Sound of Happiness :: Sound of Happiness

2011

Happy Days inviterte den anerkjente engelsk billedkunstneren Tony Higginson på besøk Anthony (Tony) Higginson er blant annet utdannet ved Royal Academy of Arts i London (Masters av kunst - maleri) og London School of Printing (skjermen utskrift). Han Har hatt en rekke utstillinger blant annet på Galleri BI-Z og er representert i flere internasjonale samlinger.

Thank you to the “Happy Days” for a great time, and especially thanks to Karen Valeur for arranging our meeting, to Thuan Le Cong for making really great questions and Lene Stangborli for her wish on Happy Days “wish-wall”!

Tony Higginson

Her er spørsmålene fra Thuan og svarene fra Tony:

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A PAINTING?
Sometimes 2 years, other times in 10/20-30 minutes...always different. If the painting is planned including the process, the technique and subject, it is effectively completed in a step by step way. If it is an honest investigation into uncertain/unknown ground this can take a very long time. It discovers it`s answer through the investigation/journey. Having said that; basically a picture is never finished until it had found it`s home and hanging on someone’s wall.

WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FROM?
Now that is a difficult question. It can be different things; things said that create strong pictures, things seen that create strong sounds or atmospheres. I say strong in a quiet way?Inspiration is mysterious. I can feel like if you do make it clear, it disappears. Sometime’s the inspiration just comes through working, trust and choice.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BEFOR YOU START MAKING THE APPLE IMAGE?
It is long ago. My daughter was born at this time, and I thought of it as a kind of metaphor about giving your wisdom to your children. All of those things that had taken you a long, long time to get too. From there they have a good foundation to grow from.

DO YOU HAVE MANY EXHIBITIONS?
I have had a lot of exhibitions, always great to have the goal, the risk...yes, I have something’s in the pipeline this year.

IS IT HARD TO SELL YOUR PAINTINGS?
Keeping one’s own integrity, while finding the bell that rings with other people, can be a block to selling. Although I have sold a lot of paintings and they have found their homes all over the world; and that feels very good.

DO YOU SELL THE PAINTINGS YOURSELF OR DO YOU HAVE A MANAGER?
I have a manager and this is a partnership; so we are working towards the same goal. Vidar Mortensen is his name. I have a lot of respect for him!

DO YOU WRITE THE TEXT AND MELODIES TO THE SONGS YOU SING?
Yes I do! It is all the things I find hard to say in life...Communication in every way is rich, beautiful and surprising. If you can speak clearly to yourself, you then stand a good chance of speaking to others. As someone famous once said: “If music be the food of love...play on.”

IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR PAINTINGS AND YOUR MUSIC?
Yes! The connection is its difference. Music is much more accessible...and now more than ever...with the internet. It moves great numbers of listeners both emotionally and physically. You cannot hold on to it. It is an experience, not an object. It is the sound of our time, it communicate what`s going on. Music’s power is in the air.

Painting started on the cave walls...so not much changed here. It speaks deep to the soul of the viewer. It`s like a metaphorical window for eyes, showing what`s in there/ out there. It is the time ghost, a documented footprint. So many hours, so much work, to make a still image, and when the final paint stroke is done...then it`s life has only just started. The challenge is to see the image in its historic context, and then see it with new eyes from this time now. Painting strength is in its limitation.

Music is something I was born with. Painting is a clear choice I made many years ago to stop and watch and listen. Painting I found more difficult and that’s why I choose it! To surprise myself into saying: “Did I really do that”...is such a good feeling.