Art su17
by Michele Malinchak
Calling himself an itinerant artist, William A. Sloan roams freely from one form of expression to another. As a painter, photographer, muralist, graphic artist and writer, he
is comfortable in any media for any purpose. On his website he wrote, “I am by nature someone who finds beauty, joy and irony in almost everything.”
While being creative is a gift, he also sees it as a challenge. “It isn’t a choice as much as a calling—I can never put it down.”
From an early age he’s always had something to say either in pictures or words. At just four years old he sketched a tape dispenser while his mother spoke on the phone. She cut her conversation short when she saw that he actually drew the tape coming off the dispenser. From then on he always drew and painted.
He also wrote stories, poetry and song lyrics and even a novel when he was in elementary school. It was about an artist living in a New York apartment. “It wasn’t very good,” he recalled, but interestingly, the book foreshadowed his own career as an artist.
For more than 30 years he was both a fine artist and creative director in advertising and marketing in New York City. “The diversity of my career has fed my art,” he said.
These days writing fills his time as much as painting. Four years ago his friends encouraged him to write a blog which he continues to do every Friday. Among his followers are a group of ladies in London who discuss his blog over tea. There is also a teacher in India who reads it aloud in class to help students learn colloquial English.
Collections of his blogs are available in two self-published works: Different From Normal and Normal is Highly Overrated. The books are illustrated and cover everything from pop culture to potholes with wit, humor and curiosity. You’ll also find notable quotes such as this one from Gandhi: “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
His first novel, Does This Knife Make Me Look Fat? was printed in 2016. A character driven murder mystery, it’s about two friends who become accidental detectives. A second novel, Does This Job Scream To Die For, was a collaborative effort between William and Rich Vergine and will soon be released.
Achieving a balance between painting and writing is challenging at times, but his positive outlook is a plus. In addition, he receives lots of support from family and friends. His painting style is a mix of realism and impressionism with an expressionist brush stroke. “I’m more aggressive than the traditional impressionist artist—I’m very physical when I paint.”
Consisting of portraits, landscapes and still life, his work ranges in size from six-inch squares to large murals. “In my world,” he said, “every portrait is a landscape of the soul, every landscape is a still life composed by nature, and every still life is a portrait of a time and place.” Much of his work is done in oils but other media include watercolors and sculpture.
By far, portraits are his favorite subject. In Normal is Highly Overrated, he wrote, “One of the main reasons I love painting portraits so much is that I enjoy people and everything that makes us each unique. A portrait is more than a likeness, it’s a true collaboration between subject and artist. The goal is to portray the personality and essence as well as the face—to honor the version of the subject they’ve felt comfortable enough to share with you.”
Subjects are painted in their familiar surroundings so the portraits are highly personalized. There is a vitality to them that lets the character of each individual shine through. “I make people look their best without lying but using enhancement,” he said. Before he begins painting he photographs his subjects using optimum lighting.
He disapproves of the disposable nature of today’s selfies and views art, especially portraiture, as honoring and preserving a memory. “It becomes part of your heritage,” he said. “Everyone should have the experience of collaborating on a portrait—of themselves, a loved one, a pet or of their home.”
Requests for his pet portraits keep him steadily busy. Working from photos sent from owners, he captures each pet’s personality in drawings and oil paintings. In Different From Normal he wrote, “When you do portrait work—people or animals—you really dive into their faces. You study them, frame them, read into them, converse with them without talking.”
His landscapes feature local scenes as well as those from his travels. He follows the advice of a former instructor who once told him, “Don’t look for the landscape, the landscape will find you.” Typically, he takes photographs and builds on that in his studio. Time often prevents him from painting plein air, though he stressed the importance of experiencing the location. “With landscapes,” he said, “you have to feel the air.”
Another form of landscapes are his skyscapes. Painted on three-foot square canvases, they all have the same low horizon lines. In each expansive sky clouds take on different auras. Some are dark and menacing in swirls of black and gray. Others are ablaze in orange and red while some are restful studies in blue and white. “I’m obsessed with clouds—it’s crazy,” he said. Instead of using brushes to paint them, he uses his hands, paper towels, and mixed media consisting of acrylic, house paint, oils and oil pastels.
He would like everyone to be able to afford art and some of his work is available as giclee prints on canvas, such as his close-up paintings of flowers. Reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe’s large scale paintings, his prints are available in three different sizes.
He has also completed several murals in private homes such as “Bloomsbury Circus.” The mural was painted on large panels so that his clients would be able to move them if necessary. The mural was inspired by the Bloomsbury Group of writers, artists and philosophers who met in England during the early 20th century. William incorporated the owners’ landscape and pets into a whimsical scene with colorful circus performers reminiscent of the early 1900s.
Another mural, “Benevolent Sun,” was painted on the outside wall of a Bucks County home. The uplifting, welcoming image is based on vintage 19th century art and blends perfectly with the earth tones of the home.
Born in Philadelphia, William grew up in Havertown, PA, and attended Haverford High School where he was vice president of his senior class and made National Honor Society. One of three children, he still remains close to his brother and sister, Bob and Robin. In Normal is Highly Overrated, William wrote: “The greatest gift of my life was to be born a Sloan. One of Bob’s and Shirley’s kids.” Both his parents were extremely supportive of his career.
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976 from Tyler School of Art in Elkins Park, PA. In 1981 he became a guest instructor and lecturer at Tyler which lasted 15 years. “I loved mentoring and would like to teach again,” he said.
After visiting Bucks County on and off for the past 26 years, William officially moved here 16 years ago and has a studio in Plumsteadville.
Artists that inspire him include Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler and Giotto. “They’re my guys. Their brushstrokes are so beautiful,” he said.
His work has been shown at several galleries in the tristate area as well as in Maryland, California and New Mexico. Locally he has exhibited at the former Bianco Gallery, the Rich Timmons Gallery and the James A. Michener Art Museum. His skyscapes will be on display through the summer at Pereaux Interior Design, 20 Beechwood Road, Summit, NJ.
This September he’ll have the opportunity to teach again, this time in a floating classroom. As artist in residence, he’ll be teaching passengers on a cruise ship from Athens to Barcelona.
The advice he gives to aspiring artists is, “Creative careers don’t come with health coverage or pensions. There aren’t the same guarantees that many careers offer.” Still, he encourages everyone to find their own creative talent, whether it’s painting, writing, cooking, dancing or gardening. “Just DO something,” he wrote in Different From Normal. “Talent is useless unless it’s shared. Give generously.”
He continues to share his talents and lives by the mantra, “Find the joy, that’s what I say, and if you can’t find it make your own!”
You can view his work at thesloanstudio.com or read his blog at williamasloan.com.
(bio)
Michele Malinchak is a freelance writer and avid gardener from Quakertown, PA.