Hey there and welcome to the interview. How are you today?
Domen Lombergar: I am doing okey dokey :P ... I'm just chilling and suffering from third-degree burns that I got from an all-day photoshot in the sun yesterday.

Alrighty, let's start off with you giving us a little bit of background info ... who you are, what you do, where you are from, how old is your inner self, what your foot size is... that kind of thing :}
Domen Lombergar: Well, my name is Domen Lombergar and I'm a new-age digital artist from Ljubljana, Slovenia. My foot size is 47 (that's french numbering I think), my inner self is probably 5. Perhaps less. Since most of you don't know where exactly Slovenia is located on Earth, take a minute and follow this link thingie. Digital art is my love, but my bread is graphic design of any kind ... from websites to magazine composition.



Okay, let's move on ... How would you, in your own words, describe your style? What and who were your major influences in the development of that style? Does your soulmate have any bigger influences in what you do? Which artists do you admire and respect for what they do?
Domen Lombergar: Major of my influences from the world of art are Dali, Escher, Magritte, Badiu, ... (trust me, this list can go on and on for ever). My soulmate always plays a large role in my works (lately even literally) by encouraging me trough their development, giving insights and second oppinions as they are created. That means a lot to me, really.

What kind of music do you listen to, when you work? What are your favourite bands/artists?
Domen Lombergar: That's a vastly changeable answer. I have had moments/days/months when I could listen to extremely brutal music like Korn or Disturbed and moments that I would listen to Jazz. If there is a project that needed a certain feel to it I would try to get into the mood and music helps a lot that way. Perhaps you will notice a slight change in the theme of my artworks ~ you can blame that on my current playlist which consists of 4 servers of an internet radio station called "Groove Salad". You can get it from the Winamp Radio website.



A question everyone wants to know these days ... at what point did you want to become the artist you are now ... was there any breaking points or such? How did you get started in digital art?
Domen Lombergar: I've always felt an urge to express my feelings trough some kind of art be it net.art, drawings, caricatures. I scribbled all the way trough high school and drew my friends and teachers in various funny poses. Contemporary art was the next logical step I guess. Trough my digital artworks I can express feelings that were not able to be expressed before. Hyperrealism is a part of me. And it all started with one silly idea...

What idea was that?
Domen Lombergar: Well I was taking photos one day and asked myself what it would be like if I could put myself together ... my face and my palm ... I wondered how that would look like digitally. And so my first real digitally created image was born. I called it Handomen.



The second most commont question out there (hehe) ... what software do you use in creating your artworks, how does the common process look like when you are creating a piece? Do you just see that software as purely a tool used to create or as something more? What kinds of media and techniques do you commonly like to use when you create a piece?
Domen Lombergar: The software most people are interested in is Photoshop. But what I am very much dissapointed in is that most people will stop there. I try to ancompass a number of other media in my artworks be it scribbles on paper, 3d, oil on canvas, whatever comes to mind really. To deliver something new. Something fresh and really silly as all my digitally created world is. Don't think installing Photoshop will create art for you. Far from that ... you have to create it ... Photoshop is only a tool (there, I answered one of the questions now) and it won't ever think for you.

Hehe, it happens to all of us. When you create a piece what normally inspires your work?
Domen Lombergar: Everything from music, to conversations, to movies, books, ... My art is powered by every thought, sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste that every molecule of my body experiences. And alcohol.



When you are working on a piece, when do you know that it's finally done?
Domen Lombergar: When I find absolutely nothing is left to add or correct. And that can usually (especially lately) take a lot of time since my standards on what is "good" for me have jumped up a lot. Being a part of very respected artgroups and knowing many very good artists in the digital scene helps a lot as well as we will share comments on our WIP pictures ... That helps a lot. Always try to improve yourself.

Tell me how was it like breaking into the digital art scene ... i know it's very hard for young and unknown artists to get their name out nowdays ... how was your experience like? What's the best advice you could give to someone who wants to break into the scene?
Domen Lombergar: Funny to be asked that after a while. Everyone was nobody one day. Ask yourself this ~ how did you find an artist (let's say me)? Where did he exhibit, what kind of artwork were you after? Apart from that tidbit just work, work and work ... you'll get there one day, don't worry.

So tell me ... how would you describe the digital art scene roughly around your location? I've heard many artists complain about almost complete ignorance towards digital art ... especially from traditional artists, galleries and such. Your two cents?
Domen Lombergar: Most certainly this is the dawn of a new artistic age still in its infancy, but vastly expanding. Photoshop enables the artist to make real their wildest fantasies or darkest fears. This is what I aim to achieve in my artwork; sometimes in a beautiful and poetic way, other times in the most wild and hideous of ways or maybe a comfortable juxtaposition of the two. Especially judging the strong establishment of the analog art digital will have a hard time breaking into galleries and museums. But we will achieve this in time that I am sure.



What do you think about the whole online art community thing at the moment? Where would you like to see the future of art go? What are your plans for the future (except of course continuing to make such cool artworks)?
Domen Lombergar: Well as I am noticing there are some very interested community-based projects evolving around the world at the moment. Sites that already have established themselves very well community-wise and will soon start becoming as big as devArt which as we all know is still the only real bi community. My plans for the future? Keep tuned, you wont regret it

You wake up one day and find out that you have amazingly cool superpowers. What are they?
Domen Lombergar: The ability to stop time.

You find out that you will be relocated on a desert island tomorrow. You can only take one thing with you. What is the one thing you can't live with?
Domen Lombergar: Coffee.

This is a good interview! Let me tell you that I love all the works of Domen Lombergar. His concepts are fresh and very original. I'm just starting with Digital art and I can say that he is such an inspiration.

Domen Lombergar: The ability to stop time. <-- Me too. I wish I could just stop time and then do all the stuff I need to do.

Interestning,you shared some great information with Lombi and the rest of us

Very nice. Lombergar, you are for nice !