Interview with:William T. Ayton [billayton]
ART
 | What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? I draw. I paint. I come up with ideas. Mostly they're ideas for drawings & paintings, but I'm also making books these days, and would like to do other things, too (sculpture, installations), but time & money tend to be a limitation, unfortunately. |
| What is your message? If I have a single message, it would be something like: there is hope for humanity. |
| Your biography in four lines. 1. I was born on November 11, 1958.
2. I was good at making art from an early age.
3. I studied art at Edinburgh College of Art from 1976-1980.
4. I've lived in England, Scotland, Spain, France & now the USA. |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? It pops into my head. Or it pops onto the canvas or paper or whatever. Sometimes it's fully-formed, other times I have to fight with it to make it come into focus. Sometimes it just dies, sadly. So, I have to do another one. |
| What is art? Ha ha ha. That's a good one. |
| When do you get your best ideas? It's pretty random. Sometimes at night before going to sleep (or in dreams, occasionally), or during the rest of the day. |
| How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not? Usually it means I make the thing, then I come to a point where I think maybe it's done. Then I leave it for a while (days, maybe). Then I re-evaluate. I can usually tell within a few days if an idea is good, though sometimes I put things aside for a very long time & years later decide that something was actually very good that I thought wasn't. Or the reverse. |
| Three creative ideas that you would have liked to have created? 1. The Universe.
2. Er... |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? From an early age it was pretty clear. I could maybe have become a writer, but you have to choose the road & stay on it. If I wanted to become a writer now, it might take years & years. |
| Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities? They're crazy. |
| Do you consider yourself postmodern? I'm post-postmodern. Or pre. Or both. |
| How should a work of art be evaluated? By very wealthy people who like my work. No, that was a joke. By history, which is notorious for taking its time. And making mistakes. |
| Must an artist reinvent him/herself everyday? Only partially. You can keep the good bits. |
| Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work? There are too many to mention really. They inspire my work in many ways. Also, non-artists inspire me. It's a really complicated question, so this answer will have to do for now. |
| What do you think about public funding for the arts? It's a good thing, generally, but it tends to be a bit of a lottery. |
| Is art necessary? No. Try living without it, though. |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? Usually, it's a relief. It means I have freed up space to do more. |
| Is a work of art purchased, or is it better said, that it is the artist who is bought? You can only sell your soul once, usually. |
| In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is? You don't. You fall over a lot. |
| How do you feel about the fact that the pieces exhibited in contemporary art museums are often of artists already deceased? It's inevitable. There are still many places that show living artists. It takes a while for history to do the shakeout, is all. |
| What role have the figures of art dealer, gallery owners, representatives, and intermediaries in general played in your career? They're necessary evils. I could use more of them. |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? Do you mean art jobs? Real-world non-art jobs? In either case, whatever comes along. |
| Which of your jobs or tasks do you most enjoy? Making the good art. But, you never know when that will happen. So, it's catch-as-catch-can. |
| Do you personally collect any items? Dust. Lint. |
| Which websites do you frequently visit? |
| What advice would you give to those just beginning? Give it your best shot. Listen to everyone, but don't follow all their advice -- filter it. Be prepared to make mistakes. Have fun. Travel. Seeing a good bit of the world is probably the most useful thing I've done. Keep an open mind as much as you can. The usual, common-sense stuff.
Get lucky. |
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William T. Ayton
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