ART AMD ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 64

ART AMD ARTISTS.

— M.- W. L. Wyllie,' A.R.A., was 49 on July 6. In order to paint the seascapes ■which are his specialty, h spends a good many hours sailing in his yacht, being rarely accompanied by anyone except his wife. When not painting he is invariably yachting, for it is his great recreation. He is commodore of the Medway Yacht Chib. — Mi- F. J. Williamson, who is known as the Queen's sculptor, completed his eixtyseventh year on July 17. Statues of her Majesty from his hand have 'been erected not only in London, but in India, Australia, and othei parts of the world, while to him is "•also cue the first statue of the Queen which was erected in Ireland. Many busts of various members of -the Royal Family 1 'have ( .been executed by him for the Queen, who has probably given. him more commissions that she has to any-other artist. A TALK WITH A NOTED ARTIST. An interesting conversation with Mr Colin Hunter, A.R.A., the noted marine painter, appears in Chums. Asked whether- he would recommend youngsters-to try to-live by. the brush, he said, "The profession is a desirable one; I answer emphatically that it<ig. It is a splendid profession and -if- a boy has 'undoubted gifts he can be safely ; advised fa cultivate them. There is plenty of room at the top for good painters, but to make headway you must be specially good. There is no room for the ordinary person who simply drifts into art because he can't do anything else. It is quite true that the profession is overcrowded, but so ace all professions. That of art, I can assure you, is not overcrowded ,by capable men, at all events, and you can. take it for granted that the Royal Academy and the public are only too glad to welcome ■a high-class painter." "What would you advise a beginner to do, Mr Hunter?" "To be industrious, to go to Nature — Nature being the best teacher — and not to be discouraged if he only gets small prices to begin •with. A great deal, also, lies in starting a new class of subject that is interesting to the (public. It is to this that I owe much of ■my own success. "Another point. Don't be upset if, when you submit a picture for exhibition, it is rejected, This is an accident that can easily happen." Mr Golin Hunter has never been numbered amongst the rejected of the Royal Academy, though, as a matter of fact, it was not until he was 32 that he made his name. In the ■meanwhile, howeveiyand when still a youth, his pictures had been bringing -him in. from £25 to £100 a-piece. • Thus did the plucky Scotch boy increase and prosper. * . - Mr Hunter, notwithstanding his. eminence, is still one of the ".hardest" workers of the day. When I called iipon him he was preparing to depart- for a f<?ur months' sojourn -an- Scotland, where he is engaged painting day in- and day out. This is" his busy*sea•son, the season when he produces his Royal Academy 'canvases. , I. inquired of Mr Hunter if he painted his big pictures out of door& "Some I do, and some I don't" he replied. _"It depends entirely on the effect I wish to "It must be rather embarrassing to have a crowd of gaping people watching you paint, as I suppose is frequently the case." "Oh, it is not the case," Mr Hunter replied with a meaning smile. "1 'always choose •a quiet spot where no one is about. I dislike having onlookers <by my side when I am at my easel, and I never can begin a picture until' I am certain that I shall be free from interruption." "It is commonly believed that .painting the sea is one of the most difficult .tasks that am artist can set himself." - " ' ■ "There can, I think, be no denying that it is difficult. You see, the water is never at rest. The majority of my pictures are painted from the shore, bur I have done a. considerable amount of work from boats. To study the sea properly you must be in ■a* boat; yet, on the other 'hand, you can't paint an entire picture from a thing that ia dn motion. My v "Royal Academy pictures .being, as a rule, 6ft in length, it is no easy matter for me to take them out to sea in a small boat, but 1 occasionally do so, not; fco paint them in anything like their entirety, but to put in some little details." "And what are your working hours, Mr; Hunter?" "That question is quite impossible to an-> swer. I have various hours for various bup.jects. lam sometimes out and about before daybreak, -,nd sometimes late at night. In the case of one jf my pictures I used to go dc'wn to see Jie sun rise every morning. "Finally, do you ever get so dissatisfied with a picture that you destroy it?" ■ "Yes, I have done that before now. I have often blotted out a picture and painted ajaQtkey one ot© 4 $$,"