#028 — Piotr Grzesiak

Hello Piotr! It’s great to have you here on our Artist Spotlight. Could you please introduce yourself?‍

Hey Leo! Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share some of my thoughts with the world. My name is Piotr and I was born in Poland, my roots are mainly Polish with a mix of Jewish and Austrian. Originally I was mainly doing miniatures and stop-motion sets, but during lockdown when the whole world went crazy, I changed my path to walk the way of 3D. I studied at UAL in London for 3 years, however studies didn't teach me much, but I have met one of the most influential people in my life there and for that I would still choose the same destiny.

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Let’s start with the first thing that comes to mind when I think of your work. Characters. 

Your characters often seem troubled. They are incredibly expressive. In many cases bordering on the uncanny. What drives you to explore these emotions particularly?

Haha, thank you so much!!! Well most of the stuff that I post on Instagram are just quick tests or personal work that I like to pour my emotions into, so it is kinda like a little therapy. 

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There’s a great sense of voyeurism in how you capture them. They seem to be deeply in thought. In their own world. 

How well do you know your characters when putting them on screen?

If it is something done for Instagram usually I get to know them while creating, however when I am making some for my own shorts or for a work that gives me place to explore, they are kinda like a plant that I put my own soil as a base and water them, but after sometime I might surprise myself with the result.

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Could you give some insights into your production process of creating an artwork? 

Sure! Usually I start with a very simple sketch and try to pick a main theme of a piece then I find the right assets or create them myself, arrange them roughly, then refine and voile. That is for the pieces you see on Instagram, for proper ones I try to focus more on the research and also on creating original animation and assets for it, so naturally it becomes more cohesive.

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Creatively speaking, do you tend to start with visuals, themes or emotion first?‍

Emotions, they drive everything.

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You have an incredible backlog of renders. Has your taste changed over the years, and how has that affected your output?‍

Hmm I feel like it didn't change much, what affects my output more are trends, AI and the world, those things kinda makes me wanna create something greater.

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Oh that’s interesting and very good to hear. Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror, Fashion, Cinematography. Key points of focus in your work. 

What is it you are exploring in each of them? 

Well for Fantasy and Sci-fi that's something that I have loved since childhood, and I love to explore new worlds that our brains can create. Same goes with Horror to be fair, what scares us? What really is unsettling? Those are the things that are worth exploring. With fashion I don't explore much, just always trying to make it be in the right spot of the world presented. For cinematography - exploring how I can show more emotion with different camera settings etc.

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How about personal symbolism? Images that carry weight only for you. 

Is there much in your work that’s only expressed for yourself? 

Hmm I think so, I actually always try to put some easter eggs just for myself.

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That’s fun! I want to go back to your characters for a moment. Even though many of them have cybernetic enhancements, are in poor condition or are outright demonic — they are all beautiful. 

Is beauty something you’re pursuing in your work? 

Thank you so much! Yes. I Think this can be answered with a scene from a movie - a plastic bag scene from “American Beauty”

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Glitter. Prominent in many of your artworks. 

‍Tell me about that.

It makes everything beautiful, and shiny. Enhances lighting work and when eaten is toxic as usually it is made out of plastic. What an irony.

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Hahah I love that way of thinking. It really is ironic.

Your work seamlessly jumps between cinematic stylisation and naturalism.

What is it that defines that choice?

Usually my emotions, and the fine line to fantasy and real grounded world.

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I’d love to take a moment and talk about your career as an artist. 

Do you feel pressure to adapt your style depending on industry trends or market appeal?

Yes, sadly, I think to stay on the market you have to adapt but I don't do any AI generations. I find it totally soulless and without any real window to do exactly what I want to do.

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What is your relationship with social media as a form of distribution? 

And has it changed over the years? 

Yes, I used to hate it a lot, then hated it less. I started my first social page on Facebook in 2018. Same with Instagram (well I think I created an account in 2016 but I just uninstalled it after 2 days and in 2018 installed again). It is a good platform to showcase your work, but it can also drain your time. So now even with all the AI overload and 3D AI generation spammers I still hate it less than I used to.

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Is there also a local art scene you’re connected to?

Not really.

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As a 3D Generalist with an understanding of every step of the process from concept to completion, what are the most important parts of the process to you?  

I think research affects everything. Production as well, without it we get nothing.

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Looking back, when did you first start thinking of yourself as an artist?

Never, but I had to put this label on so the algorithm will work better.

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Haha fair! If the machine understands you’re an artist that’s already half the solution. 

What’s a failure that taught you more than success ever could?

Fainting while driving on the highway.

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That must’ve been quite a shock! An important reminder of how precious each and every moment is in our lives. 

Piotr, now let’s look ahead for a moment. How do you imagine your work will evolve over the next five years?

I think it will be more detailed and more thought provoking. At least that's what I hope for.

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Excited to experience your future pieces.

What kind of advice would you give to someone thinking of a career in 3D Art? There is always a new generation taking their first steps into this adventure.

Learn really good basics, don't fall for the AI slop trap. And try to find your own way of expressing your emotions. And keep on grinding and networking. Be nice- people won't work with a mean person even if they are the best.

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Great advice! And that’s already it, Piotr! Thanks so much for being a part of this! 

As always, we like to end the Artist Spotlight with a personal recommendation from the artist. Any good films, books, habits, or anything else you’d like to recommend to the reader?

Movies:

Adams Apple

Only God Forgives

Rurouni Kenshin Movies

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Books:

Dune

A Song of Ice and Fire saga

The Trial (Kafka)

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