‘Artists can.'
(I believe this sentence is finished)
Anthony Waichulis is an artist, and an incredibly multi-faceted creative from Northeast Pennsylvania. He has exhibited widely in the USA and internationally. In 2011, together the Ani Art Academies Project, Anthony formed the Ani ArtAcademy Waichulis.
How has your style evolved and what contributed to the changes? Describe a moment you had an epiphany concerning your creative life. (Combined) I would say that a significant evolution in my work arose from a fundamental change in how I approached the concept of “realistic.” As a Trompe L’oeil painter, I have always sought out ways in which I could offer a viewer a more effective surrogate for a visual reality. And while there are great insights to be found with past masters of this craft—I have found the most impactful insights within modern fields of inquiry like cognitive and evolutionary psychology, perceptual neuroscience, and vision science. Only when I was immersed in these fields did I realize that my pursuit of something more “realistic” was problematic. You see, I was looking for an advantage by studying the nature of my subjects---instead of what would prove the far more productive pursuit---the nature of how we, humans, experience these subjects. Only then did I realize that significant advantages could be found with a painting strategy that assigned more weight to viewer experience rather than the physical nature of my painting subjects. It may sound like a small change in mental framework, but the impact that this change had on my approach was profound. I began to think of representational painting more like this (from my paper, “What does Realistic Look Like?”):
“Imagine if a technology existed that could allow us to push neural activity toward a particular brain state, yielding any perceptual experience we like. While to some this may seem like an impossible dream of science fiction, I would argue that we have had access to such devices for thousands and thousands of years--and they are currently populating the walls of most museums and galleries today. Keep this in mind the next time you pick up that paintbrush or pencil. You’re building an incredible machine with each mark.” Nature versus nurture- do you believe you have inherited abilities from creative parents, do you have creative siblings? Can you identify environmental factors or influences which led to your choices or directions? It’s very easy to succumb to the belief that an artist’s abilities are, at least in part, inherited from our parents. Anyone can find support for this belief by simply looking to legacies like the Peales or the Wyeths, or the fact that Pablo Picasso’s father was an artist--as was Gustav Klimt’s younger brother, Ernst. And while some have studied the correlations between specific gene clusters and certain creative abilities---the fact of the matter is that there exists no good evidence that there exists some Lamarckian inheritance where complex behaviors like artistic pursuits are concerned. The whole idea of nature vs. nurture is somewhat misleading. Genes are not autonomous as their regulation is at the mercy of the environment. You could even say that in many contexts---the idea of gene expression independent of environmental factors doesn't make much sense at all.
So as you might expect, many still seem surprised to learn that there are no other visual artists in my immediate or extended family. This fact does not mean that my parents did not contribute to my skillsets. They have provided a genetic contribution that has set the stage for a robust array of context-dependent tendencies, propensities, potentials, and vulnerabilities that are facilitated by environmentally-driven expressions. Then again, we can simply look to my grandmother, who happily issued a seemingly-infinite amount of drawing materials and encouragement to her grandchildren to prevent rambunctious hellcats from messing up the house. The main reason that I point all of this out is not merely to shine a light on a potentially misleading pseudo-dichotomy---but rather it is an attempt to remind your readers that they shouldn't let the nonsensical idea of "inherited talent," or "gifts," build a psychological ceiling on what they can achieve. Where is your current studio? What would be your dream studio? My current studio is part of the Ani Art Academies in Bear Creek, PA. It’s a beautiful rural location that is surrounded by a dense forest. I was able to design it from the ground up, so it is indeed my “dream studio.” Furthermore, I am able to share this 1900 square foot space with a number of inspiring colleagues and apprentices so that each day is a truly rewarding experience. As such, I could not imagine a better creative space.
Do you prefer to work in silence or does certain music inspire you? I rarely work in silence. While I can definitely enjoy a variety of music throughout a full workday---I would have to say that I get the most done listening to electronic music (Aphex Twin to Skrillex and everything in between). I’m also a fairly big podcast junkie (especially true crime for sure!) Do you have a personal mantra or quote which serves to motivate you? It can be very attractive to point to external pressures as causal factors that can keep you from achieving your goals. This issue comes up quite often in our Academy. As such, I find that I use this one quite a bit: “Nobody cares, work harder.”
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