Duncan Milne's Blog, page 12
September 22, 2014
Your very Personal and Intense Disney Ask:
Rapunzel: 5 things from your bucket list
Dory: Something someone...
All Over
It’s now a foregone conclusion that I’m winning the 2014...
September 10, 2014
We Need More Bonos
September 9, 2014
How to plan a holiday in San Francisco
September 8, 2014
The Black Keys Announce Shows
September 5, 2014
September 4, 2014
"I’m in the car. No, I can’t be there for at least...
"I’m in the car. No, I can’t be there for at least 20 minutes." What this really means.
September 3, 2014
Great interview of a great Canadian artist Peter...
Great interview of a great Canadian artist Peter Wyse.
Peter Wyse
'Three Amigos' 8” x 16” Acrylic on Birch Panel by Peter Wyse
'Across The Orchard' 12” x 12” Acrylic on Birch Panel by Peter Wyse
'Three Stars' 12” x 24” Acrylic on Birch Panel by Peter Wyse
Sketch for ‘Are We There Yet’ as mentioned in Question 13
'Are We There Yet' by Peter Wyse as mentioned in Question 13
An Interview with Peter Wyse
Q. How did you get into painting?
A. I was brainwashed into believing that the world would be a better place if I was to paint “Happiness”. So far so good. My Grampa Buzz made being an artist look like a really cool gig!
Q. Do you have other artforms that you do other than what you are known for?
A. I perform an ultra contemporary form of dance. While I am quite well known in Germany, it has yet to catch on in North America.
Q. How does your creative process go? What is your studio space like? Do you listen to music while you create, if so, what kind of music?
A. See above answer on ultra contemporary form of dance. In all seriousness, I go to work. While my studio may appear as chaos, I layout the day as would a surgeon. My tools are clean and ready, I have a list of what I want to accomplish. The list may be on the floor or pinned to my dartboard or hanging out with my collection of Mr.Potato Heads. Music…a bit of everything except Rachmaninoff - I can’t stand Rachmaninoff. I even listen to Sports Talk radio on an AM radio. I have two medium cups of coffee – I drink one, the other sits cooling on my desk. I never drink it, but it is always poured. It is part of my process. Basically, the studio and day are setup for success.
Q. Did you have any defining moments that stood out in your artistic development?
A. Back in Grade 2, I was chosen by the school district to represent Kamloops for a painting exhibition at the PNE. The theme was Captain Cook. I was suffering from artist block, so my father encouraged me with a spanking and boy did I finish that project in a hurry. I learned two valuable lessons: when high expectations are thrust upon you, you must work hard to earn that praise. More importantly I learned that Captain Cook was an arse and a little part of me is just fine that the Hawaiians thought so too.
Twenty years later I was visiting the Picasso Museum in Paris and experienced a peculiar sense of belonging. I realized that there is room in the world of art for me.
Q. Do you belong to any art groups? Are there any people that stand out in the group that you enjoy creating with that you’d like to identify?
A. I hope this doesn’t sound awful, but I don’t belong to any art groups. I don’t even belong to BCAA. After I graduated from university, I knew a lot of stuff, but I wasn’t an expert at anything. I wanted to become an expert on myself and my own work. My studio is where I have been the most successful in this pursuit.
Q. Do you have any favourite pieces at home by other artists you’ve collected?
A. I have two sentimental favourites that hang above my bedside table. They are both BC coastal themed paintings. Before I go to sleep and when I awake, I say a thank you to the two men who encouraged me on my chosen path - Grandpa Buzz insisted I quit my day job and Bob Genn welcomed me into the club!
Q. Which artists do you identify with historically?
A. I don’t think “identify” would be the best word with how I relate to artists of a historical nature, because I haven’t lived in their shoes. I can imagine but not identify. Having had the privilege of visiting many of the great museums and galleries, I have been knocked out of my socks by so many artists. Anonymous muralists from Mexico, Delacroix, Turner, Rothko, so many…there is a spark from all of them that burns in my studio.
Q. Which artists do you identify that are currently creating work?
A. I am a big fan of Yoshitomo Nara. His work is darker than mine, so I don’t necessarily “identify” rather admire.
Q. What is your favourite vacation place? Why?
A. We have a small cabin on Savary Island. The pride in creating something from a sketch. There is a wonderful rhythm to the island: from the wind in the uncut grass, to the lap and crash of the surf. It is a magical, lawless place. And the G&T’s taste better.
Q. Do you have any art tools or mediums that you particularly enjoy working with?
A. I paint exclusively with Kroma acrylics - they are like my sponsor except I have to pay…I also have a shop where I build my birch panels. Sometimes I pretend I am Rambo with my brad nailer; it is very cathartic.
Q. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists?
A. Study the Greats, then study yourself. Develop an independent eye. Build your own frames - don’t just go to an art store and buy them. Surround yourself with people who believe in you!
Q. What’s your favourite reading material?
A. My Dad and I trade paperbacks. It has become a competition of sorts: who can have the highest stack of bedside books. Summertime reads. A polite way of saying I read a lot of crap. Dad got me hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and I topped him with Elmore Leonard’s quirky characters. Hidden amidst this Jenga bookstack are gems: Timothy Findley, Mordecai Richler, Duncan Milne and John Irving.
Q. Do you have any images of the process of your paintings? Sketches, idea books?
A. The challenge of translating the innocence of a 3” rough sketch into the 3’x 4’ painting ‘ARE WE THERE YET?’
September 2, 2014
A better cup of coffee
August 19, 2014
Love Will Tear Us Apart...
Armed with a cellphone and...
