An artist profile of Andrew Wilson.
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Describe your process of creating a piece. What materials do you normally work in?
The materials I use in my drawings are primarily ink and paper. Sometimes I’ll also add Mylar and/or graphite. My paintings contain various combinations of: acrylic, Mylar, ink, graphite, paper, spray paint, shellac and resin over board. The paintings are created by building upon layers of resin.
What projects are you working on? What do you have coming up, any shows?
Right now I’m working on a show for the Fall. It’s going to be at a gallery called Sid Lee, in Amsterdam. So far I’ve just been working on drawings for it, but there will also be paintings.
When are you most productive?
I find I’m most productive at night, when no one is around.
When did creating art become something important in your life?
I was always interested in drawing, but it didn’t become an important part of my life until I started at OCAD. I instantly began to take what I did seriously-really trying to make work that I was happy with and not treat pieces like school projects. This is probably part of what led me to not get the best grades…
What are some of your favorite spots in the city? Some favourite places to go, eat, drink, bike ride?
If a place serves a good breakfast it tends to be one of my favourite spots. Two of my old favourites were The Stem and Dong Hai, but both are now gone. Just up the street from my studio is a great place called UFO/Three Star. It’s half open kitchen diner and half convenience store. It sounds gross, but it’s actually really good. Where else in the city can you have the experience of eating a delicious omelet in the same aisle as dog food and cleaning supplies?
Biking out to the lighthouse at the end of the Leslie Spit is a great ride-especially at night.
What are you currently obsessed with? Any blogs, pod casts, films, artists?
I’m sort obsessed with the radio show Minimal Electronik Plus (on East Village Radio). I’m also really into listening to audio books while I work. Really long fantasy novels are the best. I think I’ve been listening to The Wheel of Time series for over a year now-it’s a series of 13 books. I just started another one called Mistborn and so far it seems pretty good.
What are your thoughts on the Toronto art scene compared to everywhere else you’ve experienced?
The sense of community in the Toronto art scene is something that I really appreciate. Places like New York don’t seem to really have that.
What is your survival food? Cheap eats for the starving artist?
Veggie dogs from Queen and Spadina were a staple for me for years when my studio was at Spadina and Adelaide.
Any last words?
myspace.com/dawnofhumans, myspace.com/littlelittlegirls, aworldshistory.blogspot.com
