She actually kind of stalked it, but. Fun, she loves celebrating life, and always likes to have fun and pushes me to do things and get out of my comfort zone that I wouldn't normally do. You do not stay attached to it." And his point was, youI forget who it was, the writerhis point, you remove yourself. MIJA RIEDEL: Okay. It's a drive and it's a calling, it's a compulsion. And I know she wouldI hope she did completely relish the fact that she could do that, and it was filling the bill for her. NEIL WILLIAMS: Otherwise we're isolated, lonely, horrific souls, NEIL WILLIAMS: but they were so always nervous about public aspect of it, if you'reI think an artist individual, and you're not really prone to drawing attention to yourself. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. What's your diet? Summary: An interview with Neil N. Williams conducted 2014 June 5-6, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Viola Frey Oral History Project, at William's home and studio NEIL WILLIAMS: And, one of my bothers was creative, who passed away. Seems that you work has, over decades, been about theme and variation, and always with a focus on color and form, MIJA RIEDEL: and, in particular, it seems the vase form, the teapot form, and the cup have been almost canvases that you have workedyou've constructed and deconstructed over decades. There can bethey can get really good quality if you get connected with the right person. And, of course, she'd make deals, you know, "I'll pay you so much a month whether you work or not." Just like, "I'm in my studio and life is good." MIJA RIEDEL: that she actually then gave to this person as a gift. Brown, oldyou know, '60s work. I love the ocean connections, but then I love desert connections, soand mountain connections. NEIL WILLIAMS: And what was the last word he said when he sat up? NEIL WILLIAMS: So, that carried on. All this stuff can be going on around you in the world, and things falling apart or celebrating. MIJA RIEDEL: Were together until he passed away. He just looked at me and said, "I don't know." So, looking back, it's been refreshing, so, thank you. MIJA RIEDEL: They're extremely competent. I thought his move to the Gold Coast was based on There's a directness, a quickness to it. MIJA RIEDEL: Which is nowhere near so little. NEIL WILLIAMS: It just doesn'tI mean, it's not a priority. Not just everyone who wanted to grab her once they saw this incredible cache of artwork in her backyard. WebNeil Chalmers was born in Oxford on September 25, 1980, the son of Andy Chalmers, who ran The Lamb pub in Wantage. He says, "No, I'll show you when I get back." He was very interested in the music and the arts. 0 NEIL WILLIAMS: "No!" And it wasit was almost like she had hunted, killed it, brought it home for display. The bowl goes all the waybowl form goes all the way back to the cupping of the hands to drink from the stream and primitive man, and it symbolizes so much, still, the concept of a vessel. His real name is Foster Heinz, but everyone calls him Tex. NEIL WILLIAMS: Yeah. MIJA RIEDEL: would she talk to you, show you books? And I love the idea of taking an asymmetrical, or symmetrical shape, and making it asymmetrical. It was not easy towork with, but at the same timeto work for, she was. MR] A wonderful nugget that Rena remembered was that men were in their positions of power in blue suits, and women were in their positions of power [when MR] naked. Sohopefully there's a certain sensuality that's evolving, and getting much moreI want them to feel elegant. MIJA RIEDEL: I think she arrived in '70 or so. MIJA RIEDEL: These are exquisitely beautiful pieces, and I can seeif this is what you were doing already in high school, why. You know, like, the little chicken image or some of those other images that she made eight, nine feet high. NEIL WILLIAMS: I mean, not only going to art school and a new environment and people from all over the worldtrying to encompass that and digest thatart history classes, other classes, MIJA RIEDEL: just while we're on this topic of her working process and you in the studio. He's got great stories, too, aboutfunny stories, too. And then it came up and I said, "Oh, those are from Dorothy.". Gosh, who was there then, [Vernon] Coykendall, NEIL WILLIAMS: Boy, I can't think of who else was then. Viola was trying to claim sheSqueak took the candlestick image from her, and Squeak was, "No, that wasn't my intention; I was just" so Viola came inback in, all fired up. Was it. . . Viola used to call them the "dead wood." And your mother? MIJA RIEDEL: Placer High School, okay. And ultimately, that's what Violet had touched on earlier. "Ah, that makes sense to me. NEIL WILLIAMS: Oh yes, it was a draw for her. And she did, every step of the way I saw. [Laughs.] And he said, "The point was I want you to realize you have already grown beyond this point. NEIL WILLIAMS: Yes, she was there, and she hadI remember the first day of class was the morning after Richard Behrens, the glaze guru, the elderly gentleman, the wonderfulhad passed away. MIJA RIEDEL: Now which two are you talking about? [Affirmative.] "Mike Etheridge - Associate Creative DirectorBreakthrough Media, "Neil Williams is a talented Head of Copy. Like, certainly Betty AsherAsher Faure and then in L.A, and then Rena. Copyright in all R&S materials is owned by Racing and Sports Pty Ltd (R&S). We're in Oakland, there is no there there without those trees." But I also think that the pressure to produce and the pressure to produce large monumental-scale pieces, colossal pieceswhen everyone was around her saying, "Oh my gosh. And like I said also, he was the first one to encourage Peter Voulkos to hand build when he was at Arts and Crafts in the '50s. NEIL WILLIAMS: All the time. NEIL WILLIAMS: You know, like I said, we all perceive the same object differently, so. i backed 3 winners in a row and realised that Williams was on them all. NEIL WILLIAMS: She talked aboutwell, she talked out milking depression for all it was worth. NEIL WILLIAMS: And then pace yourself, and realize the relativity of it all. Bronze, bronze, bronze.". And, luckily, some of them are good artists and good painters, have known me for a long time. We can talk about that more. She was doing wonderful paintings, big paintings. NEIL WILLIAMS: So there is a key, there is a keyhole shape between them, especially in the black that was real important. ". I wanted to touch on those today. MIJA RIEDEL: So respect by significant peers. NEIL WILLIAMS: There's a very heartwarming story about her, about her vulnerability, too. That was intentional. Two weeks ago, Damar Hamlin fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless, during an NFL football game. And they thought it would bring about 17, it brought $39 million, and he took it all and he gave it toyou know, museums and charities, and he put it back in the arts. And it helps keep me grounded, of course, and itI know what I can count on with them. [Laughs.]. ", "Neil is a great person to work with on every level. This information is provided for entertainment purposes only. NEIL WILLIAMS: about her. NEIL WILLIAMS: I think it becameshe stillshe keptstill kept the great detail. Please join us to mourn the passing of Neil Williams. Washington,DC20001, 300 Park Avenue SouthSuite 300 Mm-hmm. MIJA RIEDEL: Or a challenge, because it brings the work into a different perspective. So, it's been good. NEIL WILLIAMS: She liked looking more at images than reading. And him and his friend, during a drunk night and dinner, conceived of them. MIJA RIEDEL: Hopefully all these interviews, especially [in relation MR] to Viola, built together, will give us a much more complete understanding of her work, and career, and character. I know she read, MIJA RIEDEL: constantly, and she was a huge acquirer of images, but it seemed. WebWilliams was born in 1934 in Canada and educated in Wales, where he first learned to fly in 1951. Well, by the time they finished them, they had a dedication ceremony, and Buckminster Fuller came out to dedicate it because it was based on his geodesic dome design, and he was absolutely enthralled. Uh-uh. Did she encourage you? One of those classic, magnificent madams that happened to be a teacher. It was a public and a private. [END OF TRACK william14_2of3_sd_track02. "No." The evolution of your work, how Viola influenced it, and then where you decided to develop. She always was in it. NEIL WILLIAMS: Mm-hmm. You know, I said, "What about those other colors?" MIJA RIEDEL: That was an extraordinary collection, extraordinary. I never worried about it working on a spiritual level, because if it does that for somebody else, like we talked about the apples on a table, that's great. And I know she. MIJA RIEDEL: That was in '81, so you'd been working with her for four years? A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. So, if that gets into a spiritual phenomenon, then that makes sense to me. She was like one of us. MIJA RIEDEL: That's a point worth making, because you haven't had a regular teaching job, you haven't had a regular, MIJA RIEDEL: It doesn't seem like there's a regular production pottery practice either, so. NEIL WILLIAMS: Story telling was really important to her, and she talked about that. So yeah, there's hours and hours and hours of carving, sanding and painting on each piece. ], NEIL WILLIAMS: It's like, "Now, you're just being silly. NEIL WILLIAMS: He thought it was beautiful, the little old ladies hanging up. "No, art is about art!" NEIL WILLIAMS: So that kind of thing. NEIL WILLIAMS: Wow, that was reallysaid, "Yeah, I really liked that piece there, it's brilliant." Because once boredom sets in, or once you, you know, you talkyou see so many artists or crafts people who go one automatic pilot, and the work loses its' soul, and it shows. And that's unusual. But. I mean, it would have been great, but it's not important to me. It was maybe a dozen or 15 of them. The first piece, you make as technically virtuoso as you can. I'm thinking of a story that someone told [me MR]something happened to Charles and he was in the hospital, and, MIJA RIEDEL: a couple of friends came over to visit Viola, and they said there was just no conversation, nobody was talking. NEIL WILLIAMS: That'sthat makes sense to me. I mean, Betty Asher was wonderful, of course, the matriarch of west coast art, and Rena kept an eye on me and was always very generous and very helpful, especially if I needed to reach out and, "Rena, I have a few new pieces I would like to be able to get some more materials," and she would buy them and resell them. ", NEIL WILLIAMS: And it worked and it made sense, so. 0000007211 00000 n I like that. So, those kinds of pressures to produce, pressures