Interview with Peter Vinton - local artist
by Athena Hardy of Celtic Wolf Queen Reviews
Today
I am interviewing a local New England artist named Peter Vinton. I
met Peter quite a few years back in the comic convention scene. I
always enjoy stopping by his booth to see what new creations he has
been working on and of course for some fun and nerdy conversation.
(insert smirk here) Peter is always a pleasure to talk to and I'm
very honored that he agreed to do this quick interview with me. So
let's get started with the questions.
CWQ: As a child did
you enjoy drawing or was this a passion that developed later in life?
PV: Been drawing since I was old enough to hold a crayon. By the time
I was five, sequential art (usually involving a blend of dinosaurs
and superheroes) was turning up everywhere in my household: on the
dining room table, on the bathroom wall, and on any paperwork that
Dad was careless enough to bring home from work.
CWQ: Did you get your
love of art from your parents?
PV: While my parents (particularly my Mom) encouraged my art, neither
of them are particularly gifted in that area or much interested in
the subject. However in more recent years I think I’ve traced my
inherited abilities to my maternal great-grandmother, Agnes
Foley. Her illustrations and sculptures appeared all over
the house, to the point where I wasn’t truly aware of them, growing
up. Animals seemed to be a favourite subject for her but it looks as
though she was a serious Disney nerd, waaaay before it was cool.
Great-Grandma Foley also gives the impression of being a little
obsessive about starting a piece right then and there, sometimes (by
the look of it) before she was 100% sure she had all the right
materials at hand! She left behind a great many unfinished
sculptures and sketches, which I of course treasure.
CWQ: Was there any
artist in particular that really inspired you?
PV: See Great-Grandma Agnes Foley, above. My late friend George N.
Stamides, who is specially featured in Book II of The Monitor’s
Guild.
Other artists that have directly informed my style are: Boris
Vallejo, Julie Bell, Michael Whelan, Luis Royo, the Brothers
Hildebrandt, Alex Ross, Rowena Morrill, Larry Elmore, Robert McGinnis
and Steve Hanks (seriously, I wanna be those last two
when I grow up!), and lately, Fabian Perez. Perez is this
generation’s John Singer Sargent and I don’t make that assertion
lightly.
CWQ: What would you say
is your favorite type of art to draw and paint?
PV: Am definitely a pen-and-ink man, that has become clear over the
years. It just seems to be where I operate at my best level, and
reliably produce exactly what I originally envisioned in my
imagination.
On that subject I need to add to the above list of inspirations:
specifically, the master-level inkers such as Larry Hama, Brian
Stelfreeze, Blair Shedd, Neal Adams, Babs Tarr, Mark Morales, Al
Williamson, Paolo Pantalena, George Pérez, Bill Mantlo, Mark
McKenna, the late and much-missed Paul Ryan, and lately, Demi Lang
–her pen and ink work is nothing short of divine.
CWQ: Do you enjoy
trying new styles of art and things outside of your comfort zone?
PV: Enjoy? No. Seeing the vital necessity of, and doing so anyway?
Yes. [grin] Every artist needs to do so from time to time. In fact
2020 is shaping up to be a transitional year for me on that very
subject –I’m exploring some uncomfortably new stuff and haven’t
the faintest idea how --or where-- it’s going to go. It's kind of
like Doctor Who –every
several years you just have to toss out everything you think you know
and ruthlessly change it all up, whether you were ready or not.
CWQ: What was the
first event you showed your artwork at?
PV: New York Comic Con 2008. (Just in time to get caught up in the
hype surrounding the release of the newest superhero movie, “Iron
Man.” There was… cautious optimism but it was definitely NOT the
flick that everyone was excitedly talking about!)
I learned SO much from my fellow denizens of Artists’ Alley,
that weekend. Shout-out to Steve Walker of The Sons Of
Liberty fame, the legendary Molly Crabapple,
and god-tier artist Greg Horn for their
invaluable guidance (whether or not they even knew they were
giving me any).
Also met Stan Lee, Lou Ferrigno, and Ron Perlman that weekend as
fellow professionals and not as a squee’ing fanboy (which I totally
WAS), so all in all it was a pretty seismic occasion. [nerdgasm]
CWQ: Do you find it
difficult to suddenly have to draw a commission as opposed to when
you have an inspiration to do something?
PV: In all honesty yes. [grin] But I suspect that’s the
blessing/curse of every artist –of course we’d rather be in
uninterrupted communion with The Muse at all times. On the other
hand, there’s the equally sacred duty of seeing to it that the
artist eats.
CWQ: Do you have any
other creative hobbies that you enjoy besides drawing?
PV: Music is my other passion, specifically the piano: I studied
classical and jazz, and have played keyboard in some really REALLY
mediocre-but-fun bands over the years. My kids (one son and one
daughter) seem to have inherited a weirdly-balanced mix of both the
artistic and the musical, which will hopefully serve them
well!
CWQ: What creation are
you the most proud of?
PV: Pond Pals, an 18” x 24”
pastel-and-coloured-pencil piece that came into being in 1995. Very
transformative phase, that. Runner-up would almost certainly be my
graphic novel series, The Monitor’s Guild.
CWQ: What advice
would you give to young aspiring artists?
PV: Baby steps: take the time to learn and practice and make LOTS of
mistakes –after all, most artistic careers are measured in decades,
not months. This is rarely a young person’s profession. Also:
severely limit your gratis gigs and don’t be afraid to charge
honestly for total time spent on a project.
Website http://www.petervintonjr.com/?fbclid=IwAR0WoPw3g25yIJRvJmUbVSB7z7U0T5pIEOg2iWMguvU9_njX-6CWJE29V9c
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