Q and A with Jonny Gillard

Artist Jonny Gillard from Lincoln answers some questions for Lincoln Art Scene. A great and fascinating read! Enjoy!

Bio
I was born in 1985 and my mother and her mother were both artists. My dad was a musician and both have always been hugely supportive, patient and passionate about mine and my brothers pursuits.
I had a pretty idyllic childhood growing up in Welton Le Marsh. I didn’t really watch TV until I was about thirteen. I was always outside.
I did ok at school but I struggled as I couldn’t really read properly. By the time I went to secondary School at Alford Grammar I had found ways to disguise this and bullshitted my way to some decent GCSE’s.
When I joined 6th form I began to hate school and dread going. My art teacher had told me that my style of drawing was primitive and inaccurate so eventually I stopped drawing. After much disagreement i left school, enrolled in Lincoln college and after a year there I was enjoying myself much more and I suddenly decided I wanted to draw again. However, I was already a year in and I needed three full A-Levels. I spoke to Denise (the recently retired art teacher at the college) and persuaded her that I could do the full A-level in a year.
She was incredible and re-ignited my passion and confidence. She taught me about Picasso and Auerbach, Matisse and Goya. Suddenly I felt like all of these people had done something important and beautiful.

I became unwell and had to move home with my parents for a couple of years during which time I wrote and recorded hundreds of pieces of music for film and radio. However, due to my condition and medication I found it increasingly difficult to function and I put on a lot of weight.
After 3 or so years my dose was reduced and I became better. To get in shape I started boxing and a boxing gym in Lincoln.

I then met a girl called Abby in a coffee shop and 10 months later we were engaged. By this time I was in a bit better shape and I started to draw again.
I drew a portrait of boxer Zab Judah who saw it online and in turn asked me to draw Mike Tyson (his close friend). After that the requests were abundant and actors, boxers, burlesque dancers, comedians, writers, friends, friends of friends would contact me and ask for artwork.
In 2011 taught myself how to put a simple website together as a way to keep everything together in one place.

The medium I work in varies a great deal. I used to draw almost exclusively in pen and paint in oils but now I use all kinds of things. The portraits I draw at the moment are often done using an IPad. People often get suspicious (as I would) by the use of digital technology in art but what I do is nothing like photoshop. I simply use a basic program which allows me to use my finger like a pen and the IPad like a piece of paper. There is no ‘trickery’ as it were, but I simply sketch it out with my finger and work from that until completion, as I would with paper of canvas. One of the benefits of this is not only the lack of mess and set up, but the ease with which I can distribute my work around the world. I can draw a picture for a client in America and they can be looking at it two minutes after it’s finished.

My inspirations come from all sorts of places. Obviously within the world of fine art people like Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Frank MIller and Frank Auerbach have always astonished me. Both Denise and Jo O’Hara from Lincoln College art department are wonderful people and if any young artists get a chance to talk to them or better yet be taught by them then I advise you take full advantage of it.
Other inspirations are mainly music and film. Working to music is something I’d recommend to anyone. Bands like Sigur Ros, Radiohead, This Will Destroy You, Mogwai, etc. The films of Aranofsky and Terrance Mallick are wonderful as are flicks like 21 Grams and The Assassination of Jesse James. Also, lame, cliched and cheesy as it may sound anything and anyone that moves you. Anything I find emotive is something to really hold on to.
The point I’m trying to make is that it’s needless (in my opinion) to simply draw or paint whats in front of you. That’s already there. Take a photo and just remember it, but try and paint character or feeling. Paint confusion, tension, arrogance or love. If you look at a Turner seascape or a Van Gogh portrait or a Matisse Cut-Out you don’t see ‘accuracy’ in the traditional sense. You see skill and ability certainly, but more than that you empathise the artist and the subject, maybe you see what they saw or maybe you see something unique to you, but that’s the wonderful thing about it all.

As I get a bit older the themes I am interested in become a bit broader and philosophical. When I was a teenager I just wanted to show off or shock… draw a really realistic looking huge penis or something like that. I have no interest in either realism and very little interest in penises these days and now, whether drawing or writing music I’m really only interested in being relentlessly honest. Themes of fear, love, anger, cruelty, confusion and kindness are what I find most interesting.

If I draw someone, especially if I know them or know a lot about them, I often try to convey how I think of them or how I imagine them to be or feel. Even in my work with burlesque models and dancers I have always tried to draw them in a way that is different to how others have done before, whilst also staying true to the image, character and style they embody.
Having said all that, if someone looks at my art and simply enjoys it that is a wonderful thing and not to be looked down on. Save the ‘looking down’ for those that don’t like my work.
Art historians often debate the idea of the ‘pure’ or ‘unbiased’ eye. The idea that in an ideal world we should be able to look at art with knowledge and intrigue, but without influence; like looking at art through a child’s eyes with a scholars mind. This is clearly an unachievable paradox, but I certainly agree that however much we learn about art, the primal joy of just admiring a picture is a lovely thing.

As far as recent and upcoming projects go, I have just completed my first book cover for author Mel Parish and I hoe to work with her again. I will also continue to work on portraits and commissioned work. I am also shooting my first film later in the year which I completed the writing of just a few days ago. Feel free to contact me on twitter or facebook. All the links and updates are on my site. www.jonnygillard.com All the best and don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Thanks to Jonny for his Q and A! An excellent addition the blog and much appreciated!