Mario Picardo: Sketchbook

Mario Picardo: Sketchbook - Born in 1985, French artist Mario Picardo conscientiously draws inspiration from his surroundings. The smallest details of urban life, neglected but nonetheless vibrant, are documented daily through photography and sketching. iPhones and notepads filled. Imaginations awaken. Picardo's hand translates it all, finally, into rich, childlike imagery. \n \nIn Sketchbook, Picardo is at his best. The images bear his studied naivety—they ruminate on space, place, and popular culture. Bright colors stand out against bold, black outlines. Within, the artist’s layered response to his observation gives voice to overlooked or underappreciated elements of urbanity. In doing so, Picardo defines a fresh, abstract language. His vernacular sprawls across the page, spilling from edge to edge, bringing to life layers of life both lived and seen. \n \nWhile Picardo’s paintings can prompt one to acknowledge a larger-than-life quality in his subject, Sketchbook places considerations of process in an intimate way. In its pages, Picardo illuminates the mind, memory, and soul… the elements that collide in his work… in a snapshot. The book presents the artist in motion, moving fluidly from surveying the city to germinating ideas.