After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, Chris Buzelli moved to New York City and began his career as an illustrator. His oil paintings have appeared in many national publications, books and projects for design firms/advertising agencies. Currently, Buzelli also exhibits his original paintings in various galleries throughout the US and teaches once a week at RISD and SVA. He lives with his wife, SooJin, and mini-pinscher, Sota.
“You’re never really satisfied. You’re always looking to the next piece to get it right. However, I got to the point a few years ago where I was really unsatisfied and too negative. It began to affect my work. I had always thought that was a positive thing to not be satisfied, but that became dangerous for me. So, now I have to celebrate a little bit. Each piece is a challenge for me. I hope I make it look easy and I hope the art directors think it’s easy for me. There’s the concept phase, the drawing phase, and then the painting phase, which is a serious battle. I’m back and forth thinking, “Oh, no! This is not looking good. Maybe I should start over? Oh, shit! No, keep working.” It’s not necessarily an enjoyable process. It’s something I love to do, but it’s not enjoyable until that last part when I see it coming together and think, “Yes! This is what I was doing all of this for.” I get my two seconds of satisfaction at the end of a painting. And then it all starts over again.” Chris Buzelli (The Great Discontent)
