PETER STILTON: THE ARTIST SPEAKS ABOUT CREATIVITY By Maxine Albert
Internationally celebrated artist Peter Stilton’s paintings and sculptures are in private and corporate collections all over the world. His varied painting style includes abstract, representational and impressionistic works. His canvases of Rolls-Royces, fanciful circuses with lions playing with beach balls, musical instruments hanging on trees, chairs
world. I’m not dealing with a material world. I have to go beyond. The artist is not in the present tense; he’s like behind a door – hard to explain. When I go to a museum, things reach out to me. The artist has to be in constant contact with the past, present and future. You know it intuitively.
Maxine: Were you napping? P: Yes. When I’m painting, I cycle on and off. Once I’m into a painting, I never know much – going into it. So I’m constantly thinking of it, all absorbing. Every minute I’m working on it, every decision, for color, brush stroke – minutes go into hours. The ‘creative process’ – can’t be doing other things – I’m in another
M: What happened after that?
M: Can painting be taught? P: No, absolutely no. Creativity is innate. Technique, tools – aspects of how to can be taught.
professor of art, humanities and cinema,
Peter: (yawning ) Hello.
P: Somewhat, both my mother and father, artistic geniuses, themselves – were deeply
P: My painting of a haiku poem also got criticized in school so I decided I would never take a panting lesson and keep things to myself. I kept painting and am self taught. When I teach, I’m careful not to invade another person’s world and process.
medieval castles, and French landscapes, all have a whimsical quality. With titles like ‘Elinore and Montague at the Palace of Mirrors’ and ‘Chess Pieces crossing the English Channel,’ the viewer enters an intimate, imaginary world – free to create their own interpretation.
American to have a one-man show at The Sorbonne and was commissioned by the Saudi Royal family for their summer palace. An accomplished artist who never took a class in painting, he’s an unaffected guy who lived in Greta Garbo’s old house in Beverly Hills and likes to wear shorts while driving his Rolls-Royces. Currently living in Tampa, Florida with his wife Jill,and two sons, the artist speaks about the nature of creativity.
Photgraphy By Robert Peacock
M: Who inspired you?
M: How would you describe your process? P: In my poetry and my paintings I try to look into things and see a kind of basic matrix from which everything evolves. So, Rolls-Royces are like pipe organs. M: What was the ‘aha’ moment you decided to become an artist? P: I realized as a kid, you could paint yourself anything you didn’t have – houses, cars, anything. M: Did your parents support your creative endeavors?
P: First and foremost Paul Klee. Then, Rembrandt and Fragonard who used their brush strokes to create a wonderful sense of value transitions. M: What gave you the conviction, despite the negative criticism from your school and both parents– to pursue the creative path? P: When I paint, I feel so alive. Living and breathing art – there’s nothing else like
For more information: (813) 963-1141 www.stiltonstudio.com
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