Winand Staring
An Interview with NY Arts
Staring’s radiant, vibrantly colorful abstract paintings, are inspired by water, nature, and New Spirituality. He has shown in the US, Asia, Europe and Brazil. Of his paintings, Staring comments: "Behind a painting is my life, my travels through Asia, the Pacific and Latin America–all those colors, all those impressions. Not just beautiful things; I have also seen deeply miserable things and helped to improve them." Born in Venezuela, this Dutch economist/diplomat now lives and works as a fulltime artist in both The Netherlands and Spain.
NY ARTS: Why do you make art?
Winand Staring: I can’t help it. I feel an "intensive urge." I must paint irrespective of the consequences.
NY ARTS: How would you describe what it is that you do?
WS: My paintings have been described as "abstract expressionism, version 2000!" I might call my process "the invisible hand." I start applying paint onto the canvas and I end up most surprised by the result. Lately I have been painting abstract "seascapes." I begin by applying masking tape in geometric vertical and horizontal lines onto the bare canvas. Those lightly inscribed lines give a certain linearity to my work, a certain cohesion that I found interesting. I then apply paint onto the canvas and go through a process of "abstraction." Once I feel that the work is finished, I remove the tapes; I do not rectify the path left by the tapes; the "haphazard geometry" is part of the process.
The removal of the tapes is similar to a suspended moment, a remapping of the canvas and I totally accept that moment.
NY ARTS: If you could own any single piece of art, what would you choose and why?
WS: A sculpture by Rodin. I like the emotional expression contained in the volume and form of his works. I have also greatly admired the large stone sculpture pieces made by artists from Zimbabwe that I saw in 1998 in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa. They are deeply haunting, evocative images.
NY ARTS: Do you believe that art has a social function?
WS: Yes. It can inspire people. My theme is water, awareness of water….
NY ARTS: Has there ever been a particular space that inspired your work? Where do you work best?
WS: I like to work outside, in nature, close to trees, if possible close to the sea.
NY ARTS: Do you experience creative blocks? What gets you out of them?
WS: Never. I can always paint. I feel like a bottle of champagne, bursting with energy and creativity!
NY ARTS: Donald Kuspit recently titled his book, "Art is Dead". What is your response to the statement?
WS: Utter nonsense. Art is changing, views about art are changing. As a critic one has to find new ways too to write about art. "’L’Art est mort, Vive l’Art."
NY ARTS: Who are some of the artists that inform/inspire your work?
WS: Rodin, Gaughin, Dali, Maria Gloria Dittrich–a Brazilian artist.
NY ARTS: What are some of your favorite exhibitions of the past year?
WS: The Whitney Biennale in NY, March 2004; Art and Utopia, at MACBA, Barcelona exploring art and poetry in 20th century, Sept 2004; Work by the architect James Turrell at IVAM in Valencia, Spain, from December 2004 to the end of February 2005.
NY ARTS: Please complete the statement: I am most ______ when I am ______.
WS: I am most inspired when I am in nature…
NY ARTS: What is your definition of happiness?
WS: The fragile and ever-changing balance between desire and fulfillment, spiritually, mentally, physically and financially.
NY ARTS: What is your favorite souvenir that you’ve ever brought back from a trip?
WS: A little straw boat from Peru.
NY ARTS: If you could collaborate with any other artist, living or dead, who would you choose, why, and what would you hope to work on together?
WS: I would have liked to collaborate with Salvador Dali to create an art pavilion with many art themes.
