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LUKE WALLER DANCING IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

LUKE WALLER

DANCING IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE THE GALLERY AT GREEN & STONE 5 –12 OCTOBER 2021

In all honestly, Luke Waller is nothing short of extraordinary. Viewing his work is impressive but talking to him about his work is mind-boggling. We hope this brief interview with Luke will open your eyes to the impressions and complexities that Luke creates so effortlessly. Hester Baldwin, Managing Director, Green & Stone.

How would you define the term ‘artwork’? Something aesthetic that has a meaning and concept behind it as well. There’s a thought process behind everything I do which makes my work able to be in a gallery rather than in a newspaper or a leaflet. It gives it a reason and evokes a reaction. It makes it emotional rather than informational. Your work is so intricate, bordering almost on photo-realism and this is curious because certain components which you would expect to be painted in a photo-realistic way are actually very loose and other parts that you wouldn’t think to give the time of day, such as the little chocolates in Bar on Site of Folies-Bergère, are given so much detail. There is no specific focus or priority in terms of what is given more time or value. Everything is given the same precedence and it is down to the viewer to choose what they pick out as the most important bit. That is a real desire for me. To make the whole image as important as each aspect of it: they are portraits because they are of people but the purpose isn’t making a portrait. The purpose is to tell a story and create a snapshot of what that image is about. It’s a painting about a time, an emotion, a feeling, a relationship. In that way, it is less of a portrait and more of an art piece. A portrait is intended to create a reference, a likeness to someone. My paintings are intended to create a snapshot of me. That separates you from a lot of artists. It is very difficult to sell paintings of people with whom you don’t have a personal connection. I would personally hang every single painting you have on your wall because I can place myself into each scene. That is why I use images of other people. In using images of dudes with black hair, it makes it less about me, which, I hope enables the viewer to put themselves in it and create a reference of their own rather than it being so obviously a painting of the artist. For example, Dancing in the Slaughterhouse is based on infidelity. It is about still doing that one thing which is so frivolous, so dangerous: dancing, in a hazardous and risky place; a slaughterhouse 6

It is reminiscent of aggressive pop and an LA film scene, and I wanted it to have the same level of ambiguity, that fine line between beauty and control, and death and disaster, like Warhol’s Car Crash series I think one of the reasons it is a haunting piece is because it is not visually graphic despite the narrative being violent but because people will fill in from their own experiences of this kind of theme. It is a conversation piece. Isn’t that what art should be? A platform from which people can discuss the theme of domestic violence. I wanted it to be ambiguous because it looks like they could be dancing but when you look at it closely it is obvious that she is pretty unhappy. I was thinking about old leaflets from dance halls in the 1940s where there were illustrations of people doing the foxtrot step-by-step and that is why I have presented it in a similar ‘cinematic contact sheet’ kind of way. For me, with all of this added information and understanding about the piece, it takes the artworks from being not just accomplished but narrative as well I hope it makes it an artwork and not just a painting.

A Day at Folkstone, June 1954 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. Abominable Snowman, Switzerland, 1953 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. Biarritz, France, July 1954 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. 8

Burnham-On-Crouch, 1954 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. Lake Geneva, 1954 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. Crossing the Desert, 1954 Acrylic on paper, 26 x 26 cm. 2012. 9

What influences your work? I am constantly looking for good images, and by good images I mean the compositions. A photograph of a room can be as beautiful the right way up as it can be upside down. In that respect, the colours, the framing, the combination of shapes that make up a room, make the image beautiful, either upside down or the right way up. If I was to break that image down into block colours, it would still be a beautiful abstract piece. So I am just looking for beautiful photographs and that’s my justification. It is about creating forms and compositions? Yes, I blur my eyes a lot so that I can see if the piece is becoming a beautiful combination of colour and forms.

