Interview with Wilfrid Wood

1)First of all,..can you present yourself..?
1)My name is Wilfrid Wood, I was born in London in 1968, grew up in South East England and now live in Clapton, East London near where the Olympics is being built.

2)Do you think of yourself as an artist,or what?
2)That’s always a problem. I don’t know whether I am an artist, designer, modelmaker, sculptor or character inventor. I trained as a graphic designer but since then have been floating around in a bit of a no-man’s land.

3)What is creativity?
3)Phew! That’s a question. I think it’s a combination of trying to make order in a frighteningly random universe and straightforward showing off.

4)Does your environment influence your art,either in style/format or interference?
4)I’m sure it does. London is a great massive mix up of a city with waves of influence being beamed in from all over the world. I’m not sure if someone would look at my work and say ‘very Clapton’!

5)What are some of your influences and inspirations?
5)Friends and freaks.

6)What’s your favourite mediums(pen,charcoal,paint,canvas,etc…)to work in/on?
6)I like pencil and paper. I don’t like Super Sculpy because its always cracking and going weird with paint and varnish but nevertheless I use it all the time.

7)Who are some of your favourite painters/artists?
7)Sulton Rogers, Takashi Murakami, Moset, Edward Burra, David Hockney, Tom of Finland, Vollis Simpson, Jeff Koons, Howard Finster, William Eggleston, Nek Chand.

8)How long does it normally take you to complete a piece of your artwork?
8)Too long, especially since I am so easily distracted.

9)What else are you interested in besides visual arts?
9)Sex and food.

10)Got any new projects planned?
10)I’m trying to make a chav at the moment.

11)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?
11)Like a 3d cartoon.

12)What other talent would most like to have?
12)Speaking a foreign language.

13)What are your most beloved items?
13)My Jeff Koons balloon dog and turquoise American Apparel knickers.

14)Favourite books?
14)100 ways to cook with potato.

15)Do you remember the first draw you made?
15)I used to do small geometric patterns and stick them all over my parents walls.

16)What kind of music do you like and do you listen…And is the music importan for your art…?
16)I love music, at the moment I can’t stop listening to ‘Dextrous’ by Nightmares on Wax.

17)Any advice do you have for artists?
17)Stop talking about it and get on with it.

18)Your contacts…E-mail….Links…
18) http://www.wilfridwood.com