Where do you reside and work currently? I live and work in Los Angeles, California.
How would you describe Amir H. Fallah? Artist.
Did you have any training or is it inherent? I have a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from UCLA.
When did you first start making art and what lead you to start? I got into graffiti when I was around 14 years old. To get better at graffiti I took an art class and immediately fell in love.
Best advice you ever received in regards to your art? Work harder than everyone else and stay curious.
What influences you as an artist? I’m influenced by everything. It’s a generic answer but it’s true. I’ve recently fell in love with architectural shapes in Victorian and Craftsman homes that I’d come across in my neighborhood. I started noticing them during my daily walks with my dog and now they’ve worked their way into my paintings.
Your art reminds me of street art, what is the origin of your paintings? There is a lot of subtle references to graffiti in my work that was leftover from my younger years of sneaking around at night.
Do you start with a mock-up? Each painting is based on a photograph that is edited on the computer. These images are then used as a sketch for the paintings. I often veer away from the original sketch but the photograph gives me the basic structure for each painting.
Your pieces are extremely intricate, and time consuming, what is the longest you have spent on a piece? Around 3 months. I would love to spend a year on one painting. It sounds like a painful task but I’d love to see what a years worth of work on one piece would look like.
How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now? As someone who contributed to the history of art. Lofty goal but why bother if you don’t aim high.
Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration? Inspiration is a hoax. I go into the studio everyday and work. Sometimes something happens and sometimes I waste the entire day. That’s just how it goes.
If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table? Henri Rousseau, Chris Ofili, Francis Bacon.
Name three things you can’t live without in your studio? Paint, canvas, brushes.
Are you active on social media and if so where can one find you? I’m on Instagram and twitter @amirhfallah .
