Art News
Thomas Saliot
Favorite material to work with? Canvas
What is your medium? Oil
What themes do you pursue? Scenes from life, loads of women, and very iconic images; really pop with a classic, realistic approach
How many years as an artist? 20 more or less
Most important tool you use? Brush and fingers
Where is your studio? In Marakkech, and less often, Paris
What do you collect? Vintage watches, Indian miniatures painting and mistakes.
Favorite contemporary artist? Currin, Liepke,Carson
A piece of art you love? The piramides, hampi (India)
What was the best advice given to you as an artist? Work, work and work harder. Don’t overdo it trying to be original, just try to be darn good.
Process> Concept or Process<Concept? Brain is your worst enemy.
Why do you make art? I think art is a very overrated word, craft is what I do, art is what it might become, but it is not a big issue for me.
Art school or self-taught? Met de peninghen (esag) in Paris for 3 years and Beaux art for a year.
Religion or pop culture? I respect religion and pop culture is the base of my work.
Traditional or conceptual? Tradition rocks
Prefer to work with music or in silence? I listen to audio books or university courses all the time while working.
iTunes, spotify, records? Records
Succulents or cigarettes? Cigies
Everyone has a vice. Care to call yourself out? Whisky and cigarettes, used to love drugs, but I’m not a spring chicken any more.
Favorite sound? The sea, not very original.
Favorite smell? My wife
Where can we find you outside the studio? Surfing or swimming
Who are your favorite writers? Sandor Marai, Amin Maalouf, Donald Westlake, Andrei Makine
What could you not do without? My family
If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do? Loved to have inherited a fortune and travel, build houses in my favorite places (India, Greece, South of France, Morocco).
Day job? Painting
Food or sleep? Both
Greatest achievement? Crossed India from north to south on an Enfield bullet.
Finish the sentence: “I would never be caught dead….” Taking myself to seriously.
Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die? The greatest plague of the artistic word for me is the ‘van goth’ wet dream of most of the bad and lazy artist. Bad nowadays is bad, public and sales are a very good judges.
Were you popular in high school? Absolutely not
Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard? Depends on who is wearing the t-shirt
Astrology or astronomy? Astronomy
Would you ever figure model naked? For my wife, yes
Photo references? A lot, photo is my inspiration and with the proliferation of places like tumblr, it is very stimulating.
Is painting dead? Walking dead
Favorite brush? Flat round,pig hair
Palette knifes? No
What do you wear while you paint? In the summer in Marakkech, not very much.
Painting Inside or Outside? Inside
Monet or Manet? Both
