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Today’s Artist Interview Is With William DeRaymond from Freemansburg, Pa.

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
William: I became an artist, in this life, in my late 20′s, when I met my Master, Antonio Salemme (1892-1995) www.antoniosalemme.org

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
William: My first attempts at drawing were very clumsy. I had a few false starts. Then, through a kind of focused concentration, I realized the way of expressing 3 dimensional objects as 2 dimensional. This was a Eureka! I found it! moment to me. From there I began to soar.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
William: This is something I will be struggling with till I die. I am living for my art,
but don’t always survive simply as an artist.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
William: I am always in art process. Everything, every moment is part of the creative act. there is not always ‘painting’, but on the inner planes it always is processing around that issue or work.

There also are fallow times when creative energy is recharging. These rhythm’s need to be respected and appreciated even when they aren’t always understood. Otherwise when I am actively painting, 2-3 hours on the average.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
William: I started by falling in love with drawing. Then I progressed to brush and ink, through to watercolor, and finally into oils. I also love pastels and really any 2d medium. I don’t like acrylics. So, there are times when I take a break from oils and work in brush and ink or watercolor. Change of pace is always good or even helpful.

I try to draw on a regular basis. I think it is most important to honor the personality
of the medium you are working with, I am not to choosy about the medium.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
William: Color, brush, landscape, portraits, Antonio’s work. Cezanne, Monet, Gauguin, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Etc.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
William: You must honor those times as part of the process and stay quiet. Meditation is a good practice. Just being present and paying attention to the inner energy is enough.

Whopple: What was your first job?
William: Paper boy.

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?
William: I have very little hope in humanities’ survival in this world. The world itself has no need of our hope or survival. Still, when I met my Master in the art some 30 years ago, his work had me feeling like we would survive as a species. Just the fact that he could be producing the work that he did, gave me hope. I am not in that space any more.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
William: Be with this woman I know.

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?
William: To paint work that expresses the infinite nature of our lives, and the eternal nature of time and space.

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?
William: When I started painting brush and ink, Antonio gave me this sumi e’ brush and some black ink. I went home and tried to paint a still life, but got completely lost. Up till that time, I had only drawn, and the point of the pencil or pen was hard and sharp. This brush was big and floopy and swished around. I panicked and called Antonio. He said you better come over and show me what you’ve done. The next day I arrived at his studio and showed him this clumsy brush drawing of a pitcher and some apples…He looked at it and said, “My God, these are beautiful!”

I said, What are you talking about, very confused. Right there, he said , “Here, look at this , this beautiful black brushstroke against this beautiful white of the paper. I looked and sure enough it was beautiful. I understood! The medium itself has an intrinsic beauty, and if one can simply express that, the other aspects like accuracy of drawing, take a back seat to that intrinsic beauty. (technique will purify itself over time with right guidance) I went home and began to paint with great freedom and I saw that intrinsic beauty unfolding as I expressed myself.
At that time I was possessed of a kind of insane joy.

To See More Of William DeRaymond’s Artwork Please Visit The Following:
http://www.williamderaymond.net
http://justanotherculturalvisionary.com

These Interviews With Artists Are Copyrighted To Whopple.com.

Classifications:  Impressionist Artists