The artist brings stones to life, transforming them into paintings depicting animals

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

An unusual artist named Roberto Rizzo lives in the south of sunny Spain. Inspired by the beauty and diversity of nature, driven by emotion and curiosity, he paints extremely detailed portraits of animals. These unusual acrylic works simply boggle the imagination with their realism. This is because the role of the canvas for the artist is played by … stones!

Rizzo creates his works, completely repeating the natural shape of the stone. Each of his paintings is a unique work of art. Often, the artist paints realistic portraits of pets for their owners who want to honor the memory of their furry friends in this way.

How it all began

Roberto Rizzo has been painting on stones since 1996. He works with a variety of stones: from the smallest that can fit in the palm of your hand, to close to life-size animals.

This artist can transform any lifeless stone into an incredible hyper-realistic painting that could easily be mistaken for a photograph. This is very unusual and incredibly interesting!

After receiving a classical education at an art college, Rizzo graduated from the European Institute of Design in Milan. After training, Roberto worked as an illustrator for various publishing houses. At that time he painted mainly in watercolors. However, in 1996, his career took an unexpected turn.

The magic of rock art

“I first got acquainted with the magic of rock painting in 1996. She made me discover and explore the full potential of acrylic. It is currently my favorite material, even when I work on canvas. Since that time, a significant part of my creative activity has been devoted to stone. In 2004, I published Sassi Dipinti with Mondadori, which has achieved significant editorial success in Italy. This tutorial consisted of tutorials and step-by-step instructions for drawing various objects,”says the artist.

Roberto Rizzo has only wonderful memories of that time. He was able to go through this difficult creative path only thanks to selfless love, invaluable help and practical advice from his mother. The artist took her death in 2016 very hard.

Nature is the main source of inspiration

Roberto Rizzo in an interview was asked where he gets his inspiration. The artist said that he always loved to explore the variety of forms and objects that Mother Nature gives us. The diversity of life is Rizzo's main source of inspiration when he paints.

“The world of beautiful animals fascinated me from early childhood. I firmly believe that artists are always mentally referring to their childhood feelings and passions. We all come from childhood. Art should be, first of all, pleasure and entertainment."

Out of the many possible canvases, Rizzo chose the intricate process of creating paintings on stones.

“Coloring stones gives me the ability to mix old and new. It is no coincidence that this fascinating technique originated in very ancient times! Currently I can paint with absolutely universal new colors. They have excellent durability. My paintings will look like new for many years.”

In recent years, the artist has created thousands of animals of all shapes and sizes. All of his works are unique, and the stones that he uses are not processed at all. Rizzo honors every hole, the smallest imperfection that Nature has created for decades. In addition, Roberto tries to make the fullest possible use of this in drawing with the help of various nuances and light and shadow effects.

Constant creative search

The artist is in constant creative search. He tries to practice various techniques, explore new possibilities. To this end, Rizzo tried to add small details to the stones using synthetic pastes. In the magic hands of the master, the stones come to life, finding a second life.

“The choice of the shape of the stones is fundamental. I spend a lot of time walking along beaches and river banks to find inspiration and choose the right stones. When I find what I need, I go back to my studio. There I cleanse the stone and begin to create. First, I choose a base color for the background. Once dry, I start by drawing the exact animal. This is a very important stage of the work. When I'm happy with my sketch, I start painting large areas of the body with medium sized brushes. I slowly get down to small details using retouching brushes. It usually takes me two to three days to finish a painting on a medium-sized stone, about the size of the palm of my hand."

Stones come to life in the hands of the artist

“The stone is a three-dimensional basis. It is very different from a sheet of paper or canvas. Only with experience can satisfactory results and a dynamic illusion of volume be obtained. It is important to pay maximum attention to the pencil sketch. You need to draw everything correctly, observing the proportions of the animal. Only then will the fine work on color contrasts and finer details guarantee a good result."

An artist is often asked what difficulties he faces when painting on stones and what he likes best. Roberto Rizzo says: “Some of my works are absolutely unique. Unique pieces that I will never be able to paint a second time. I devote all my attention and skills to them. These pictures for me are like sons, small parts of my soul. My greatest satisfaction is knowing that they will radiate goodness and positive energy in the homes of collectors and art lovers."

The artist painted absolutely everything that one can imagine on the stones. There were household items, landscapes, portraits of celebrities, flowers, and much more. Rizzo's favorite theme is animals.

“Animals are definitely my favorite images. After drawing them, I can literally bring inanimate minerals to life."

Roberto Rizzo's tips for beginners

Roberto gave some valuable advice to any aspiring artist based on his own personal experience: “Always use your imagination to the maximum and work hard every day. Art is labor. The professional doesn't need to wait for inspiration. All these are legends that have nothing to do with the everyday life of creative people. Never make the mistake of completely copying the work of others. If you do this, then refer to the source. Don't pass other people's ideas off as your own. This is incredible disrespect for those who have created something good. Behind any painting there are days and nights of creative searches and fruitless attempts. I know what I'm talking about because I'm constantly being copied. Ever since I started painting on stones."

Now Rizzo plans to devote more time to her Youtube channel. There he shares video tutorials on drawing.

Often, artists choose very unusual places and materials for their work. Read our article on how Moscow's dirty trucks have become canvases for surreal drawings.