Meet Lance Delao of Manhattan Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Delao.

Hi Lance, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Always had a passion for art. Started out as a passion for fashion and then grew into a more art driven direction after studying art in Europe for 7 years decided to go “all in” in the art world and haven’t looked back since. About 15 years ago started working with duct tape as I was just starting to hon in on my style I wanted to bring my style more into the 3D realm so I was looking for ways to do that which I ended up stumbling upon duct tape and all the different colors they had and decided to give it a go. Was a struggle at first getting used to and creating methods of use for a material that wasn’t created to be art and forcing it into a workable material. I’ve always wanted to show people you can create things of greatness from what you were given. We put too much emphasis on buying the most expensive option and having all the top brand paints etc yet anything can be converted into art with the right creative mind behind it

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the struggles I encountered and still do to this day is marketing and exposure. Being a one man army one must perfect not only their craft and style but also their business sense, sales, marketing and advertising, etc in order to be fully successful in the art market. As 60% of being an artist is sales and how your market yourself. On top of those struggles it’s a daily struggle to take materials not meant for this use and Forcing them to be is a completely other struggle in of itself and can be frustrating at times when the tape isn’t laying flat how I want or i have to completely redo certain sections cause maybe my calculations were off by an centimeter but now gotta rip off chunks to get back to what was working. So it’s always a battle between me and my medium and I’m always the one who ends successful in the end no matter how hard a project is I always push through and it ends up surprising me with the end results.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in realistic portraits out of duct tape. I started over 15 years ago kind of by accident and have loved working with it ever since. I’m all self taught even though I went to art school (high school) most of what I do in my practice now has been learned just from doing. Trail and error is the best way for me to learn and stumble upon different styles and methods of creating. I have a love for just creating so daily I am forcing myself out of my comfort zone and always trying to improve my skills. I’m most proud of my work being accepted into the Broad Collection. It’s a collection I’ve always dreamt of being a part of so many greats in their collection I always felt like it was a place for my work and now that it’s actually a part of their collection it almost feels unreal still to know people who appreciate works from Picasso, Dali, Warhol, Kahlo, etc also have taken a liking to my work as well. Almost as if I’m a GREAT as well. The utmost compliment to say the least.

What’s next?
To be the GREATEST living artist. I want to reach Picasso levels of GREATNESS within the art world and pop culture as a whole. If I can leave my mark on culture for the better and be remembered as one of the GREATS in art my life would be fulfilled. Also want to be the best Dad I can be for my Son Noah. He is my EVERYTHING and the reason I wake up everyday and want to better myself. He’s the reason I’m still here working towards the seemingly unobtainable I want him to see and know ANYTHING he puts his mind to he can achieve in this beautiful life. I look forward to solo shows at world renowned museums & being shown at the most prestigious galleries in the world. I look forward to working with brands and collaborating to bring unique products & experiences to the masses. I set out to reach every single goal I’ve had since I was a kid and well on my way to obtaining them. I just want to keep making art and also able to make a good living doing it. Living the life I’ve always dreamed. I want to do more group shows so that is a major change I want to make. Submit to more group shows. Just want to inspire those people out there that know they have a talent but still haven’t nurtured it due to maybe lack of outside support or lack of self confidence. I want to inspire the youth and people alike to go after their dreams and not to ever let anyone tell them they can’t do it. CAUSE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING you put your mind to!

Pricing:

• My pricing right now ranges from $3-8000 depending on size and medium

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Artbydelao.store
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbydelao
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/artbydelao
• Youtube: www.youtube..com/artbydelao

Image Credits
All mine besides the one Getty image