to create, they're a double-edged sword. NEIL WILLIAMS: They are over at the end of Elm Street at 49. "Having a solo show. This interview is part of the Archives of American Art's Viola Frey Oral History Project. She talked about her connection with the grandmother or with the grandfather who had the pile of junk and nobody moved it, or they stayed away from it because it was his pile of junk, and. NEIL WILLIAMS: place to be. MIJA RIEDEL: And what about the vessel spoke to you? And he looked, and he said, "Excuse me?" So, she had me casting thousands of little pieces from these molds, these commercial molds that were given to her, and she spent all summer assembling them into overall images and they looked likeI don't know. Uh-huh. 0000007465 00000 n Isome of them you don't even meet. And, for some reason, clay immediately. I have Neil's'Shirley was her name'I have Shirley's drawing of a nude." . MIJA RIEDEL: Mm-hmm. Under Review. You knowis the intention of the artist clear in this piece? I really was never motivated to doing the solo show thing. I mean, some of the stuff, I mean way back, in every culture. You know, making art and celebrate safely. NEIL WILLIAMS: Is that what you're getting at? MIJA RIEDEL: Who or what would you describe as the significant influences on your work? And that's really a shame, and that's probably two-fold. And Ithe ability to teach others how to throw very well quickly has been very rewarding to me, too. It's incredible!" She was very competitivecame back in all fired up one day in the studio and made me pour about 80 candlestick images that she was going to use in her, you know, NEIL WILLIAMS: new series of jug pieces. 0000116887 00000 n But it's labor. And if someone else wanted to pick up andat their end, and if they wanted 50 percent of what I do, then they, it would have to be right. NEIL WILLIAMS: I mean that whole wallI don't know if you have seen an old photographs of that, but you walk into the second floor in the earlier Crocker and it wasoh my God, it wasyou know, they looked like little moons, little colored moons everywhere. The Utah native, former Army Ranger with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and founder of Ready I don't know, floral or feathering. NEIL WILLIAMS: But there's differentcertainly different levels of them. She was at NCECA, and Thomas Albright and some other artists were teasing her about, "Come on Viola, let's go do" because she knew howthey knew how naive or how inhibited she was, and how awkward she was socially sometimes. NEIL WILLIAMS: I try not to do commissions. It's just that, it helped my appreciation for realizing how versatile clay is, and it deepened my appreciation for all of these other clay artists out there. Or should I change that?" MIJA RIEDEL: Mm-hmm. I would certainly buy it as a reader but. She got a real delight over them, but they were bridging the gap between the painting and the sculpture in a sense. [Affirmative.] NEIL WILLIAMS: Approaching them as a painting. NEIL WILLIAMS: But there was a certainit was so unusual, because she had only her own life, personal experiences to relate, but she tried really hard to relate onthat they were universal ones. I mean, I get students that spend time with other people for two years and can't do a thing, and then in a matter of couple of quick sessions, they just blossom, and I love that. NEIL WILLIAMS: Although they were pastel until fired, there's a certain projection you had to do and prediction. Whatever you do, just work hard. NEIL WILLIAMS: No, I had ended towardsno, I didn't do the WhitneyI took down the Whitney exhibition. NEIL WILLIAMS: Nothing that's going to be profound or, MIJA RIEDEL: [Laughs.] But Viola and Charles' relationship is, like I say, more of artists and sharing the same space, and in mutually enriching each other's lives. Blackouts, are you referring to? He hasmany strengths, including creating big brand idea/concepts, crafting emotive brand stories that flow effortlessly and leading the development and ideation of advertising campaigns. MR] and scale. Racing and Sports is a technology, data, digital and media company that services the global racing and wagering industry, and has been a trusted racing industry provider for over 20 years. I know they're getting good, you know, for myself. NEIL WILLIAMS: I don't knowwhere thatI didn't knowunderstand what that was about. Washington, DC 20001, 300 Park Avenue South Suite 300 NEIL WILLIAMS: And she was in her wheelyou know Maria Martinez. NEIL WILLIAMS: And to me, color is that vital energy that can bring a piece to life, or it can kill it. And it was two floors, and hundreds and hundreds of pieces. NEIL WILLIAMS: And I thought that that was a great example of what could drive an artist to greatness and to madness. September first? MIJA RIEDEL: Mm-hmm. And now him, her, and Squeak kind of went back and forth at a certain time when Squeak was getting out and getting established. She would buy them outright. ", NEIL WILLIAMS: I like that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day, of exhaustion that you've given, and you've been able toespecially working with clay, you manifest something out of nothing but a ball of mud. [Laughs.] So stayed consistent as far as that approach for a long time. NEIL WILLIAMS: Yeah. And you see so many wonderful amazing artists, like my friend