Interview with Terry Rodgers

1)First of all,..can you present yourself..?
1)Visit my website. This is not about me. This is about my work.

2)Do you think of yourself as an artist,or what?
2)Sure. I'm a painter, among other things.

3)What is creativity?
3)Invention. But what interests me is perception.

4)Does your environment influence your art,either in style/format orinterference?
4)My environment is my subject and it is the world.


5)What are some of your influences and inspirations?
5)The American writers David Foster Wallace and Thomas Pynchon. The American
painter David Salle. And the miracles of Max Beckman and Diego Velasquez.

6)What's your favourite mediums(pen,charcoal,paint,canvas,etc.)to workin/on?
6)Oil paint. It has greater viscosity and definition than everything but film. But film requires a
crew and funding.

7)Who are some of your favourite painters/artists?
7)See above and add Toulouse Lautrec. And Paul McCarthey.

8)How long does it normally take you to complete a piece of your artwork?
8)I make about 12 to 13 paintings per year.

9)What else are you interested in besides visual arts?
9)Everything.

10)Got any new projects planned?
10)Book coming out in December. New studio in September.

11)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?
11)Great question. Magical. I'm trying to capture those confusions to which we
are all subjected. And the desires we all have.

12)What other talent would most like to have?
12)To be able to write opera like Mozart.

13)What are your most beloved items?
13)Another great question. Hmmmm. My props are my most beloved items, but items
rank pretty low on the scale of "beloved". Items serve to reveal our interests and our
prejudices. Our problem is making items "beloved".


14)Favourite books?
14)Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Mason Dixon by Thomas Pychon
Ulysses by James Joyce

15)Do you remember the first draw you made?
15)No. I've been drawing forever.

16)What kind of music do you like and do you listen.And is the musicimportant for your art.?
16)The music is important to me. It doesn't have anything to do with my art.
I listen to and enjoy many kinds of music. I love opera and listen to it often as
I paint. Many people have even commented that my paintings are operatic.


17)Any advice do you have for artists?
17)Work hard. Produce. Produce. Produce. That's it. It pays off in every way.

18)Your contacts.E-mail..Links.
18) www.terryrodgers.com