Say hello to creativity: Phil Bongiorno, visual artist

All photos courtesy of the artist.

“I express.  I take what’s cooking in my soul and have it come out of my fingertips without it registering in my brain.  I just let it flow.”  Phil Bongiorno, visual artist, photographer and writer, uses a variety of non-traditional means to create his work.  “I paint with spray cans and kitchen utensils.  I’m not so precise when it comes to painting.  I allow the colors and flow to move and direct me.”

On the other hand, Phil’s drawings are very carefully done.  As a child, he admired his brother’s friend who could draw the weird, deformed people with boggled-out eyes that were included, along with a piece of chewing gum, in kids’ “wacky-packs.”  Phil earned the annoyance of his family by defacing the family’s magazines and TV Guides with mustaches, sunglasses and blacked out teeth.  Phil’s energy translated into his later life; a sales and used car manager at Larry Hopkins Honda for twenty years and the father of a thirteen-year-old daughter, he still finds time to make his art.

Phil’s paintings are mostly abstract, but certain images, i.e., skulls, crosses, and peace signs - whatever happens to move him – are visible.  He adds many layers of paint, which he sprays or squeezes onto the canvas, and sometimes the paint ends up melting.  “It takes on a different scene, a semi-recognizable shape.  Sometimes it looks like I’m working with metal.  It’s an original thing I’ve been doing for a year.” 

With his tattoos and shaved head, Phil may look tough, but under that image is a sensitive person who has struggled with low self-esteem and addiction.  Clean and sober for twenty-six years, Phil channels his energies into a positive addiction: art.  “There’s no off switch to this artistic thing!”  he says.  “I take in so much.  My heart is in my work and each piece contains a glimpse into my soul.”  He spends as much time as possible making art, often working until the early morning hours.  His goal is to keep growing as an artist, keep painting, photographing, and writing.  “When someone likes my work, that’s a huge bonus.  I’m always surprised when other people react positively.” 

For Phil, the most important element of his art is its integrity.  “This is my true passion.”  He advises others to keep the focus on their art and not on money.  “I don’t cater to other people’s tastes, suggestions or interference.   Don’t compromise your art.”

To see more of Phil’s work, visit his website at www.studiobongi.com. He has work on display at the Axis building, including six pieces in the Penthouse, as well Alexander’s Gallery in Pleasanton.  Phil recently received a grant from CCI.