As
many of you know a favorite paper of mine is the Steamfitters’
Sentinel. I was honored by Local 287 when asked to sit for an
interview. With back issues somewhat difficult to find I decided to reprint the
transcript, which is below.
“How he
paints a picture”
by
Brick Turner, Master Carpenter 3rd
Class
I
recently sat down with local artist Jim Stroud and asked him about his process
in painting. Although at times confusing and off topic many of his comments
give insight to what it means to be an artist in today’s market.
BT Jim, when did you choose art as a
profession?
JS It’s Jamie.
BT But, you’re a
guy. Why would you want to be called by a girl’s
name?
JS Because it’s my
name. I prefer that you call me Jamie.
BT Yeah that’s not
going to happen. Can we get on with this now?
JS Fine. I was doodling one day in tenth
grade biology class when my teacher handing back my latest test said, “with
grades like these you better stick to drawing”. I
considered it a calling ever since.
BT How do you determine when to start a
painting?
JS When I am filled with uncontrollable
euphoria about a topic.
BT And how do you know when you are
finished?
JS When that euphoria is replaced by total
self-loathing.
BT I see you have started a painting of a
landscape.
JS It’s a
nude figure actually.
BT Jees. Would you walk us through
your procedure?
JS Delighted.
BT You seem to have quite a few colors on
your palette.
JS I used to paint with a limited palette
but had a very difficult time getting yellows, reds, and blues. As you can see
there’s
lemon yellow, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Cadmium Light, Yellow Orche, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean, Cobalt Blue, King’s Blue
and Prussian Blue. Then there’s the reds…
BT We won’t have time for all of
those.
JS (sighs)
I round it off with a few earth tones such as Burnt and Raw Sienna, Burnt and
Raw Umber, Ivory Black and four whites.
BT Four?
JS There’s
titanium, lead, flake and lastly bone white for when I’m
having an off day. Of course, now this leaves very little room for mixing on my
palette.
BT (to
his photographer) Charlie you better move back if you want to get all of it
in the picture. Do they usually come with their own legs?
JS Oh no, I had this especially made by a
cabinet maker in Anchorage.
BT Knotty pine?
JS Yes. If you look underneath he made a
small drawer to keep refreshments in case I get hungry while at work. Hmmm?
BT What’s the
matter?
JS There seems to be a leak under the Lead
White. I wonder how long that’s been there?
BT Isn’t that what made Van Gogh
want to cut off his ear?
JS That’s an urban myth. What happen
was he was napping on the kitchen table when a far-sighted cook came in and
thought his head was a boule. Theo liked the tortured soul angle and would help
sell paintings.
BT Getting back to your painting, without
much room on your palette where do you mix your paints.
JS Right on the canvas. I’m
working on her face so I take a little lemon yellow, some titanium white, a
pinch of cadmium red. Hmm, seems a little bright so maybe some ultramarine blue
and a little black. Damn. Now it’s too
dark. I’ll
just grab a little more yellow and white onto my brush. There, that should do
it.
BT Looks a little like mud.
JS Hmmm, maybe more blue.
BT You mentioned brushes. Is there a
particular kind you prefer?
JS Yes. I use only Barkley’s and
Johnson’s Series
13. It’s made
from 100% pure baby yak hair.
BT Baby yak hair? Sounds expensive.
JS They can be. Often times the little
calves won’t hold still and they go plunging off the precipice and
down into a crevasse. It’s a horrible sight.
BT Couldn’t you
just use a synthetic?
JS Synthetics just can’t
tolerate the weight of all the paint on load on them. And the price of a few
hundred baby yaks every year more than make up for in creating art, don’t you think?
BT I’m not
sure what to think any more.
JS Oh no, I did it again. See what happens
when you don’t pay attention?
BT She does seem to have one foot too many.
While you’re fixing that let me bring up another topic. I understand
your artwork has recently come into vogue. What do you contribute that to?
JS Simple really. I changed the title of
many of my pieces. For instance, that piece in the corner use to be called ‘Standing
Nude’. Now
it’s ‘Lump
of Mud’. And
that one there is no longer called ‘Girl
with an Umbrella’ but ‘Arrangement
in Black and Brown Dirt’.
BT Interesting. Sort of like Whistler.
JS Who?
BT And this piece you are working on?
JS This might be my Magnum Opus. I call it
simply ‘Pile’.
BT Jaw dropping.
JS Yes, isn’t it?
BT I think that is all the time we have.
Thank you Jim…
JS Jamie.
BT …for
showing us how you paint a picture.
The
editors would like to thank Mr. Jim Stroud for giving us a glimpse into his
studio. We also would like to say that even though we cannot accept it the
thought of giving the Sentinel his
painting ‘Earth Hole’ was
truly something else.
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