many digital artists I admire, in fact I think we are going thru a period that a lot of new artists and skinner artists are showing excellent art if you want names, I still lub treetog and dangeruss skins, monaux make the best winamp skins ever. apart from skins jigit, reality squared, iamall, and the always brilliant precurser oh, I forgot integer, the best minimalistic dude around :)) though he is very quiet this days… (hey grandma :))

Tek: What kind of mood are you in when you're creating your art, is it influenced by dreams, music, or hormone driven or what? hehe ;) this I'm really curious about! your art looks so deep I always wondered where is your mind like seeing into your dreams or something…

Nuvem: lol I rarely remember my dreams :/ one thing for sure, I can't do anything when I'm sad… the influences… I think everything influence me, like a book, a music, experiences from the past, feelings… all that comes to my mind when I'm doing my stuff we are the result of the past and the desire of the future, both things help me creating art. Everything is “there” we just have to keep our eyes open to don't miss it!

Tek: What Graphic programs do you use to design and make your art in?

Nuvem: Painter 7, Wacom tablet, Sony cybershot, Photopaint, Bryce, Rhino, Photoshop, brain and smokes :)
Painter 7 is just a awesome kick ass program!!!!… oops, can I say ass here??? :)

Tek: Nuvem you can say whatever “you” want! hehe What role does 3D programs play in your art?

Nuvem: mainly I use them for backgrounds and other nice effects… I don't like much the textures of those… very plastic and artificial look, or maybe I'm not good enough with those anyway, its fun to play with them

Tek: Baby toy for you I'm sure

Nuvem: lol… not that easy :)

Tek: Out of all the skinnable programs which one do you feel is the easiest one to skin and which program have you found to be the most difficult and why?

Nuvem: most easy… beatnik never found one so easy, heh …difficult, windowblinds I've tried several times to something decent, never could… is frustrating :)

Tek: so you've never made a Windowblind ever?

Nuvem: that's why I admire so much the good wb skinners I have like 3 started, never will finish one :)

Tek: I also noticed that you are involved in Poetry around deviantART such as some contest they've had in the recent past and also when I myself go to leave comments on others poetry that you yourself seem to be reading alot of it, cuz I've stumbled across your comments left as well =) What is your view on Poetry in the skinning & art community as it seems most ppl do not appreciate Poetry mixed in on skinning sites and don't feel it is a form of art at all? I feel Poetry is words from the soul… (not the head)

Nuvem: Poetry is for sure an art form!!! …and I read a lot of that at deviantart, there are such great poets there! to bad I can't understand more cause of my crappy English. My involvement in that contest was just a help to my friend faithwalker, we asked me to do the wallpaper to the winner of the contest, is always a pleasure to help a friend

Tek: That was nice of you nuvem =) (btw I seen the wall and it to was beautiful) Are you a collector of physical art such as the art you would purchase at an art gallery and hang on a wall? If so what kind of art do you would you buy for your house and which famous artist is your favorite?

Nuvem: I have my house stuck with paintings and ceramics, most from my own, some by some friends of mine… I bought some, but just when I can spend that amount of money, hehe favorite artists... Tapies, Francis Bacon, Gustav Klimt, Joan Mir&oagiu;.

Tek: I've also stumbled across the fact that you have a split personality over at DA? A light side and also a dark side, can you explain why you've chosen to have your work uploaded under two different names? I prefer your dark side better, though the light one is unbelievably good too.

Nuvem: well, that's a recent idea… you see, sometimes, is nice to forget about “nuvem” and be a different person (no, I'm not mental heal) ;). I like a lot of different stuff and some don't fit the nuvem's character, I think… bioskop will be to nuvem what coca-cola light is to original coca-cola:) is just a play with characters, after all is what we all are here on the net

Tek: interesting though I bet in time your light character will evolve back to nuvem you can't get away from your true nuvem style that keeps showing through… hehe

Nuvem: I try :)

Tek: Did some of the other members at DA who already have you on their deviantWatch listed as Nuvem get upset to find out that you have other work unbeknownst to them being uploaded under a different nickname and persona? The fact that they may have missed some of your work under your other name?

Nuvem: don't think so, there is no reason for that… in fact I saw some dudes doing the same after that :)

Tek: I was reading your journal before this interview and noticed that you said “A crazy teacher of yours was right when he told you that you were esquizofrenic!” what is that?

Nuvem: lol, just a joke :) I had some teachers that maybe thought I was a bit crazy but they never had the nerve to tell me that :)

Tek: hehe just don't go choppin off any ears like that other famous artist what was his name?

Nuvem: Van Gogh, he was much crazier than me and waaaaayyy much better artists too!

Tek: hehe yeah that guy =) okay well what exactly is your position if any over on Pixtudio?

Nuvem: I never truly was part of pixtudio. Treetog invited me at the time to be part of that great place, at first I accepted, it was an honor to work with him, Alexandrie and Russ. unfortunetly I had some health problems at the time as well as personal problems with my ex-wife. It was a hard time for me, I couldn't concentrate in anything related with skins or that kind of things as Renato so kindly understood. I just ended up doing the wallpaper and quick notes after that I decided to take a break to get my self together again, and I quit pixtudio and breedart and some other things I was working with Treetog still ask me to do some wallpaper or a help with desktopX I always do, renato is a great person to work with, not to mention his SUPERB talent.

Tek: well all three of you seem to be of the same caliber I think it's a perfect combination/team if you were there

Nuvem: maybe, but I don't feel I could go in yet that way is better for me atm..

Tek: I'm sure the opportunity and door will always be open for you there nuvem ;)

Nuvem: maybe later yeah,

Tek: Hey we're done =( Nuvem I want to Thank you so much, I truly enjoyed this interview alot!

Nuvem: ohhhhh :( don't need to thank me, it was my pleasure :)

Tek: was a pleasure for me to finally get to speak to you and not wonder all these things

Nuvem: same here, we must do this from time to time :)) next time I get to interview you :)

Tek: uh ohhh! Hmmm I feel a “Part 2 Nuvem interview” coming on again for when you become a world famous artist! hehe =)

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— Doreen, April 16 2002