Figurative painter
Pam Hawkes, UK: A Deeper Truth
DEANNA ELAINE PIOWATY: “Your definition of ‘beauty’?”
PAM HAWKES: “Surfaces that I want to stroke, touch or lick.”
Artists & Writers Who Ignite Us
What is it about a particular painting, poem, photograph, piece of music, dance performance that sets us so on fire? There’s clearly an alchemy at work here which cannot be contrived or predicted, a mixing of what the artist brings forth from the imagination, together with what we ourselves carry to the experience: our own unique psychology, personal history, those all-but-forgotten stories from our past.
The following, then, is a very personal pick list of those who have resonated both with my readers and myself, artists and writers who shared with us, through their work and interviews here, precious glimpses into their psyches and souls: sometimes tender and exquisite, other times painful, even disquieting, but always courageous, insightful, honest.
Read MoreArt As Therapy for the Unsatisfied Man: Interview with Argentine painter, Martin Llamedo
“Making a man happy, for more than a few seconds after consumption, is not very interesting to a consumer society; for them an unsatisfied man is preferable. Beauty and art, therefore, is fundamental therapy today.”
Read MoreA Cold Story On a Warm Night: The Mischief-Making of Pamela Wilson
“I like the juxtaposition of a cold story in a warm light. It creates confusion and room to explore.”
Read MoreHer Sweet Excess: Interview with American Painter Adrienne Stein
“My work is personal, containing symbols and codes for things that are taking place in my life or what I yearn for. The stakes are high, so when others disapprove of your work, they essentially disapprove of you. It is a great risk. The life of an artist is full of self-doubt and isolation. Yet this is a part of everyone’s experience.”
Read More“We Live Our Lives in Circles”: Interview with Mary Chiaramonte
“I like to entertain the idea that we live the same lives over and over. This is the thought behind this painting: that we live our lives in these circles, and all of our time will be experienced again.”
Read MoreThe Poetry of Synchronicity: Interview with Erin Anderson
“I think synchronicities are most noticeable when we look backward. In the moment, our experiences can feel disjointed, especially when the unexpected happens. But when you stand from a higher vantage point looking backward, the individual pieces of your experience fit together with a poetic elegance that just feels right.”
Read MoreThe Uber-Representational Paintings of John Brosio
“I am, of course, not entirely sure of what is going on in these images because, were I too certain, I would have no need to attempt them. But the dissatisfaction, or ‘frustration,’ as you call it, is very much a necessary ingredient. Maybe even the only ingredient.”
Read MoreA Graceful Lingering: Interview with Helene Knoop
“Having children has meant that I don’t spend time on motifs which are not so interesting. There has to be more content.”
Read MoreIntimacy of the Unseen: Interview with Mia Bergeron
“I’m a deep believer in physical rituals as a way to understand our world. Painting is a way for me to understand my own life.”
Read MoreTo Live an Artful Life: Laugh
“My portraits include some of who I am, who I wish I was and who I wish I wasn’t.”
Read MoreThe Poetry of the Aged: Interview with Dutch Figurative Painter, Francien Krieg
“She took off her clothes and every move she made was for me pure poetry. She was like a living painting to me. Her body language said she was in complete acceptance with her decaying body and with facing the end of her life. That touched me a lot, especially because it came so close to my own fears of aging and death.”
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