artistic background:
Graduate in Fine Art, York University, 1973
Practiced publishing with Coach House Press (Toronto), performance art with Western Front (Vancouver), mural painting.
Assistant to the Director of Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1975-80), studied painting by my self and with Jack Wise in Victoria.
Travel to Japan and Thailand, 1980-81 and dedication as a professional artist.
Art writer for Victoria Times Colonist (since 1986).
how do you describe your work:
I paint representational pictures in watercolours and acrylics of the city of Victoria, a documentary project.
I am a self-employed artist specializing in commissioned paintings of homes and gardens.
A prominent public profile is important to my work, which may be seen as a form of performance art.
The documentary aspects are usually coincident with publishing - I have seven books about Victoria published, so far.
And then there is my parallel stream of ink paintings inspired by my study of Chinese and Japanese art...
living artist most interesting?:
My newspaper column every week deals with exactly that question.
Pat Martin Bates is always an inspiration. Zhang Bu sets an unreachable standard. David Hockney has a lot to say to me.
no longer living artists?
Stanley Spencer, Munakata Shiko, to name two.
social/political message?
On the surface I would say no - it gets in the way of the beauty of the well-made object.
But on further consideration I know that no artist can avoid being deeply dyed with the views and the atmosphere of the times.
My work surely has a political message, but I am not going to slow down long enough to find out what it is.
why do you do art?
It's my default-mechanism. when other responsibilities are put aside, I revert to it.
Robert Amos.
www.robertamos.com
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