An Interview with an Artist - Reece Swanepoel

Reece is a South African artist based in Potchefstroom. His art has inspired many, and today I am going to find out what keeps him going in the creative field.

1: What kind of environment do you create for yourself in order to be creative?

"I create a sort of order capable of easily moving to chaos. I have to clean up from my last piece, rearrange my tools, prepare the colours and brushes I plan on using (which I never adhere to) and adjust the height of my canvas or drawing. Then step two is closing the curtains, windows and putting on some Mumford and sons on very loudly. Then I begin... "

2: What in your personal life has influenced you to choose your career?

"I always knew that I would make art. From being a toddler until now still, I haven't stopped drawing. In school, however, I thought I'll go on to study a degree in astronomy and work at Nasa and do art on the side, that changed around in 2012 when I had visual arts as a subject for the first time. I was determined that I will make art until I am physically unable, and still do today. Later on I got my first commission, and I tasted how it felt to be a practicing artist. I started selling more frequently and it kind of just came upon me that way.

However, there is one incident that caused my art to take on a political and deeper emotional edge. In October of 2016, four black Africans broke into my house and assaulted and stabbed me, all the while making remarks, saying that I must leave the country because I am white."

3: What do you do to stay motivated in your work?

"I don't need motivation to make art! Making art, fulfilling that role in society, that is the reward, not the job. When it goes good, I create ar;: when it goes bad, I create art; when I'm feeling depressed: I create art!

But if I had to choose, I would say my vision of universal empathy and interpersonal living. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was an anti-industrialization activist. He believed industries create a mechanized and apathetic society. Oh how he was right! Kirchner warned us of the symptoms, society got sick, I am trying to give it medicine."

4: To what degree do you consider what other people would like compared to what you want to create?

"Being real has always been the motto. Look at what I make. Deformed, expressive and often dark portraits of people looking depressed and screaming. I know of few people who set out to buy art with such subject matter. It is therefore obvious that little thought goes to what others want me to make. I often get told that I would do much better if I would change my subject matter, even the great Adriaan Boshof Jr. told me I should try to make happier drawings. But that isn't what society needs. I personally believe we have enough paintings of children playing, boats and flowers."

5: What is the best advice you have been given?

"I never thought of my drawings and paintings as that good when I was young. When I had visual art as a subject in 2012, we were supposed to draw traditional subjects according to traditional methods. I hated it and was terrible at it. I told my art teacher that I am leaving the subject to take up another because I can't draw. I simply can't draw. She told me the following life changing sentence "draw me a thousand faces, then come back to me and tell me you can't draw". I took her seriously and started working on a thousand portraits! I practiced drawing these portraits so much that I eventually realized what she meant. I could draw, I just needed to practice more. And that I did. The daily drawing put me in a habit of drawing at least one thing daily."

6: What inspires you?

"I love the portrait. As easy as that. People inspire me and the ability to express their emotions through micro-expressions without saying a word is still a wonder to me, since the first portrait I did. I have a love for people like Socrates because they possess the potential to do anything; but I am also a sort of a misanthrope because we can't decide to change and fix things until it's too late."

7: Have you ever doubted your talent? If so, how did you work through it?

"I often doubt my ability to achieve my vision. My vision always remains the same. It's a definite thing humanity needs more of: empathy. But often I wonder if the universe really chose me to accomplish this huge task (or set it in motion). But like I said, my dominant reason for creating art is because I love to create and because it is a privilege to create art. Therefore, when I doubt, I do what I know helps, I create art."

8: If you could eat your work what would it taste like?

"Oh, most definitely like bitter medicine, but hard to chew like old bread."

9: What was the biggest obstacle you had to face in your career?

"There often comes a time where I don't sell enough and cannot even afford printing paper in times like this I go back to drawing with pencils I pick up and paper friends bring me, sometimes even music scripts!"

10: What advice can you give someone who is just starting out in the field?

"It doesn’t matter if you paint, draw, sculpt or anything else, draw something daily. It doesn't matter if it's only an eye. After that eye you will be better at drawing eyes. Draw daily!

Also, I reiterate Picasso's words: "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist". Get naturalism down, the go on to establish your own style. It really is necessary."