3rd Place: United Creators 2nd Annual Online Juried Arts Competition

Interview by Gil Sembrano

The captivating worlds and environments that artist Thomas Bogacki creates combine both the natural with unnatural. His installations, often resembling geological formations, are meticulously and ironically created from the remnants of our advanced industrial and digital age. With Thomas Bogacki, an interesting dichotomy is presented: the artist as scientist, the scientist as artist.

Describe your earliest beginnings as an artist.

I would most definitely say that the roots of creativity began when I was a child.  I feel strongly that children, in general, are naturally creative, and this is where it all begins.  I had been fortunate enough to have parents that took notice of my talents and allowed and encouraged them to grow, and still to this day.  I was always a highly inquisitive child relentlessly wanting to know the answer to everything and to understand how things worked.  From those times on, I was interested in the process of "making", whether it be painting, coloring, making objects. etc.  I got such a sense of satisfaction and bliss after creating something, and it's a feeling that you keep chasing and want to experience over and over again.  Accompanying my artistic side was a strong interest in science and geology.  I spent endless hours playing with microscope kits and chemistry sets, looking at my cheek cells, and observing/collecting crystals and rocks.

What was a defining moment in your early development as an artist?