The Leak Acrylic on paper, 32 x 32 cm. 2020. Endowing With Complete Isolation The Figure of The Host Acrylic on paper, 24 x 24 cm. 2011. 11

His Boots are Thunder as He Plays Acrylic on paper, 35.5 x 25.5 cm. 2011. 12

It Takes a Life to Win Her Acrylic on paper, 35.5 x 25.5 cm. 2011. 13

Which artists and creatives do you take most inspiration from? Egon Schiele, Gerhard Richter, David Hockney, Martin Scorsese. Tom Waits, I need to give him a mention as well. My first painted series was called ‘Frank’s Wild Years’, based on that one song by Waits. Then I found out he had released a whole album called Frank’s Wild Years and I’ve taken each one of those songs and applied them to various scenarios in my life. So, if I were to have a huge exhibition, a retrospective, then I’d love a room for each song.

Dreams Have Wishes Waiting For You Acrylic on paper, 23 x 40 cm. 2016. My Chips on Her Shoulder Running in Carnival Time Acrylic on paper, 18 x 29 cm. 2010. 14

What elements do you draw from their work for your own paintings? Hockney, the pop colours, Schiele, the aggression Richter, the technique, Tarantino, the graphic novel style characters. The characters in my paintings could almost be characters in a play: they are over characterised. They are characters or actors, and I am setting the scene. I am directing rather than composing. I want to direct in a creative way, almost like a play rather than a TV programme.

That’s the Way the Abstinent Abide Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Monsters Mash Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Cards Collapse Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Painter Prose Acrylic on paper, 26 x 40 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Other Overtook Acrylic on paper, 26 x 40 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Vain Remain Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. 16

That’s the Way the Delinquent Doze Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Frying Pans Flash Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Graceless Glide Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Sauce Stains Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Lucky Look Acrylic on paper, 26 x 40 cm. 2015. That’s the Way the Rocky Relapse Acrylic on paper, 33 x 20 cm. 2015. 17

Do you prefer painting people, scenes or objects, or is it more important to have all three components together? It is important to have all of them together. I think I enjoy painting objects and clothes more. The detail of a dress or wallpaper; that’s my time to shine. A long gradient fade of a white wall, or the fog for instance, I find bloody difficult. Big space, which isn’t just one block colour, which is actually why Dancing in the Slaughterhouse is so Pop-y, because I can’t shade. A blue sky is my worst nightmare. And I think about that when I’m deciding what to paint.

When you finish a piece, are you satisfied or disappointed? I am so satisfied. It tends to look how I anticipated it to look. I plan it and it works so that’s why it’s so difficult starting a painting. Masking tape is always a good first step. The reason it’s difficult is that I know what is ahead of me. I tend to do the longest and hardest bits first. That first 10 hours is a long, slow progress and I don’t really enjoy it that much. This does mean that because I am doing those long slow bits at the start, the last few hours are awesome because everything starts to come together and it’s a really nice surprise.

“I wanted it to be ambiguous because it looks like they could be dancing but when you look at it closely it is obvious that she is pretty unhappy”

Dancing in the Slaughterhouse Acrylic on paper, nine of 18 x 27 cm. 2015. 19

Jess Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Mikey Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Nathan Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Solomon Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Oscar Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Brett Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. Sam Acrylic on paper, 28 x 21 cm. 2012. 21

Living in a Medicine Chest Acrylic on paper, 25 x 40 cm. 2015. 22

Which thing inspires you the most? Is there a piece you are constantly drawn back to? I can’t stop thinking about a book called The Big Sleep by Raymon Chandler. I don’t read much but when I do I like 50s detective novels, again, going back to the over characterised style of it. I could look at Guy Bourdain's photographs all day. The mystery in them. Do you think ‘mystery’ is an important element in your own work? Yes, It makes it interesting. This element pulling you in. The mystery of how you did it. Something’s going on there but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Looking at some of the scenes depicted in your paintings, it feels like there’s a sense of a parabolic story. I find myself identifying with the characters. Some of the scenes are really heart-wrenching, horrible or violent. In those moments Luke, do you stand back and accept that this is a part of you too? Completely! For instance, in That’s the Way the Delinquent Doze. The guy being woken up by the trumpet, somewhat worse for wear, two hours late for work. That’s been me unfortunately.

