North Shore Meet an Artist: Phil Gazzolo

What’s so great about North Shore artist Phil Gazzolo? Is it his charm, authentic sense of chivalry, or unique art practice? All of the above! Phil’s personality and many interests inspire him to produce artwork that is both thoughtful and original. Continue reading Phil’s interview with artist Trent Taylor to find out what he’s been creating at the studio, his favorite hobbies, and a his aspirations for the future. What materials do you like to work with? I use paint brushes, pastels, colored pencils. I like to work with sketches ‘n stuff. It’s fun to sketch like different pictures, different images. How long have you been making art?About two years. I’m just bein’ honest ya know.What types of images inspire you to create work?I like red and blue cars. I like ancient cars like hot rods. 1934 Roadsters, Boxcars, Models T’s. They’re all pretty cars. Golf carts are cool. Man those things are nice.  [[{“fid”:”6828″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:”Phil researching reference images”,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Phil researching reference images”},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:366,”width”:652,”alt”:”Phil researching reference images”,”title”:”Phil researching reference images”,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]What projects are you currently working on?I’m working on a hot rod. I’ve been working on a barn. Umm… What else do I like to do? Let’s see. I’ve painted a lot of different things. I painted a cartoon character, I drew a dog, a lot of different things. Do you have other roles at the studio besides being an art maker? I meet new friends. Yeah, I clean the back [supply] room ‘n stuff. Make it look real nice. I used to clean the bathrooms. I just wanna tell the truth, I ain’t gonna lie. [Laughs] Can’t make up stories ya know. What do you like to do when you’re not at the studio? We were filming different things. It’s real fun. Things outside, around the house. It’s like we’re learning how to use digital cameras and film things. We do a lot of stuff. In two weeks we get our own cameras. I like to cook. I cook chicken, ribs, and I make my own barbeque sauce. I’ll bring in the poster so you can see it. I won’t tell the secret though. I watch TV too, sports, movies, that’s about it. If you could not be an artist, what other job would you choose to do? I’d rather do barbeque ‘n stuff. Just all barbeque, like on a food truck. I’d sell it to everybody. I’d go to Chicago, all different places, make a little money. What is your favorite thing about the Arts of Life?Nice people. It’s fun to be here. And I retired from all the jobs, it’s less stress and more fun. ‘Cause all those pots ‘n pans you gotta wash, it’s just ridiculous. It’s a lot of hours. I couldn’t keep standing on my legs. I like to sell paintings. I sold one already, the one of that cartoon character.