A self-portrait of sorts by Bill Remington
If you have ever been to Artomatic, then you know that some of the artists there display biographical information so that you can get some of the story behind their art. If you are fortunate, you might be looking around while an artist is actually present and get to chat with them live and in person.
I had the opportunity to talk to Bill Remington about his art and his life. Like many of the talented people who perform and display art at Artomatic, Bill must balance his artistic endeavors with a day job.
Can you give me some basic background info? When did you realized you were interested in art?
My parents told me I was drawing before I could talk. The earliest inspiration I can think of was when I saw my oldest sister drawing. She always use to draw when we were kids, but gave it up later. To that 4 or 5 year old boy, his 11 year old sister was pretty damn good.
How do you balance your artistic pursuits with working a 9-to-5?
Its a constant battle. Not just the 9-5 (which is really more often 2-10 or longer for me) but other domestic concerns as well. It more and more convinces me that Picasso was right when he said the second job is a trap, however, that road is a lot tougher than most people in our society are willing to take, myself included.
How did you choose what to present at this year's Artomatic?
I decided not to try and please everybody this year. That never works anyway. People who know me know I can work in a variety of media and styles pretty freely. Also I wanted to show what I have been doing lately instead of putting in half old and half new stuff. I am very excited with the direction my work is headed. I am more concious, and thus able to explore more, my tendency to incorperate different styles and techniques in individual pieces and still come out with my own signature.
How many years have you been a part of Artomatic?
I was first in the 2007 Artomatic in Crystal City. I took the next year off from it to concentrate on my work which turned out to be a good choice, although I missed being involved in it.
For more info: Artomatic runs until July 5, so you have plenty of time to see Bill Remington (6th floor, row 2) and other hardworking artists.
Artomatic
55 M Street, S.E.
(at the corner with
May 29-July 5 2009
Fri-Sat: Noon-1 am
Sun, Wed, Thu: Noon-10 pm
Comments
Jada,
Great article and interview.
Thanks for taking the time!
Tom
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