Q+A WITH CARMELO BLANDINO
WE WORD MAGAZINE ASKED INTERNATIONAL ARTIST AND MENTOR CARMELO BLANDINO —WHOSE PAINTINGS ARE RENOWNED FOR THEIR SYMBOLIC ABSTRACTION OF FLOWERS, LANDSCAPES, AND FACES— ABOUT LIFE, LOVE AND INSPIRATION.
Your idea of perfect happiness …
being surrounded by nature with people I love and who love me. Doing some outdoor activities with my wife and three doggies. It connects me to a higher purpose.
Your current state of mind is …
gratitude for everyone in my life and everything that I experience, the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s a continual contribution to my personal growth. I love the opportunity to learn and gain more wisdom and insight. Most lessons are challenging, but hey, we all get scathed. It’s all part of the maelstrom.
The thing you most dislike about your appearance is
… not a single thing. I stopped being self-critical and learned some hard lessons when I had cancer. I’m not being vain. I believe in loving oneself as we are. I have scars all over my body from cancer surgery and I like all of them, too.
The greatest love of your life …
is my wife, Julie Love. Yes, Love is her family name. She’s the one with whom I’ve grown the most, shared the most, and gone through the hardest of times. She stood by and with me during my entire cancer ordeal. I’m grateful that we share this journey. I’m equally there for her. Every man needs an exceptional woman and I was lucky enough to find her.
The talent you would most like to have …
the ability to jump from one dimension to another, go around the cosmos within minutes, take it all in, and be back in time for dinner with Julie.
Your most treasured possession is …
my comic book collection of Marvel and DC comics. It’s been a source of inspiration since I was a kid at multiple levels. I stopped collecting now and just look after the books that I have.
The lowest depth of misery …
predation of any sort and mostly towards women and children. Can we stop this once and for all?
You most value in your friends …
the ability to be real and unpretentious. It’s a hard one to find, but I value authenticity.
Your favorite writers …
Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, and Charles Schultz from Peanuts. Great insight in all three and everything I needed to learn started there.
Your hero of fiction …
Ted Lasso and Superman of course. Same people, different costumes
Historical figure you most identify with …
Van Gogh was brilliant, enlightened, and opened the world to color and freedom of creative expression. He had the ability to see beyond the veil of what we perceived as reality. He pierced and opened a me. They are usually quiet, walk softly and carry a big stick. They are guides for me and show me the way to become whole within. If you could choose how to die …there is no death, we just move on to another reality. However, when I’m on my way to that other reality, I’d like to coast it on a silver surfboard and be called “the silver surfer.” Your motto …my moto is a British Cafe Racer, Royal Enfield, but my motto is: “A Blandino bouquet all day, every day” and what that really means is that through my paintings and artistry, I’m here to give, not to take. portal of a different reality in order for us to perceive the world through our hearts rather than our intellect. He wasn’t crazy, he was a genius. Of course, it’s a fine line between the two but only because we are so rigid with the terms.
The trait you most deplore in yourself …
nahhhhh you’re asking the wrong person. I take care of my deplorable and turn it around to create something positive. I’m like a baboon looking for ticks and fleas. Once I find one, I give it love and nurturing and give that sucker a new life.
The trait you most deplore in others …
unhealthy manipulation. It’s rampant in today’s society and I see it exercised every day in insidious ways. No wonder we’re all trauma triggered in some way. It creates a lack of trust. We should be able to be at ease with one another but instead, we’re developing all sorts of unhealthy responses to our surrounding social environment.
Your heroes in real life …
those that help others in need without thinking twice about it. Fortunately, I’ve met many in my life that have inspired me. They are usually quiet, walk softly and carry a big stick. They are guides for me and show me the way to become whole within.
If you could choose how to die …
there is no death, we just move on to another reality. However, when I’m on my way to that other reality, I’d like to coast it on a silver surfboard and be called “the silver surfer.”
Your motto …
my moto is a British Cafe Racer, Royal Enfield, but my motto is: “A Blandino bouquet all day, every day” and what that really means is that through my paintings and artistry, I’m here to give, not to take.
