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Spring/Summer 1999
Artist Studio Magazine
New York, NY
Spotlight: Art
by Eva Morel
I have often wondered what has happened to the world of art. No longer are we waiting in anticipation for a master's new series, counting ourselves fortunate to be invited to the opening of a long awaited art exhibition, or merely setting our eyes upon a new way of seeing. The masters, it seems, have long since expired and we now anticipate only the dollar value of a piece of marginal art. It is definitely time for a change. With this understanding, you can see why one would hesitate to respond to yet another arranged interview with another 'striving' artist. The name I found, upon relating my upcoming task to several people, was recognized and caused a somewhat intriguing response. I therefore did my homework and was eagerly anticipating an interview with an artist with a great deal of potential according to all I had uncovered.
James Picard, I found, was something of an anomaly. His house is filled with a frenzied energy of work and desperation through which he calmly walks, coffee in one hand, paintbrush in the other. He does not merely create art, he lives it. Over the course of the evening I peruse a thousand or so pieces ranging from watercolor to oils to metal sculpture to clay figurines, becoming all the more aware that only the tip of the iceberg has been viewed. The world around him is indeed a world of creation. Not an inch of wall space is spared, canvases line the rooms, photographs, sculptures and various bric'a brac lay strewn about everywhere. " It is needed for my constant visual inspiration" he says, "there's nothing more irritating to me than bare walls."
James Picard inhabits a world that not many of us are privileged to enter.
It is his complete dedication which allows the continual creative outlet
to be there. It is with him always, constantly prodding him, forcing him
to create with an almost desperate inhuman energy.
Most artists, I have observed, adhere to a specific formula which they find works for them and deviation is rare. With Picard there is no formula, which, I believe, makes him more insightful and open as an artist. It is no wonder he marvels at the works of Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, Modigliani, DeKooning and Bacon, for he has a like minded soul. These artists are not only an inspiration , they are his contemporaries.
He is a living legacy in the world of art. Striving continually to keep up with the forces of creativity which control him and provide us with a legacy that shall most definitely allow us a glimpse into the creative world of the artistic genius.
Photo: James Picard in New York City 1999.