A conversation with
            Ernest Williamson III


            
 


            
Do you recall the subject and inspiration
            for your first painting and did you know then that you had what
            it took to be an artist?

            

              
My first 'good' painting is entitled "My
              Bird, My Angel". The piece was a reflection of my religiosity
              and fascination with birds. Inspiration arises out of the doldrums
              of frustration and tension brewing in my unconscious mind.

            
How would you describe your own art?

            

              
My art is more or less a reflection of
              what I care about and of what cares about me. Whatever comes
              through on canvas or paper is a message or metaphor relating
              to how I feel.

            


            You are a talented poet as well as an artist. What inspires
            you to pick up the brush rather than the pen?

            

              
Good question! I paint when I'm urged to
              do so and I write when I'm urged to do so and I work on my music
              when I am urged to do so. Watch out for my music in the near
              future. My love for music is tantamount to my loves for writing,
              reading, and painting.

            
What famous artists do you admire and
            how have they influenced your work?

            

              
Picasso is just amazing. Dali is the clearest
              example of genius in my view and Raphael is pleasantly disturbing.
              Rembrandt's work makes me quiet.

            
Your art is colorful and filled with
            movement yet most forms are vague or obliterated. Is this intentional?

            

              
Yes, I want the viewer to consider every
              stroke and every emotive indicator illustrated in my paintings.
              I want to challenge the viewer for better or for worse.

            
You state in your biography that you
            are a polymath. To satisfy our curiosity, how does one acquire
            this title and what does it mean to you and your work?

            

              
My friends, family, and students have frequently
              called me a 'Renaissance man', jack of all trades, and the like.
              I came across the word polymath during a personal introspection
              of my personality. A polymath is a person of notable versatility
              in a number of fields. The greatest polymath is Leonardo da Vinci
              of course. I honestly assume the title out of my perception of
              myself, although I could be mistaken. The term means I am what
              I am and there is nothing wrong with being deft in mulitipal
              ways.

            
You are very young to have achieved
            so much. What are some of the things that you hope to accomplish
            in the future?

            

              
I want to make movies, records, teach creative
              writing at renowned institutions, be president of a college or
              university and meet Stevie Wonder. I want to do everything basically.

            
If you knew you could make one change
            in the world through your art, what would you want that change
            to be?

            

              
I want the world to be much more sensitive
              to the native beauty of all living things. The more sensitive
              and observant we are of our biosphere then world peace can become
              a much more realisitic conception.

            
I want to be an artist. Give me your
            best advice.

            

              
Act like an artist. Do the things an artist
              does. An artist paints frequently or writes every day. An artist
              is someone who chooses to be different from the masses. Be experimental
              in your approaches to whatever specific art form of interest.
              I use white out and red wine in some of my works. Creativity
              is all about observation as the great Quincy Jones stated so
              eloquently some years ago.

            
And lastly, when you paint which comes
            first the title or the painting?

            

            

              
The painting always comes first.

              

            
Ernest Williamson III is a 31 year old
            polymath who has published poetry and visual art in over 115
            online and print journals within a time span of 8 years.His poem
            "The Jazz of Old Wine" has been nominated for a Best
            of the Net award by the editors of "Thick with Conviction".
            He holds the B.A. and the M.A. in English/Creative Writing/Literature
            from the University of Memphis. Ernest is now listed in the prestigious
            Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers. Ernest is an
            adjunct English Professor at Essex County College. Professor
            Williamson is also a private tutor, a Ph.D. Candidate at Seton
            Hall University in the field of Higher Education, and a member
            of The International High IQ Society based in New York City.

            

              
http://www.eyeoftheart.com/ErnestWilliamsonIII

              

            
To view last month's artist Janet
            Kipp Tribus www.Janet
            Kipp Tribus.com