Silvio Vieira is a 3D artist from Porto, Portugal. With a background in street art and surrealistic drawings, he has evolved into a skilled digital artist who creates dream-like scenes that imply a complex, surreal, spiritual plane beyond the frames of each piece.
Through his work, Silvio expresses his inspirations drawn from nature, the subconscious, dreamscapes, spirituality, and parallel realities. In this interview, we delve into Silvio’s artistic journey and explore his inspirations and the unique vision he brings to the world of digital art.
Brady Walker: Taken collectively, your work depicts a magnificent and gargantuan spirit world. Can you describe your own spiritual life and if/how that’s reflected in your work?
Silvio Vieira: Think about a mirror. Most of the time, my spiritual life is a reflection of the work I create. While I create, I meditate; it brings me comfort and peace, but it also can send me into a chaotic journey through my mental imagery and subconscious.
Humanseed Act.4: Sol by Silvio Vieira
BW: You describe the process behind “The Light Abyss” as “an amalgamation of all the 3D rendering techniques [you’ve] been exploring until now.” Can you elaborate on that? I’m sure any 3D artist reading this would be interested in hearing about these techniques.
SV: This piece was created with a different approach (to my own standards). I was wondering if I could bring an intense feeling and represent the piece I had in my mind mostly through 3D software, applying all I knew at that time. The vision I had in my mind was an imposing sculpture dissolving with a natural flow, something like stone turning into liquid.
I thought that maybe this time, I could create the piece from dark to light instead of the most common approach of light to dark. After hours of experimenting with and researching two different softwares, I’ve found an idea of creating a volume displacement but using the linework of one of my works to create a fluid effect as a texture on the 3D model.
Light Abyss by Silvio Vieira
BW: Unlock3r is probably my favorite piece of yours on MakersPlace. It’s also one of the few works of yours not accompanied by a description (“Fireseed” is another). Can you tell me about this piece?
SV: “Unlock3r”is, as the name says, an “unlocking piece.” I created two others before this one, but they failed to get at what I wanted to express, so I deleted them after spending hours creating them. This piece serves as a metaphor.
It was a time that I felt I wanted to make a shift in my life, to be creating digital pieces only and make a living with digital work. At that time, I was also an artisan hand-painting souvenirs and tile panels in a store called Prometeu at the center of Porto, Portugal.
BW: Do you consider the figures in your work to be defined characters, or are they more amorphous than that? Is there continuity between pieces?
SV: Most of the time, the figures in my work reflections of what I want to transmit through that specific creation. Some figures can retain some personal details, and others are intended to be universal. It really depends on the piece itself.
Origin (Enigma) by Silvio Vieira
BW: Can you describe your creative process and your technical process?
SV: My creative process comes naturally as a need for expression. You can also call it a meditative space or maybe if you will, a “spiritual relief,” where I dive into my own thoughts, dreams, and subconscious imagery to express what I feel and what I see in my mind.
My technical process for 2D pieces starts by creating a model using 3D software, defining the pose and sculpting, creating a 3D environment, and defining the lights and colors.
After all the 3D is defined, I render the image on a giant resolution and import it into 2D software (like Photoshop), then I do the linework by hand (maybe one of my favorite parts of the process). I finish the pieces by doing some photographic adjustments. I usually spend some hours doing color balance, saturation, lighting adjustments, shadow correction, brightness/contrast, and much more.
Enchantments Awakening by Silvio Vieira
BW: Which artists have had the biggest impact on your work?
SV: I have a big list of artists whose work I love and who have impacted my style, just to mention a few; Salvador Dali, Zdzisław Beksiński, Peter Mohrbacher, and Alex Grey.
BW: How do you market and promote your work to collectors? Do you have relationships with your collectors?
SV: Mostly through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Discord.
BW: How do you approach pricing your work, whether it be for commissions or for selling your original pieces?
SV: It depends on the details the client requires. If the client wants me to create a very detailed piece with a very detailed linework, it will take much more time and effort than a simple 3D rendered piece.
Stardust Weaver by Silvio Vieira
BW: How has your style evolved over the years? How is it evolving today?
SV: I was creating graffiti on the streets back in my teenage years (early 2000s), then started merging graffiti with surrealism, and kept doing it mostly for myself and friends until my early 20s. I felt I wanted to change my style to something different, but I didn’t know what it was. I was experimenting with Photoshop at that time, but I felt I couldn’t express myself with a pen tablet, so the majority of the pieces I was creating were with a pen on paper.
After failed attempts, I thought about creating “a hybrid.” I started doing traditional drawings, taking a photo, then adding color and details in Photoshop. After working for nine years in graphic enterprises, printing, and doing graphic design, an opportunity appeared, and I decided to jump into painting tiles as an artisan while pursuing what I really loved to do.
In 2020 I was forced to abandon artisan work because of the pandemic and decided to go full-time digital. At that time, I was already into minting my own work thanks to my very good friend Yura Miron who invited me to join Makersplace in 2019.
Depths of Enlightenment by Silvio Vieira
BW: Do you have any favorite crypto artists?
SV: Yes, some of them I have good relationships with: Yura Miron, Spaced Painter, Undeadlu, Trevor Jones, Pak, X-COPY, Hackatao, Alotta Money (RIP), Glass Crane.
BW: What advice would you give your 20-year-old self about art and creativity?
SV: Do it, don’t waste your time trying to find what style you like or what kind of art you should do, and of course, buy Bitcoin. : )
BW: What are you most excited about going into 2023?
SV: I have been working on some big projects since the end of 2021, hope to release one of those soon this year.
