An Interview With Artist Clive Pates
by Christa Brunori LincsMag Writer.
Date: 01 April 2011
LincsMag Writer, Christa Brunori, interviews an Englishman in the United States, who is hoping that his work will in some way help to push on a new generation of painters, looking to define realism as the next step forward from abstraction.
The artist, Clive W. Pates, paints the world through his own vision, with an English history and landscape influences from around the world, what is viewed, is a visionary enticement of colour, emotion and life.
He works with his technique to endure the unknown, separating himself from traditional training and perceptions. From one terrain to another, the paint laid upon canvas captivates the eye. Convincing the onlooker to form an opinion of their own, avoiding all previously known concepts, and showing them to feel through their vision.
For those whom may not be familiar with your painting, how would you describe your style?
I would describe myself as a gesturalist painter, I use the painted mark in a sculptural way to hint at my experiences and understanding of the world I see.
Looking back at your earlier work, what are your thoughts of it now?
My earlier work describes a process, firstly of trying to master technique and then learning to look at my subject with clarity. I think I was quite strict with myself when learning the craft of painting; so most of my earlier works focus on a tonal and compositional understanding with a strictly controlled use of paint manipulation.
The use of gesture in my later works is based on a consistency of technique that was hard won. Gesture in a painting must be part of a continuing dialogue, ‘Happy accident’, experimenting with paint on canvas in a painting can lead to interesting new ways to develop a painting but the foundation of every painting must be articulate conscious mark making that can focus a series of works.
So my earlier works are looking for a sense of decorum and control, my later works seek out the chaos of the moment.
How has your style evolved over the years?
A particular style can be invasive when it comes to good painting, the style gets in the way of the reality that you wish to interpret and can also limit artistic development by shaping the artists vision rather than being a slave to it.
A stylistic approach is always evident as a form of handwriting unique to the individual and is often a cohesive influence for a painting student to study.
Over the years my stylistic approach has become lighter giving way to an abstract and uncertain gesture that focuses more by the placement and relationship of marks than a more stylized sense of patternation.
The relationship between the gestural mark and absence of mark has become very important for me, leaving more room for the space between the marks echoes again the relationship between our grasping sense of order and a dis-order that is the fundamental neurosis of the artist.
What influence in the world of art, has your work made?
I think in many ways I’m a stepping-stone for those deeply interested in painting, a means to an end and part of that journey that won’t be realized for quite a few generations to come. I’m hoping my work will in some way help push on a new generation of painters that are looking to define realism as the next articulate step forward from those first serious attempts at abstraction.
What sort of a difference has there been, in the creative inspiration between England and your current residence in America?
The US has a wildness and openness that has long ceased to be the case in Europe. There seems to be a freshness to the act of looking, maybe invigorated by a sense of entitlement that lends itself to a freedom ‘to do’ rather than the constraint ‘I must do’.
Within the locations you've either lived or visited, which particular place left the most substantial impression on your work, and why?
Our trip to Baja California left the biggest impression on me, I think mainly because our lives became very simple, camping on a remote headland for two months with very few distractions. There was a tremendous clarity to the painting I did then, a focus that I struggle to maintain in our world with so many distractions.
Upon observation, what do you hope for the observer to take away from your paintings?
I hope my paintings work on many levels, that there is an immediacy and life to the work that extends to a deeper emotional understanding that can take many years to become apparent to the viewer.
What advice would you give other artists that find themselves in a constant state of struggle?
Most things have to be worked for, painting maybe more than most. The period of training for a serious painter is certainly longer than any other profession I can think of and physical rewards probably less than any other profession I can think of. So the struggle must be about a love for what you do.
What might we expect to see in the future in your painting?
The intrigue and beauty of painting is that you never quite know where your work will take you.
The artist's Website is www.clivepates.com
