Interview With An Artist

In three days, my new book - An Unexpected Visit - will become available to the masses. In short, the story - a novella - is told from the perspective of Noah Adams, a moderately successful newspaper columnist in his mid-thirties, who looks back on the long weekend spent with his estranged father when he, Noah, was twelve, as this visit in particular is the one he considers the turning point in his life. Right now you can reserve the book, which also features nine additional micro-stories, on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In my last blog, I wrote about how the cover art came to be. Today, I'm sharing an interview I conducted with friend, and artist, Christopher Wright, the designer of the key art for An Unexpected Visit. Chris and I came to know one another through our spouses, who are old college friends; we're both husbands, fathers, and have day jobs, along with passions for our respective talents in the branch of arts we specialize in. Chris and I share a lot in common, for one our worldly views, so I was very interested to know how he approaches his art, his processes, and when he finds the time to indulge in his creative side, among other things.

Included with this interview are other works by Christopher. More can be viewed on his website.

Give me some background on your art career; when did you realize your talent and decide to pursue your craft? Where did you go to school for art? What was the first piece you sold?

I realized my talent for drawing around 2nd grade when the other kids in my class began asking me to draw things for them.  I didn't really consider myself a serious artist until I went to Pratt Institute in Utica, NY, even then I wasn't confident in any medium. For example, I was a Jewelry major at Pratt, which I approached jewelry as "less expensive sculpture." I completed 2 years in Utica, then studied at the Pratt Brooklyn Campus but only survived a little over a semester.

How do you prefer to work when you have a blank canvas? For myself, a first draft manuscript demands my absolute attention, so I work in my office and it's absolutely silent. Do you also require solitude and silence, or do you play music? If so, is it specific music tied to the emotion of the piece?

I cannot paint on a white canvas... I must mess up the surface first by painting and or scraping on acrylic paints. It doesn't really matter the colors but I always mix at least two acrylic paints together... Then once the acrylic dries, I begin with the first layer of oil paints. I will often rough out the focus of the painting with my brush with thinned oil paint. I paint with music in my studio... the music I prefer ranges a bit from Tom Waits to Morrissey to Radiohead/Thom Yorke to Portishead etc. I believe the music must be in the paintings somewhere because I take much energy from it... I have even been so influenced that I have titled works after certain songs.

For the cover of AN UNEXPECTED VISIT, I gave you a very minimal description of what I wanted because I didn't want to box you in. Does it help to have less instruction or more when it comes to someone hiring you for work?

When approaching a commission piece, such as your book cover, I would say more ideas the better.... when compositions are left up to me I also like as much info as possible so that I can get a similar vision of what the final product should look or feel like.

Tell me about your process when it came to designing the VISIT cover. Also, I stopped you from creating other pieces because I loved the first so much - did you have clear ideas on what else you wanted for the other pieces? What did you envision?

To be honest, after I get the vision of the composition, I work rather fast... it normally takes as much time to think about a commissioned composition as it does to paint one, for me no more than 3 to 4 hours. I had 1 more strong idea for the approach to the house, it was as if the viewer was closer and off to the garage (possibly one version from within the garage) side of the the house so that half the picture would be house and the other side trees and sky.

Do you have any future events coming up where your work will be featured? How can people interested in seeing your work find you online?

I have a small event in Afton, NY on November 20th. Other than that my website (www.clwright.com) has just been updated.

What projects do you have lined up - personal and/or professional? Do you ever create just for yourself? Have you ever sold anything you had a hard time letting go of?

I have a handful of small, more craft-like projects going on at any one time and I have been averaging about 3 to 4 portraits a year, so not bad but could be a lot better. Whenever I get a strong idea I will paint for myself. I have never had a problem letting go of my work, yet I do love to see them again when the opportunity arises... I am often surprised by them when it has been a while, to be honest, until I happen upon them again I nearly have forgotten about them.

Lastly, what would be your ultimate goal with your work?

My ultimate goal is to create paintings that let others get a view of the world as it is or was in our present time... other than that I just enjoy the act of painting and wish I could devote more time to doing such.

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An Unexpected Visit, featuring the art of Christopher Wright, will be released this Wednesday, November 16. The book is available for pre-order.