Take Every Dream that’s Breathing Acrylic on paper, 355 x 255 cm. 2011. 23

Cathartic Pen and ink on paper, 15 x 21 cm. 2007.

Self-Portrait with Strangers Acrylic on paper, 32 x 42 cm. 2007. 26

If you could live in any piece of art, which piece would you live in? My initial way to answer this question is to live in a specific moment rather than the aesthetics of a place. I would live in the moment of my painting Diamonds that Want to Stay Cold. This is one of my favourite moments in life, when I finish a painting, pour myself a drink and just look at the painting. It’s a great moment. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? Guy Bourdain, the photographer. I’ve never used any of his photographs in my paintings because I feel that I hold him in such high regard that if I did I would feel like I am just replicating his photograph. I have such respect for his photography that even spending 50 hours painting one I would still feel like it was his. With all my paintings, yes they are photographs taken by other people, however, I feel like I make them my own because I spend so long painting them. With Guy Bourdain, they would still be his. Collaboration is in general something I’m not really that interested in. The piece I did for Jamie T’s album cover was a collaboration with Jamie and the photographer and I was on set and directing and that was a fun process actually. It was a great team and brilliant experience for me; to completely curate, to find the location, choose the model, work on the set, which came together really well, so it was really fun. This also sparks the idea of me directing. Again, another reason why I do what I do is because I can make anything possible, I can create any scene by superimposing it. How do you think your work has changed/evolved? I think my technique is sharper. My first paintings were, in comparison, almost impressionistic. I feel like I understand when enough is enough: when I’ve pushed the concept, the idea, to it’s limit. Alternatively, I know when I haven’t pushed an idea enough, the painting is not yet an artwork and needs more thought. I feel I have developed that understanding. Those are the two main things. Do you think having moments away from painting are beneficial for your creativity? If painting was all you did would it become so all consuming that it would become miserable? No, absolutely not. I am so jealous when I go to an exhibition and I look at the dates on the paintings and see the artist doesn’t have breaks. I would love to paint without breaks. If you could have one person come and visit the show, who would it be? To get a nod from David Hockney would be pretty cool, or Tom Waits. What would you want Hockney to know? That he plays a massive part in what I do. I feel like he’s the competition. I don’t feel like I’m up there, but he gives me a goal. He inspires me to push myself.

Luke is one of the most self-effacing artists we have ever met, and yet few artists are able to challenge the perceptions and emotions of the viewer with such effect. We are compelled to look, question and think. The experience proves to be as surprising as it is rewarding. Hester Baldwin, September 2021. 27

That’s the Way the Bee Bumbles Acrylic on paper, 25 x 16 cm. 2014. 28

It’s Memories that I’m Stealing Acrylic on paper, 70 x 100 cm. 2011. 29

That’s the Way the Moon Wanes Acrylic on paper, 24 x 24 cm. 2012. 30

There’s a Stone in My Bed Acrylic on paper, 27 x 38 cm. 2013.

Friday's a Gem, Raise Your Hem Acrylic on paper, 38 x 27 cm. 2013. 31

Bar on Site of Folies-Bergère Acrylic on paper, 38 x 57 cm. 2021. 32

Throw It All Against the Wall Acrylic on paper, 26 x 40 cm. 2015. 33

Bloody Boys Acrylic on paper, 15 x 20 cm. 2005. 34

Special thanks to Julia and my parents for their unwavering support. Thanks also to Hester Baldwin and the Gallery at Green & Stone team, Debbie Loftus and Mary Petherick, for all their encouragement and for a stage upon which to show… Two essential ingredients for an artist. Luke Waller, September 2021.

Bats are in the Belfry Acrylic on paper 2013

Managing Director: Hester Baldwin PR: Mary Petherick Design: Debbie Loftus The Gallery at Green & Stone 251– 253 Fulham Road London SW3 6HY