Tucked behind the traffic of the performance stage was a small booth ran by
Gabriel Marques, a local LA artist born and raised in Brazil.
His works captivating the eyes of many; inspired mostly by pop culture references from the Walking Dead to different bands and musicians. It's hard to locate him in a crowd of attenders but once you get through, there lies countless images of beautiful, modern, and edgy art works. After meeting him and being in awe of what he has created, Sportie LA decided that this man needs to be heard! We conducted an online interview to get to know the artist behind the graphics.
Christine: So can you give us a short background of who you are and where you're from?
Gabriel Marques: I'm from Brazil and lived in Sao Paulo- one of the busiest cities in the world. I have always worked with illustration/ art and graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. Putting my work on hold, I came to Los Angeles to witness my best friend's wedding and be her best man. It's been 1 month and 2 weeks and I'm still here!
C: What inspired you to become an artist? Who were your inspirations?
Marques: I don't think I was inspired to become an artist- I was born one. Since I was young, I always liked to sketch, paint, and make a mess doing art. Throughout my life, I got inspired by many artists and some of them still inspires me to this day, such as Boris Vallejo, Salvador Dali, Leonardo DaVinci and many others.
C: Can you tel me a bit about what you brought to FameFest?
Marques: At FameFest, I had three different categories to display- TV Shows, Music Bands, and Personal Art. There's a brand in Brazil that makes t-shirts to see and I
collaborated with them to put my design on it. And the others were my personal artworks. I was there with my friend, who is a clothing designer, so we decided to team up and show my art with her clothes!
C: From looking at your art work, it seems like you're a huge fan of the Walking Dead?
Marques: I can't say I'm a huge fan but I really like the show and I wouldn't miss one episode! The image I created for the Walking Dead, titled "I Heart The Walking Dead" was actually created by random. I was watching the show and thought, "maybe I could do an image of I heart Walking Dead but use zombies as the typography". I got out of my bed and a few hours later, the design was created. This one is my favorite and after posting it online, I started getting contacts asking about it, which was pretty cool! AMC even posted it on their Instagram!
C: That's amazing, congrats! What do you have in store for the future?
Marques: I have lived in a few places such as South Africa, Paris, Dublin and now LA- I like the fact that I can speak English which makes it easier. I love everything about LA and so far it's a nice place to live. Hopefully everything works out and I'll be able to move here. I'm currently looking for agencies to work as a graphic design in the entertainment business, so I'll need a Work VISA... Which is going to be a bit of a headache. I'm heading back to Brazil soon and I wish I would stay here! But when I get back, and the plan will start right away!
C: So aside from working and creating designs, what other hobbies do you like?
Marques: Aside from art, I like to sleep and eat. Before I came to LA, I had a crazy schedule for a year and worked a lot. So when I decided to come, I thought two things were important with my decision: be with my best friend on the most important day of her life, and renew my spirit and soul by travelling.
For more information on Gabriel Marques, please visit his portfolio at
www.behance.net/mrgabrielmarques