We recently connected with Victor DiPilato and have shared our conversation below.

Victor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been drawing and painting my whole life, but I didn’t pursue it as a career for a long time. It seemed more like a dream than a reality. It all started when my friend, Jenn, encouraged me to start an Instagram account. At the time, I painted still lifes such as wine bottles. But shortly after joining, I started building a following and along with that came messages from people interested in purchasing my work. My family and friends have always been a positive influence for me creating and pursuing my art endeavors, but to have people I didn’t know on a personal level show interest in my work was eye opening and was a true motivator that reignited a fuse within me. This is when I decided becoming a professional artist was a plan rather than a dream.

Victor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a professional artist from Palm Beach, Florida. I am a painter and I work with oils, acrylic, and spray paint.

I’ve always had a hyperactive imagination. When I was kid, I would often hear “Stop daydreaming” as I filled the margins of my work with doodles and sketches. Creating art is a way for me to interact with my imagination and a way to bring those images and dreams to life. Naturally, I’ve always been intrigued and inspired by artists such as Salvador Dali and MC Escher who’s work always capitated my attention and I found myself lost in their art.

Currently, I am working on two series, Finding Space to Play and Fractured. Finding Space to Play portrays astronauts in playful settings. Children often imagine being fantastic things such as astronauts when they are playing, but in the end an astronaut may dream of being a child again, free to use their imagination, free from shackles of being an adult. Fractured is a series that is reminiscent of stained glass or mosaics where the broken lines are often incorporated into the theme of the painting.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

For years, I use to sit in my garage and paint. Up until a couple of years ago, art seemed like such a lonely activity. I wish I was more active in my local art scene earlier. I believe getting out and attending art openings, participating in artist talks, and building relationships with other local artists has been one of the most beneficial things that I’ve done for both my career and the development of my art.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think any artist pursuing art as a profession can vouch for this, this career is a roller coaster of ups and downs. You can’t take rejections personally. It will hurt, but you have to pick your head up and keep going. It may take several rejections before you get that acceptance into a show or a gallery, and that acceptance might get followed by several more rejections. I was accepted into the first show that applied to and I thought “this was it, I made it!” but only to be rejected by every call to art, gallery, magazine interview that applied to for the next year. Eventually, I received more acceptances, but an artist can easily be discouraged or have that feel that they aren’t good enough, but you have to just keep going and believe in yourself and your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: victordipilato.art
• Instagram: dipilato.art

Image Credits
@Simon.Says.Photography