Yuriko Shirou's Circle of Hell

Welcome to the new "Artist's Circle Of Hell" editorial: a journey through the eyes and thoughts of magnificent Dark Artists.

Today we are delightful to talk with the talented Yuriko Shirou, that we are honoured to show her work on our Grand Opening: "Danse Macabre" show! Self-taught illustrator from Mexican. Her professional work has dabbled in Manga, American Comic and Figurative Art. She has done several international projects for various publishers such as Rittenhouse Archives, Cryptozoic Entretainment, Braiiinz! Publishing, Perna studios, among others. She has participated in international art and illustration exhibitions, among which the Creators of Legends / Homenaje a Hans Ruedi Giger; SuperficieArte, Mexico-Switzerland / 2016-2017. She has conducted workshops and conferences focused on Illustration. a large number of international commissioned works and various printed publications, including The Guide Artists Magazine / October 2017.

Enjoy the interview!

First circle - Limbo

How old is your soul? Do you have an inner child?

Of course, I consider that my soul still have an inner little girl. For what I find very interesting to tell you about my inner child, who is always with me. It allows me to find amazement and joy in small things, but like every child there are also monsters that frighten him and dont´ let him sleep. To dissipate them, it is enough to spend time in my imaginary worlds, hiking through the countryside, reading books, enjoying my cartoons and favorite games.

Second circle - Lust

Before you have reached your artistic path, have you ever instinctively tried different fields that did not appeal to you, just for the sake of it? Are you still in search for your art style?

Before dedicating myself completely to the professional Enlightenment. It was a long way of learning, when I graduated from high school I was determined to study arts, but my family could not afford those studies so I started studying and working. At that time my decision was to take a two-year course dedicated to Comic and Advertising Design, since I was drawing manga in those days. At the end, I continued working in the same department store that helped me pay for the two-year course and now it would help me pay for the art university. In this same job where I started as a basic employee and climbed to a position in the Design area, an incredible opportunity, which allowed me to strengthen many capacities, especially in photography, deadlines, creativity, advertising and work under pressure. All of them very useful in my current work within the illustration. Unfortunately my family and I moved to another city, I could not attend the university I wanted, but I found a University dedicated to Art, Design and Architecture in this new city. Right now I'm studying Fine Arts while I'm dedicated to the Enlightenment, which pays for my studies. As for my style, I consider that this in itself is characterized by a certain versatility, I like constant learning and being able to express myself in more than one way and therefore my drawing varies and adds new elements and characteristics, I am not sure if it would arrive a moment in which I stay with a particular "style". I just like to challenge myself and draw what makes me happy at that moment.

Third circle - Gluttony

How hungry are you for the art, for your passion? How much are you addicted and addicted to it, moving away from your perception of reality?

I confess that more than I can imagine. I'm addicted to him and he's great. It is my whole life, the days and especially the nights, everything revolves around this magical passion, I dedicate all my time to it, even asleep. My mind is a machinery that does not stop, all and all feed the continue creating. It makes my reality something incredible and at the same time it allows me to come and go from millions of my own and other worlds, as dark or as luminous as I wish. I just can not see a life where I can not do what I love.

Fourth circle - Greed

Sometimes, do you feel greedy with your job? Do you think that a strong attachment to money can compromise your art? No intention to offend, but only to explore what goes beyond being a "starving artist".

I believe that the greed for my work is experienced by wanting to keep each and every one of my jobs, over time you learn that nothing is eternal, so the most important thing is to keep the experience and then let it go and sometimes you can reach other hands and generate a new experience in someone else. As for money, it is always a complicated issue, it does not give happiness but it is necessary for life in this society, I think it could compromise our work when we dedicate ourselves to this kind of profession with the idea of doing something that everyone wants to have for Earn lots of money for it, no matter what you do not like. But when you do what you like and enjoy it, others notice it and then without thinking the compensation comes.

Fifth circle - Anger

How you see the Art World today? There are some stuff that make you uncomfortable?

We are millions of people doing a lot of stuff, some of it great stuff... I see great art and other not to much but i think it's a good time to be alive in a lot of aspects, the technology, the science and the art are in a struggle for who is the more faster stronger bigger, and that put you on perspective of what you are doing, if you feel uncomfortable with it this is not for you.

Sixth circle - Heresy

Have you ever done a project or commission totally different from your kind of art? (for example, as fairy art, erotic art, fantasy art or comic art)

I think that there are more and more opportunities and opportunities, but likewise there is more competitiveness. So far I feel lucky, I have not felt scorned or assaulted in any way, I have found various opportunities so far and I thank them with my soul. Of course this does not mean that everything is perfect, but it is nothing that patience and experience can not solve. For me, what causes me the greatest fear is on a personal level, since this is a profession that does not provide stability as other jobs could offer and sometimes uncertainty invades me and I wonder how much longer to continue doing this what I love?

Seventh circle - Violence

Are you afraid to represent cruel stuff of the reality in your art? If not, it goes beyond the simple visual impact?

Of course, most of my work is just a bit of everything, at first I had many conflicts with people who said that at some point I would find "my style" meaning that I should only focus my work on a particular type of drawing. I think that would be a very important point if I were a plastic artist, but I consider myself an Illustrator, so that being able to do the work they ask for is the most important and a challenge on a personal level, to be able to fulfill the expectations of who He hires me to make a drawing for them. I love trying everything, I started drawing manga, several short stories were published with that style of drawing, then I wanted to dabble in realism, this was influenced by the wonderful work of the illustrator Luis Royo, later thanks to him I got to know the work of the illustrator Victoria Francés and so many other incredible illustrators were added, which I follow and admire deeply. At the same time that I was trying to improve that work of realism, I started working with a small publishing house that allowed me to venture into the drawing of the American comic. Right now I do a bit of everything, although I dedicate more time to the realistic style, since it is the one that causes me the greatest personal challenge, I really enjoy all of them, they are all interesting and allow me to express an idea in different ways. I like versatility, in the end I think that my personal touch can always be noticed in each one.

Eighth circle - Fraud

Without naming, have you ever been deceived by a false customer or company? What was your initial feeling? Do you want to give some advice to those who are new in this field? Don't worry if you do not want to answer.

Not really, just my work speaks a lot about my reality and I do not try to adorn it and run to my imaginary and happy world to forget it, on the contrary of this reality all and all contribute so that my mind continues to create. I consider that melancholic and sinister touch that I impregnate him is something that is evident in almost all my work. It makes me curious that many of the people who see my work generate confusion or displeasure because they think that I am depressed all the time or that I feel that the world is a terrible place. The reality is that I firmly believe that happiness does not exist without sadness and experience can not be gained without mistakes. This is what I like to draw in my most personal work, those sad moments or that frighten me as a reminder of the lived experience, a moment that I already manage to overcome, a reminder that I am alive and everything beautiful in it; the sadness and fears remain in the colors and strokes within the paper and not in my interior. Of course it is also incredible to meet a large number of people to whom my work transmits empathy and hope. Whatever the feeling, it is wonderful to know that what I manage to capture generates a feeling in another person.

Ninth circle - Treachery

Would you ever exchange your life as artist with a safer and quieter life? What would you do if you could not make art?

Until now, no. I feel fortunate for this, as I mentioned before not saying that I have not experienced it, I mean that there are no complications in this work, I simply have not had to live this particular experience. My greatest advice is to be willing to do what you love most, not for recognition or for money, always seek to be better and surpass yourself

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