Interview with Gian Pierotti

q) What is your earliest art-related memory?

a)I have an early memory of building dwellings in the local farmers cornfields. There were nearby construction sites to use discarded bits of lumber. My friend and I found a huge piece of clear thick plastic that we used to make a transparent fort. I remember just as we finished the fort it started to rain. We quickly took cover inside and stayed dry.

q) Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

a)I have a good group of friends that make art. We speak on the phone and create art excursions as an excuse to hang out. These group art projects really get me excited about art. I feel strongly in the importance of art communities.

q) What are the main tools of your craft?

a)Right now I am focused on ceramics. I think it is important to have an intimate knowledge of a material. At the same time I am interested in other materials as well. Carbon fiber for example, opens up lots of possibilities.

q) Is a formal education important?

a)This is a tuff question. I do think in some way you can loose your personal voice with in academia. There are so many ideas in conflict that you can really stifle yourself. You end up making things that are mediocre. But I think that is the challenge of art school. If you can meet the challenge face to face you will find a deeper meaning to your work. You can get this out side of a formal education. But I think it is more difficult.

q) What is the biggest misconception about art?

a)I have found that the true value of art is not so much in the art object. It is the experience that really feeds us. I don’t just mean the experience of making art. I also include collectors and art historians in this. When you are committed to art, what you get is a way of seeing. Art magnifies your life. I realize this is not new thinking. But I feel that the art market highlights the value of the object and misses the point.

I just thought of something else. This might be the biggest art misconception. It really bothers me when people say, “I can’t be an artist” or “I am just not creative”. The person making this statement has the assumption that you are ether born with artistic talent or you are not. I realize that they are recognizing genius in the artist. But I believe they can have an experience with art as I can. They limit themselves when they place art as an impossibility.

q) Which is more important in art - concept or execution?

a) When asked an, ether or question diplomacy dictates that you say, “It is an even mix of both”. If you can make both an interesting concept and a well-crafted artwork, you end up with a great work of art.

But that is not answering your question. I have thought about this question for the last 30 minutes going back and forth. And I have decided to choose execution. I am taking the meaning of the word “execution” to mean well made. If an object is well made it will communicate a concept. A poorly made object will communicate a confusing concept.

q) What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?

a)Right now I am very interested in exploration and discovery. The stories of Lewis and Clark, who explored the whole of the north American continent and the Shackleton explorations in Antarctica, are really inspiring. There is an optimism to these guys. There has to be hope in moving forward.

q) What is your favorite piece of art in your home?

a)Hands down it is a painting by Allan Ludwig. http://www.allanludwig.com/index.php?/artworks/images/

q) If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

a)Buckminster Fuller, we would cure all the worlds’ ills. Even though we know that would be impossible.

q) Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?

a)Tavaras Strachan http://www.pierogi2000.com/flatfile/strachant.html

q) What has been your greatest achievement to date?

a)I Built a 600-pound boat made of Terra Cotta. I took this boat I built to the waters of the mighty James River. I got inside the boat and floated down the river into the unknown. g1an.tumblr.com

q) What has been your biggest roadblock?

a)Time management. I feel like I waist a lot of time.

q) How do you define success?

a)Making good artwork and raising a family is my idea of success

q) What will be the name of your autobiography?

a)I told you I could do it!... a lesson in failure.

q)What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?

a)Be nice to everyone.