 Millennium Art Gallery Interview with the Artist
featured in Cream of Millennium
Cream:
Aside from your commercial and technical drawing, when did you first imagine your art as cathartic expressions of your inner life?
Lawrie Dignan:
Wow! Don't dance around or beat the bushes Rog, go right for the philosophical throat! I started to experience lucid dreaming in the mid 90's while studying a specific spiritual principle. I guess that it was during this time that I could relate the dreams to how I was feeling inside and I realized that my drawings were an expression of the feelings and emotions from the dreams. I'd often find myself wandering around inside these emotionally inspired multi colored dotted and lined landscapes, which in turn inspired a great deal of the drawing that I was doing at that time. It still happens today albeit to a lesser extent.
Cream:
When did you first see that your work was going to be of interest to art buyers?
Lawrie Dignan:
About 9 years ago I met an art agent/gallery owner who was very enthused about the style of drawing that I did. It was her enthusiasm that first generated the idea that maybe what I did would or could be saleable. I never had to pay her any commissions though…as it would be a few years later before I sold anything I had drawn...for actual cash money that is. I used to do a lot of bartering (?) for things...framing, paper and ink, other's peoples art...etc.
Cream:
You mentioned your many-faceted life lending to your interpretations of landscape. Can you elaborate on the heightened fantasy or shaman-warrior elements to your depictions?
Lawrie Dignan:
No...If I answer that question without ever having thought about it, or conceptualized it, I'm going to sound like a complete idiot Mr. Flake if you will. Keep them guessing....
Cream:
Your technique could be one of the most 'meditative' approaches to drawing. Do you seek to re-enter a dream-like state as you conceptualize
and work?
Lawrie Dignan:
I don't know that I intentionally do that. However I am able to muddle through many things that are going on in my life while I'm drawing. Just let the thoughts come and go as they will. I always have music playing when I'm drawing. Before you ask, I still like the stuff that I grew up with the most, which would be from the 60's. Suffice to say that "I was there" ...I'll listen to almost anything really as long as the musicians are tight! (accomplished) Good music inspires me for sure. You people in Vancouver have, in my mind anyway, one of the most under rated and accomplished guitar players living and breathing today, living in your fair city. His name is Dave Vidol. I knew him in High School in Victoria and he's still rockin' and rollin' "Downchild Blues Band”, “The Belairs" ... not sure what he's doing these days, but you may be able to find him around the Yale Hotel backing up guest artists when they roll into town. (You're welcome Dave!)
Cream:
Your interest in the "changing reality" is an awareness of perhaps one of the pivotal truths of our time. So which imitates which? Art or life?
Lawrie Dignan:
Oh man! If I try and answer that one your readers will have a huge chuckle for sure and there will be no doubt about flaky. I'm on to the next one, ok?
Cream:
Artists often routinely channel certain emotions into various mediums. Your two "Eyvind Earl" pieces have a playful air about them. Do you draw much of your humor and joy?
Lawrie Dignan:
Am I ever glad that you mentioned those two drawings. Eyvind Earle’s art is the sole (soul) inspiration behind me every time that I pick up a pen to draw something. His work is playful, whimsical and loaded with fantasy. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, please do yourself a visual favor and do a web search on his name. INCREDIBLE! Back to your question, Rog. I don't intentionally put any conscious emotion into what I'm doing. It's usually after the fact, upon completion of a piece that I'll realize where I was at during the production period. Having said that, it sometimes it also will involve an observation from an outsider to twig what was actually going on for me at the time I was doing the drawing.
Cream:
What are some of your responses to Millennium Art Gallery's "Animatic" philosophy? Do you see this as informing your artwork in any new way?
Lawrie Dignan:
The readers digest version for my answer: there is a huge commitment asked for and envisioned in the Manifesto. It's a wonderful outlook and hopeful promise for a loving and helpful and artistic new century. I don't believe that the personal commitment is there though. I don't mean a commitment from Millennium, but from the artists and the public in general. This isn't a slam on anyone’s desire to have a better, more peaceful and humane place to exist, it's just my opinion. I am basing that opinion on my observations of daily activity on the Millennium site, as it seems very little. There are so many things to get one’s philosophy behind and really work at to bring about changes to what is ultimately a personal desire to do. I for one certainly have things going on in my life that I can call on to keep me uninvolved in the Manifesto vision. I think that the philosophy of Millennium is very well represented on the site in the very makeup of the site. The vision is expressed loud and clear.
Cream:
What is ahead for you as an artist?
Lawrie Dignan:
Well, because of (BC Premier Gordon) Campbell’s austerity program, you know ... the one that favors fat cat business and expanding the bureaucracy with more assistants to the assistant's assistant government positions, while cutting services to those that need them most... I find my self without a job after 31 years as a Ministry of Highways employee. I suppose that I should really thank him though, because work was truly getting in the way of what I want to do, and that is of course my artwork. I'll be in Courtenay B.C. next week for a screen-printing course, which I know will add some new dimensions to what I do as an artist. I'm quite excited about learning the processes involved in screening. "Blue Sky Fall" is one of the images that I'm going to print, FYI.
So, what's ahead for me as an artist? I look forward to it being a very happy and successful future for me. It will really be the first time in my life that I will be doing exactly what I love to be doing! Nearing the half-century mark now, what the hell have I been doing with my life, eh? A bit of a slow learner me thinks!
Cream:
Do you want to say anything about, for instance, motorcycle culture and art, or your personal life relating to your creative outlook?
Lawrie Dignan:
Freedom, Rog. It's all about the freedom to pick up and go where the wind blows you. The motorcycle affords a freedom of thinking and being that I have never experienced with anything else in my life (the freedom experienced in my artistic expression runs a tight second place)...it allows me to just " be ". I find riding very meditative, incredibly relaxing and so much fun to be doing (Is my inner child showing here?... Ok ...maybe my inner adolescent, then!). All you need do is look at someone on their bike, on a warm, sunny, blue sky day and check that silly grin on their face... that will express it all to you!
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