NEW TOPIC: The Art SceneEN: What is it that fascinates you about Dali?
JW: I think Dali because he was such and is such a great draftsman. His anatomy, which I could never get close to, his many, many paintings, his detail, his thought.
EN: Dali found inspiration in the work of Vermeer.
JW: The only guy that bothered me, maybe it’s because I suffered a couple of breakdowns and stuff and I went through some tough times, not because of drugs or anything, just pressure -- Van Gogh. I understand what fantastic art he did, but his things bothered me. He was a very troubled man as you know. I could see that sickness. I could feel it. And I wouldn’t be comfortable with that guy as a role model.
I like Manet, and the Renaissance people, Monet, El Greco... I studied all those guys as I am sure you did, and I liked the Ashcan School -- Marsh, Bellows... all these guys. A good friend of mine was Don Kingman. A good friend of mine. He did the introduction to my book. A lot of people don’t know about Don. He was a wonderful Chinese water colorist.
EN: Do you know Chee at all?
JW: Yes.
EN: He’s from Duluth up here.
JW: Oh, is he... Huh. He’s quite good. He gets a lot of money for his things. Five and six figures.
EN: What’s your next project?
JW: I don’t know. I’m struggling with an idea right now. I’ve got my canvas done and background. It takes me a long time. I sit down.... trying to be different each time, hoo boy. I like to do something different each time.
I just did a thing about the American Indian. Two envelopes against the canvas. One is Seargent Ben Tall Bear, care of Browning Reservation, Veteran’s Hospital, Ward K, Montana
Then there’s another envelope to another guy, a Native American... and the only thing that isn’t painted is... I took a real stamp, a teddy bear stamp, up in the corner. And it’s titled Two Letters to Two Wounded Native Americans. And so I go from that to something else.
I just painted recently a couple weeks ago a dead tree against a big powder blue background, and the tree has many branches and from the branches are hanging many gingerbread men. And it’s called A Dead Tree With Any Number of Stale Gingerbread Men Hanging From It.
EN: What’s the strangest or funniest thing you’ve ever experienced as an artist?
JW: Probably the strangest thing I ever experienced.... I’ve collected all kinds of artwork, mostly things done on canvas, a few things of sculpture, but they’re so bloody expensive if it’s well done. I bought an enamel, an Austrian enamel, which I have in my studio. I bought it maybe 25 years ago. It’s about 9 x 12... I bought it because it’s a studio with the artist and he’s got his pallette, and he’s standing, and on his pedestal is a nude, three quarter nude, and I looked at the painting... How much is it? He said $3500, and I said "Oh my God, that’s a lot."
Now I always wanted to get something with the artist and his pallet so I said, "Let me look at this, and (in those days I didn’t need my glasses) and I said, “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. On her buttocks is an imperfection. It’s a black dot. What’s this?" And he said, “Take this glass." It’s a thick glass. And then I looked at it, -- this is at an antique show in Pasadena -- and he said, “Do you speak any German?” And I said, "No, very little." “Do you know the expression or word Difluegen?” I said, well the word flueg is fly. And he said, “That’s what’s on her butt, a fly. He took one hair of a brush and painted it.” I’m going to buy that, I said.
EN: What’s the strangest or funniest thing you’ve ever experienced as an artist?
JW: Probably the strangest thing I ever experienced.... I’ve collected all kinds of artwork, mostly things done on canvas, a few things of sculpture, but they’re so bloody expensive if it’s well done. I bought an enamel, an Austrian enamel, which I have in my studio. I bought it maybe 25 years ago. It’s about 9 x 12... I bought it because it’s a studio with the artist and he’s got his pallette, and he’s standing, and on his pedestal is a nude, three quarter nude, and I looked at the painting... How much is it? He said $3500, and I said "Oh my God, that’s a lot."
Now I always wanted to get something with the artist and his pallet so I said, "Let me look at this, and (in those days I didn’t need my glasses) and I said, “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. On her buttocks is an imperfection. It’s a black dot. What’s this?" And he said, “Take this glass." It’s a thick glass. And then I looked at it, -- this is at an antique show in Pasadena -- and he said, “Do you speak any German?” And I said, "No, very little." “Do you know the expression or word Difluegen?” I said, well the word flueg is fly. And he said, “That’s what’s on her butt, a fly. He took one hair of a brush and painted it.” I’m going to buy that, I said.
I love it because very rarely do people see the dot, and I saw it, and I know what it is... probably the most exciting purchase I’ve ever made.
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