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From: Ray Smith
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:25 PM
Subject: An interview
I was asked a while back to do an interview about my artwork. Here is a transcript....
The background of the artists:
My Artistic background is quite limited. I've had only a few actual classes on technique and the like. Most of my motivation for the arts, whether it music or painting, comes from an internal desire to create or transcend a sort of emotion that I carry. I want to make a statement that is greater than words can acheive.
what other artists, periods of art, or other unique circumstances have influenced your art?
My art is heavily influenced by a feeling of isolation, sadness and longing. My paintings hopefully receive a heavy emotional response. I think "Never Fall from Me" probably expreses the emotion of melencholia and romanticism best. The need for closeness, oneness and love. Most of my paintings rely on the viewer to "fill in the blanks". These are works from my eye, and a great deal of the time I feel I am not actualy permitted to participate fully in what it is I see. "La petite Fille de la Mer" is a beautiful nude femal torso and is painted in blue rather than a flesh tone. It is resrictive and requires imagination. This is a great example of what I mean by an isolated feeling. Almost like I am not allowed to take part fully in the experience. And I think that says quite a bit about my personality. Lately I've been trying to paint "intangables" like emotion and feelings. I figure besides music it is one of only ways to hit the bass strings of the heart.
My favourite period of art is probably the abstract impressionism. Expressionism and cubism of the early 20th century. Names that pop to mind are Kandinsky, Klee, Marc, Pollock to a degree, Miro, Legar, Picasso, and the like. I enjoy art that tries to provide a viewer with a "riddle" for lack of other term. Look at a painting to see what it was the painter saw and what the painter felt. You have to stare a while at times to get the message. I respect all art, but this era is my favourite.
What made you choose a career in art? How long have you been working as an artists?
I've been painting continuously for the last 3 years, and off and on for the last 12. I started getting serious about it again when my other artistic exploit-music, dried up when the musical group I was in disbanded. I needed some sort of vent for my emotions. My intentions are just to continue painting. Where that takes me, who knows. I put no weight on it.
Your art: In what media do you work?
I work with Acrylics on canvas and wood. I am considering doing a piece with an accompanying looping soundtrack. Multi-media work if you will.
What techniques do you employ?
I like to layer colours by using a heavily diluted lighter colour over a dark base. I think it brings out the coulors better and creates a bit of unpridictability in the final result. I use flow acrylics, so there is very little texture in my work. On occasion I use a texturising medium to build up certain areas. The red strip in "Sky Through Trees" for instance is the only textured portion of the painting. I am not so interested in an object. My last few paintings I have I just looked at the canvas and started painting. When it looked the way I wanted it, I stopped. I don't believe there is a right or wrong way to paint, so long as the intended message is achieved. |
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How would you describe your
individual style? |
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| Good question, and not easy to answer. My paintings come in a variety of styles, from the realistism of "Stonehenge" to the abstact of "Morpheus Bemused by Color" and "Ice Age Coming." I try to employ a little of both in my paintings. I think the Paintings that most represent this style is "Neco" and "Deadtree." I call it "Abstract Realism." |
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What are you attempting to communicate through your art and to whom? |
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I am trying to paint what I feel. I suppose that is the only thing. I don't necessarily paint for other people, although they can be the inspiration for a painting. Sometimes I like to get what ever emotion I have out to have a look at it. I am the first to admit I don't make sence most of the time. Art gives me the opportunity to create and explore what I am. |
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Yourcareer: How and how often do you exhibit your work? Do you have a gallery, an agent? Where can your work currently be seen? |
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I have had the fortune/misfortune of not being able to keep my paintings long enough to exhibit. But they are out there, from New York to California. I don't have an agent yet, but there are plans for the future. Most of my work can be seen on my web page. It is called "In Delibes Sleep" on the Geocities server. At the key word prompt, just type in this title, and it will pop up. I also did an album cover for a Band out of Vancouver. They seem to sell a great deal of records, so perhaps my work is in more homes/cars etc. than I will ever know. |
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Do you enter you work in competitive exhibits? |
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I wish people would take competition out of Art. I'd rather we leave that for sports. What are you competing for anyway? Money? Fame? This doesn't really matter. The focus behind the art is what matters, not the materialism that comes from it. Create for the sake of creating. If someone likes it great, if they don't, well maybe they didn't understand. But no one can look at another artist and say they are "Better." Art isn't meant to be judged. That's not what art is about. At least not to me. |
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Have you won any special awards, grants, or fellowships? |
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No. Never tried though. |
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Do you make your living solely from art? |
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My artwork has helped pay for things I enjoy, but I can't say I can support myself as of yet on its earnings. |
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Are you happy or dissatisfied with your life as an artists? |
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I am happy to be painting. It can be frustrating at times, but I try to remember why I paint and what I am trying to acheive.
The art world: What are their opinions about the art world today? |
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I think it is being neglected. Art apprieciation comes with a solid education and understanding of the generations of people before us. And unfortunately this too is neglected. I think when/if eduation levels rise in the country, art will become more important to people. I wish more people would spend time discovering art and less time beer bonging in the parking lot before a football game. Art is a symbol of who we are as a people. Sports are entertainment, not culture. I'd rather our era be remembered for the art and culture it produced than for its sporting heroes. Unfortunately, I think art and music as a career is less appealing now than ever before. Monetary gain seems to be the sole motivation for most people. Schools cut their budget on artistic programmes while they boister the athletic department. More importance needs to be placed on art of all types. We should celebrate our artists. And people need to realise this. |
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How do you feel about the gallery system, museums, agents, dealers, and the viewing public? |
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I love galleries. but unless you are in a metropolitan area, galleries are usually in an alley somewhere, and they struggle to stay afloat. Most art patrons are serious about the art they view. Unfortunately, they're few in numbers. At least around here. |
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Who is your favorite contemporary artist, why?
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I don't have one really, although I am enthralled with H.R. Giger and his horrifying depictions of biomechanics. I am glad I don't dream that world. When I view a piece, I am not concerned with the educational background of the artist, how famous they are or any of that. I am interested in what they are trying to say, how much attention they put into their work, and how well it works. I like art that transends you into their world. I try to stay out of Giger's as much as possible. |
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On a different plain, I am a very big fan of the Ambient music of Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Their music is best described as "audio paintings." They're not necessarily listenable in the typical song format, but are more of series of looped sounds and noises that open up the inner eye. Eno has had many commissions for art gallery openings because of the natural union between his musical style and the art of the modernist. Most of the influence for my future mixed media work comes from this artistic marriage |
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