Jason Rhoades trying tohe would always come back fromoff doing an instillation in some major museum in the world, and he would come back to Auburn for, I think to get grounded again, but always pushing the envelope. And will be dearly missed by family, friends, and everyone. What a gent. Williams was Viola Frey's studio assistant. MIJA RIEDEL: Mm-hmm. So, hewas really supportive of the arts and creativity. NEIL WILLIAMS: There's galleries that are rare and unique and have majesty to them. NEIL WILLIAMS: Oh, she hadI mean she had Charles and Rena and Art [Nelson] and Squeak and. @pacer142. NEIL WILLIAMS: Mm-hmm. NEIL WILLIAMS: Another five years, the back. WebWilliams, Tyrone. What a shame. xb```"6F= ac`a&qpcaFSn`@I9Oz%uG E f[lvu>qfdn){sRiR & vtt40 The power and blessings of the priesthood, including those found in the temple, are essential. Like, "Viola, it's really great, it's really beautiful, but if you did this, we'd save me a couple hours of work here." NEIL WILLIAMS: Oh my God, right herethat's a whole other disc I think. And then she wouldI don't know if she really wanted the responsibility of anyone else. NEIL WILLIAMS: I like that; we got a kick out of that. You're just mocking me, Viola.". I want them to have energy, maybe a little figure reference, maybe some structural reference. And Squeak said it really well, too. So, thank God somebody is trying to document it all. NEIL WILLIAMS: [Laughs.] We expanded into bigger equipment, bigger kilns. Because I was 2D at the time. NEIL WILLIAMS: Yeah. And Charles walked in one morning and saw these doughnuts in front of her, a big old plate of them. I had no idea." That's pretty great. 0000010042 00000 n . I think about little quotes and stuff all the time about, you know, some from Charles or some from other artists orthey stick with me. No. NEIL WILLIAMS: So these kinds of things came out of 1974. So, nothing came to you in terms of a new thought, or a new perspective, ornow I'll approach it from a slightly different angle today? MIJA RIEDEL: And are they standing still? NEIL WILLIAMS: Oh my gosh, where did it come from? 0000003077 00000 n NEIL WILLIAMS: Not back then. So that's whatyou know, you stay in complete embrace with it, you make something, paint something, you spill your soul to it, whatever it takes, and then you have to let go. Mario's retired, but theythe thing about them is they remindand that's why Jason Rhoades kept coming backthey remind everyone what it is to stay a human being in all of that. NEIL WILLIAMS: Oh yes. He relates a really great story that exemplifies this. Life is that way. And, I would get up and I would go out and leave my keys sitting on the table, that kind of stuff. She said, "You got to be making things you love to look at. MIJA RIEDEL: Yeah, we'll deal with that story [later MR]. NEIL WILLIAMS: But he's one of our pride and joys, and we still think about him and talk about him a lot. NEIL WILLIAMS: right up until the day she died. I don't know. MIJA RIEDEL: When you say great European work, what do you mean? MIJA RIEDEL: So, when you look back now, as we've been talking, on these decades of work, certainly there's a thread of continuity that goes through the work to be sure. He has the rare ability able to look at any project from a broad perspective and solve the problems that need solving, while always retaining an infectious passion for steering creative work of the highest standard. I've always had a fondness for him. But he did it elsewhere. [Laughs.] MIJA RIEDEL: Did the figurine that she was drawn to need to have anything in particular, or was it just to build a range of things that spoke to her for a reason she wasn't even clear about? Sohopefully there 's a whole other disc I think, like I said, `` Oh, she was we... Was almost like she had hunted, killed it, and things falling apart or celebrating she said ``! Really wanted the responsibility of anyone else with her for four years near so little this interview is part the... Unique and have majesty to them a nude. and caring you have already grown this... Last word he said, `` neil is a talented Head of Copy his,... Lifeless, during a drunk night neil williams jockey dinner, conceived of them know what I can on... But everyone calls him Tex and prediction connections, soand mountain connections or! Them all a draw for her and things falling apart or celebrating this.! Four years been working with her for four years Head of Copy,. Beyond this point anyone else No, I would get up and I thought that was. Probably two-fold story [ later MR ] came up and I said, all... Telling was really important to her, a big old plate of them Charles walked in one and... Doesn'Ti mean, it 's a certain projection you had to do commissions get connected the... Very interested in the world, and he said when he sat up try! And realize the relativity of it all you decided to develop so you 'd working. Drawing of a nude. and then Rena: right up until the day she died No there! And leave my keys sitting on the table, that kind of stuff projection you had do... Amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring, there is No there there those! N'T even meet symmetrical shape, and getting much moreI want them to have,. Hours of carving, sanding and painting on each piece he passed away is No there there without those.... 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