Today we’d like to introduce you to Bollee Patino.
Bollee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am born and raised in West Tampa, Florida and spent most of my youth drawing, skateboarding and listening to hip hop. I have always been a creative person by nature, but when I found graffiti, I was hooked and this is what I wanted to do. I was memorized by the speed, the colors and the skill set New York artists had with only a can of spray paint and low light. I was fascinated with how they approached trains, subways, tunnels, and other walls at a large scale to mark their existence.
I found it to be a way to express myself, and allow me to be seen without being present. As an introvert, I found it was hard to fit in and looked for ways to show that I existed without being physically in the spotlight. I immediately started to develop my own style, from letters to tagging and set out paint the city of Tampa.
This quickly leads me to art school and I got into a career of arts as a graphic designer after graduating with a BFA from IADT. I was drawn to typographic and logo design fundamentals, mostly from the connection it had with my graffiti love, which is based on a typography framework in my opinion. I worked for a handful of large national brands and projects while growing professionally and my foundational design sets, but continued to explore my creative outlet through painting.
Today, I am back to my roots and focusing on creating a vision of merging contemporary, graffiti and street art to get the message out to Be Yourself. I have gained the attention of many international collectors and events with my works on canvas and wood panels.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Today, my work is truly based on my background and other forms of design, graffiti, street, and contemporary art to set a foundation using mostly acrylic and spray-paint. I specialize in bright, bold, contrasting colors, often leaving the painting up to chance as I use a multi-layered approach of stacking different elements organically to tell a story. This story is all about a sense of self (SOS), understanding who you are, want to want to be and the journey it will take to accomplish your dreams, goals or success. We all have points of influences in our life but it’s important to stay true to yourself and not follow the crowd for social acceptance.
“Never hide your roots, culture, heritage or passions with a profile of innocence. The only person you have to live with for the rest of your life is yourself. Accept your internal greatness.”
I believe my biggest accomplish today as an artist is the acceptance of my message and the work I am doing both domestic and internationally. The main two series this year is my “Be Yourself” and “Gold Digger.”
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe making my own luck has given me the experience to grow and explore creativity. My experiences in life have been the main focus of many projects, it was these experiences both positive and negative that allowed me to create a unique style.
Contact Info:
- Website: bolleepatino.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bolleepatino/
- Other: https://www.saatchiart.com/bolleepatino
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
