Words by Holland

15Jan12

Some interesting thoughts by Brad Holland, American artist & illustrator and … well, old-timer :)

“I usually work at night because it’s a quiet time when not many people are likely to phone me. But otherwise, I’m not like a lot of artists who have definite ways of working. I know one guy who starts every picture by painting it purple, and another who goes through the same process each time, step by step – he’s like an Astronaut going through a check-list. I’m less organized. I start each picture as if I’ve never done one before and I’m always totally surprised when it doesn’t end up a mess.”

“I’ve seen artists get wonderful images with a computer that you couldn’t get any other way. But to me, working with a computer feels like having sex with your clothes on. There’s a physical element that’s missing, as if you’re handling radioactive substances through robot arms. Of course you can get a nice print-out when you’re done, but it’s not like doing a painting where you can feel the paint pile up or like doing a big painting, where you feel like you’re handling a barn door.”

“White is first, an invitation to make a mess; then a challenge to see if you can redeem the mess by turning it into something that improves the profound emptiness of whiteness.”

The passages are stolen from: http://www.bakmagazine.com/interviews/2/brad-holland