Jim McVicker
Getting to Know the Artist:
Behind the Canvas with Jim McVicker
Q: What's the first piece of art you ever made that you were truly proud of?
A: It's hard to recall the first painting I did that I was really proud of. I know early on just the act of painting and making something that I thought was good, I found that very exciting. I didn't start my painting journey until I was 21. That was an epiphany for me and I almost instantly realized I found what I was looking for in my life. I know I thought those early paintings were better than they were. But the motivation to keep doing it and get better was very strong.
Q: Do you have any rituals or habits that get you into a creative flow?
A: When painting in my studio I do like to have music on. It seems to energize me and connect me to what I'm painting or thinking about painting. Setting up a still life with the sounds of jazz playing really helps me and my mood. The flowers I choose for a still life also inspire and give me ideas how I want to approach and compose a work.
With landscape painting I often have a location or idea in mind as I head out to the spot. It's really the light that sets the mood for me. That combined with seeing interesting shapes, values and good design to work with.
Q: If you could have dinner with any artist (living or dead), who would it be and what would you ask them?
A: I would love to have dinner with Vermeer and talk with him about his process of painting, light, and atmosphere. His influence of my work early on had a huge impact and helped me to see and understand light and air. In landscape painting I was already very conscious of the atmosphere outdoors but became so much more aware of it within an interior looking at the work of Vermeer as well as Velazquez.
Q: What's a book you think every creative person should read?
A: Years ago I read Robert Henri's book The Art Spirit. It is a very excellent book about the creative spirit in all manner of endeavours we do in life, from the fine arts to making a meal. The Art Spirit is the perfect title. I would recommend it to any creative person. He also does terrific paintings.
Q: What's the piece you're most attached to and could never sell?
A: The painting I'm most attached to would be a portrait I painted of my wife, Terry, back in the nineties. I also have a self portrait from 2013, painted outdoors, and it won the annual Plein Air Magazine Salon award for first place. I would not sell it.
