Artist Profile - Gerard Scifo a Piece of Stuff by pluta (jane curtis) From the streets and spraycans of Sydney comes Gerard Scifo, comic artist and publisher of Bize Comix Vrroooom (submitted by Bize.) Smooth (submitted by Bize.) rat (submitted by Bize.) Kiss my arse! (submitted by Bize.) What were your artistic beginnnings? Even as a child I always drew. When I was fourteen I got into graffiti and exhibition art a few years later. I've also done animation, but I gave all these things up to concentrate on comic art. What are your inspirations? Urban life/youth culture would be my main inspiration, but I also enjoy satirising well known stories, tv shows etc. Why do work in the medium you work in? I love reading comics and I love drawing comics. Comics are an undervalued art form and it's sad that most people think that they are all mass produced garbage for children. What are the pleasures of working in this medium? I like working in ink, especially black and white. I still have a lot to learn in this medium so it is a challenge. I enjoy reading comics and I like it when other people enjoy reading mine. Who or what is the source of encouragement and support of your work? Other Australian comic artsists have been great support and the couple of times when I have seriously felt like giving up, it's been their encouragement that's kept me going. It's also uplifting when readers send in letters of support. Do you see your art as political? My exhibition art was political, I dealt with Aboriginal issues, but my comics aren't. Being Aboriginal, my life is political, so my comics are my personal creative escape. On a creative level I do them for me, they're purely for entertainment. Do you make your art with a specific audience in mind? No, not really. They're mostly read by young people, but I've had positive feedback from all types of people of many ages. Is the possible sale and marketability of your work a contributing factor in their overall appearance? No. If they sell...great. If they don't, that's ok. I'm not trying to make a living off them at the moment. Who do you admire? Dave Sim from Canada. He has been self publishing the comic Cerebus for about fourteen years. He is proof that if you keep at it, you can succeed and earn a living off self publishing. What are the rewards and obstacles of publishing your work yourself? The rewards are total freeedom of expression. You keep 100% of intellectual ownership of the material and you keep any profits you make. On the downside, you are responsible for every aspect, from creating, printing to distribution. Also, it's all your own money going into something that's not going to pay returns for a while, if ever. What advice would you give to people starting their own publications? Go for it. Don't get discouraged no matter what happens and if you want to make money doing it, be very patient. I personally don't know any Australian self published comic artists making a profit. Where can we see more of your art? Comics Australia website and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-op. Write to Bize Comix at PO Box 1245, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012. Related Web Site Created on Fri, 5 Dec 1997 and last modified on Fri, 27 Feb 1998.

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