Timothy McClellan, a Richmond, VA, based artist and blogger, participates in the Artists Interview Artists Project. Below Timothy responds to another artist's five questions (Heather Lowe from Washington, D.C.). In order to participate, Timothy had to provide me with five questions for some other artist to answer. The assigning of questions to artists is completely random. If you're an artist and interested in participating, let me know.
Yellow and Orange Bands
Mixed Media on Panel
2004
1. If you had three galleries to visit in your area which ones would you choose?
Richmond has a pretty strong group of galleries, which is a blessing unless you are trying to hit them all on First Fridays. There are three that I make a point of getting to each month and they are A.D.A Gallery, 1708 and Rentz Gallery. In the interest of full disclosure, I am represented by Rentz. But they would make my list anyway if that weren’t the case.
2. What art have you purchased in the last six months? (Malcolm X says it's all economics)
I do believe it is important that artists buy art, if for no other reason than the sowing of good karma. Unfortunately I have not been able to purchase any art this year as I have been renovating an old house. But the last three purchases I made were Sheep Jones, Chris Caroll and Ethan Murrow. If things play out right, I will be shopping soon.
3. Can you describe your most recent ecstatic visual experience?
This is a hard one to answer, because I am not a trafficker in peak experiences. I don’t seek them out nor do I necessarily trust them if I have one. I am more likely to appreciate something that I can engage with repeatedly over time. Occasionally, I am captivated by images, particularly in films (The Matrix immediately comes to mind), but generally speaking, the images I value most stay with me over time. The work of Titian, Rothko and Maxfield Parish (against my better judgement) all have sustained my interest over many years.
4. What new art techniques have you discovered this year--secrets you'd like to dispense with?
This year I have been actively working on applying my creativity on the house I am renovating. I bought the house as an art project and have approached the whole thing like I would if I were working on a painting. What has been cool about this approach, is that I have a much wider range of methods and materials in which to work. Everything have I been working on has been an opportunity to work creatively. Found objects and the reuse of old materials have been a big part of this. What I did not expect was how this changed my approach to painting. I have noticed that I am willing to take let things develop longer and that I have a greater willingness to experiment. I feel less rigid about what a successful painting is. The specific paintings technique I have been playing with is using dry wall knives to apply painting on wood surfaces, working layers of paint on top of each other while a previous layer is still slightly wet. This does three things: it changes the color of each layers, obscures and reveals layers at the same time and it builds textures similar to that of scraped painted. Except that I have control over the resulting texture and how much is hidden and how much is revealed.
5. Can you name a few of the most important (to you) contemporary artists in your immediate environment?
As far as influences go, people are surprised to hear that Brice Marden is a big influence in my work. Everyone sees Rothko, but it was Marden’s minimalist work that revealed to me the power of simplicity. Agnes Martin’s work speaks to me the same way. My friend and colleague Greg Carbo continues to be an incredibly positive factor in my artistic life. Over the years I have known Greg I have found the talks we have about art and our work deeply helpful and he has always encouraged to work out my ideas. I think every artist needs one person in their life who understands the creative life and who support us through what can be a very solitary process.
Green and Yellow Bands
Mixed Media on Panel
2004
Previous Interviews:
Juno Doran (questions by James W. Bailey)
Josh Feldman (questions by Joseph Barbaccia)
Lisa Stephenson (questions by Whitney Lynn)
Joseph Barbaccia (questions by Josh Feldman)
James W. Bailey (questions by Matt Hollis)
Matt Hollis (questions by Juno Doran)
Carol Es (questions by James Leonard)
Alexandra Silverthorne (questions by Ami Lahoff)
Christine Buckton Tillman (questions by Carol Es)
Douglas Witmer (questions by Alexandra Silverthorne)
Sky Pape (questions by Douglas Witmer)
Whitney Lynn (questions by Lisa Stephenson)
Heather Levy (questions by Joanne Greenbaum)
Heather Lowe (questions by Samantha Wolov)
Samantha Wolov (questions by Heather Levy)
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