We’re glad to introduce the interview with Pierre-André Biron, a SOA student from the Masterclass#26.
Could you present yourself to our readers and tell them the position you currently hold?
My name is Pierre-André Biron (https://pa-b.fr/), I’m 43 and I live in Bouguenais in the suburbs of Nantes, France. I graduated in Architecture and I work as an ArchViz artist at Forma6 for 6 years now. We are around 45 architects, urban planners and landscape architects and I am in charge of almost all the images produced by our studio. I am also in charge of communication for the “Amicale du Super Constellation” association wich goal is to restore for static display a 1953 propeller-driven four-piston-engined airliner, the Lockheed Super Constellation.
Why have you decided to become an ArchViz Artist?
During my architecture studies in Toulouse back in 1997, oh my god!!, I had the chance to work on the very first Windows 95 version of 3ds Max, the Kinetix 3d Studio max R2. That was the beginning of everything for me and I soon understood that 3d modeling would later become my passion and future.
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You attended the Masterclass#26. How was your experience at SOA?
It was a fantastic experience! The masterclass#26 was in Italian. At the age of 7, my family and I move to Milan for a 10 years amazing period in my life. Attending the Masterclass in Italian was obvious for me since I never lost my Italian speaking and passion. I really met great people. The SOA team is simply amazing; Gianpiero, Roberto, Riccardo, Giona, Manuela and Denise are very professional and really kind persons. The 4-week course was very intensive but also very instructive and useful for everyone who is looking to improve their workflow and artistic skills like me. I also made very good friends with the 11 other students coming from all over Italy. We shared so many great moments that are definitely engraved in my mind especially at the B&B Villa Lisetta, where almost all of us lived during that month. Three months after the Masterclass, Andrea di Mattia, Carlo Vergnano, Stefano Fochetti (mon frère) and I joined together to work as a team. That was a great first team work experience and I hope we’ll do it once again, guys! Thanks to Andrea and also thanks to SOA to make this happen.
Well done everybody! We like when students keep in touch after a course and also give birth to such great projects. Why did you decide to attend a SOA course?
I was looking to improve my workflow in particular but also to improve the way of making better image compositions and moods. When I first looked for an Arch-Viz school in France, I was really surprised that I couldn’t find one with such a strong teaching program as you can get at SOA with so amazing results. After seeing the beautiful images made by SOA students on their website, I decided, with the approval and support of my employer, to attend the SOA Masterclass because I was sure it could give me the teaching I was looking for.
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How did the course help you improve your skillset and quality of images?
I think having a good workflow is the key to achieve the best image you can do especially when you have short deadlines. I face this at forma6 every time we have to produce images for a competition. The course helped me a lot for that. As soon as I got back to work at our studio after the Masterclass, I set up the new workflow based on SOA’s one and every image is now produced by following that workflow. Thanks to this, I am now able to quantify the time I need to render the final image and the time that is left to post-production. Of course, sometimes an unexpected change will screw up everything! just kidding ahah, maybe not :-/
Is there any moment during your experience at SOA that you remember with a smile?
All the moments I spent at SOA are remembered with a smile! For me, it was really special because I felt like I was Italian, 25 years after leaving Italy. So, “grazie SOA per questo mese incredibile che non dimenticherò mai”.
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You also participated to the Academy Day. What do you think about the event?
No, Denise, I have not yet! Where did you get that info? ahah… but I would like to participate one day because I think it’s one of the major event related to ArchViz and there you can share your experience with the best ArchViz artists in the world and all the leading ArchViz Software companies.
Oh my! Yes, you’re right Pierre, sorry! I meet so many students every year that a bit of confusion may happen :). Is there a work/ an image/ a project that you created which is most valuable to you? Why?
I think I’m never satisfied. I always want and try to do better every time I work on a new image. But, the one maybe that is most valuable to me is the first post-Masterclass image I did for a competition in association with PO architects: an office building near a railway station. I like the mood and composition of it. Unfortunately we did not win that competition but also not lose either, it was cancelled by the commissioner…
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Oh, that’s a pity! What do you do in your free time after work? Can you balance your working life and your private one?
Well, my free time after work is some of the time… work ! In fact, I am also a freelancer and I do images, videos and recently VR visualizations with VR headset. The little free time left after that…not enough unfortunately, I spend it with my kids and wife, family and friends. I’m also a tennis player and do some tournaments. I like watching the greatest of all time tennis player “King Roger” on TV. And last, but not least, I am a AC Milan fan since my childhood of course! Forza Milan!!
SOA Academy is the place to be for every Arch-Viz artist on the go!
Pierre-André Biron
Thanks Pierre-André for sharing your experience. We wish you the best in life!
The video shows the Cathedral Parvis and Interpretation Centre – Chartres. Forma6©
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