Interview with:Brigid Watson [briwats24]
ART
 | What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? I am a visual artist.
How do I define myself as an "artist"?
Why defend or deny the word? We as humans are innately creative. More interesting to me is how each individual expresses the urge to create.
I am expressing this urge currently in very thick oil paint on a very small canvas with very limited color, for example, but that's not what makes me an artist.
I'm an artist because I can't think straight when I'm not moving my hands around in something. It's how I process my life. It's like breathing. |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? www.BrigidWatson.net ( in progress, but live)
and my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brigid-Watson |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? Ideas are born of experience, and experiences give me the best ideas.
I'm a traveler, so places and the people I meet, the friends , the lovers, the teachers, the students. |
| What role does technology play in your creative process? I don't use technology in my art making, per se, I'm old fashioned and love real, physical materials. Technology is a large part of my life though, and I am thankful for the exposure to ideas, to places, to information that is constantly available. |
| When do you get your best ideas? When I'm completely absorbed in art and pushing myself. It's long hours tempered with feeding my head with books- especially philosophy- that usually pave the way for big break throughs. |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? I think that as a young graduate of art school there was nothing scarier to me than calling myself an 'artist'. What a loaded word. It sounded egotistical and presumptive to me to use it.
I first officially said it out loud when I needed to declare it on my taxes. |
| Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities? Does this stereo type come from somewhere? I know so many artists who are peace- loving and calm...but we do seem to be passionate people. I have strong feelings about things. I am that. I am idealistic. |
| Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work? That's an easy one. There are so many. The painters I love best are Cy Twombly, Matisse, De Kooning, Agnes Martin...on and on.... |
| What do you think about public funding for the arts? I want the government as far away from art making as possible. I think censorship is born of private interest groups' pressure on government agencies. I think the government should absolutely fund arts education, however. If people learn to value art hopefully they will support it themselves. |
| Is art necessary? Yes. We create, it's what people do. The roles art plays in any given society vary, but one of them is certain to reflect the society, to act as mirror. We need this self reflection for growth. |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? I'm always very pleased when someone wants something that I've made. I'm a professional, and I sell art for a living. I'm lucky because I get to spend most of my time making it.
If I know I won't be able to bare parting with something I give it to my family or a close friend. |
| Is a work of art purchased, or is it better said, that it is the artist who is bought? The art is for sale, not me.
I know people who collect me are buying something they crave though- artists represent fantasies for a lot of collectors. |
| In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is? The next step reveals itself through a combination of hard work and thought. I write about my own work and sometimes this helps me see where I need to go. I invite people I respect to critique my work regularly. |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? I've been teaching art since the minute I graduated from undergrad. I have done an awful lot of things to keep things going though. walked dogs, gardened, catered, real estate...I tend to prefer very physical jobs. I need to move around a lot and use my hands. |
| Do you personally collect any items? I collect art; I trade a lot with other artists. I have a lot of books, bells, all kinds of things really. |
| 
933 visits Whohub
Brigid Watson
Boston, MA USA
|
99696 interviews created
![[briwats24] Brigid Watson](http://www.whohub.com/_pics/default.jpg)
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS