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Interview with Glen Wexler by Scarlet James
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Hello Glen How? Where? did the idea of Cows having secret lives come from? Did you once see a cow in a field all dressed up with nowhere to go? The underlying notion behind the book is that things are usually not what or how they appear to be.
Do you have a special regard for them, perhaps a childhood memory……? Cows? No…but I always liked the Pink Floyd album cover for "Atom Heart Mother." Talking of childhood did you paint, draw, create as a child or was your interest in the cinema what gave birth to and defined your artistic talents? All of the above… mostly cinema. Stanley Kubrick was very influential. 2001: A Space Odyssey had a big influence on me as a young kid and so did A Clockwork Orange. I also grew up in a contemporary case study style architectural house, which I'm sure influenced my design sensibilities. Indeed, living in such a home must as you say have enhanced your artistic sense of style, and what a wonderful way to start your journey. But was there an actual Eureka moment when your heart stopped a beat and you knew what you wanted to do? Not really…when I started college I gravitated to the visual arts over academics. I had not developed a specific interest in photography at the time, but I found the medium to be easy for me to express my ideas. I had just turned 18 and was clueless to what I wanted to do in college other than to gain an overall exposure to new things. An instructor introduced me to Duane Michels' narrative works, which sparked my first photographic epiphany. I had just enough exposure to photography and art at this point to understand the difference of making pictures as opposed to taking them. This is first baby step I believe you take as a photographic artist. Yes and what an important step that is to take. And then what led you into a more adventurous field of imagination and creative techniques? As a teenager my exposure to artwork were the album covers of my record collection. During my third year of college I had the opportunity to begin shooting album covers, which was kind of a fantasy job, so I dropped out of school and started working professionally. Most of my work for many years was creating conceptual images for recording artists. Eventually this led to advertising commissions as that market began to gravitate to more ambitious and improbable photographic imagery…and then I began receiving commissions to shoot cows… Ah, The Cow, such an ordinary model that has now turned into an extraordinary creation. Interesting how one person can shoot cows and another behold a vision; how in your view does that work, is an artist special, born with a gift and passion to create, have the eye; have we all been blessed with the ability but not all able to experience and nurture our talents? For as long as I can remember I have had a passion to create. It’s probably genetic. My father is an influential and renowned mid-century architect. I see very impressive visual abilities in both of my kids as well. Photography can be difficult to judge in terms of “talent” because the level of craft needed to capture “pretty pictures” or to imitate the latest trend is not overly challenging. I think the technical nature of photography spawns mostly imitators, with a much smaller group evolving through their personal vision. The notion that I could be a professional athlete if “I only put my mind to it,” or that any kid in America could become president is just as absurd. The auditions on American Idol clearly demonstrate that specific talent (no matter how hard you try) is not evenly distributed at birth. Nevertheless, I think many people have undeveloped talents, but the unique aptitude needs to be specifically recognized and nurtured. Your work obviously takes much of your time so when you do have moments for your `self` how do you use that space to relax and express your own visions and passions or does playtime and work blend well together? I definitely live and breath my art, but that doesn’t exclude personal time. For me the balance enhances the quality of both work and play, which is sometimes inseparable. |
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I have two very different approaches when working with people. If I’m creating a portrait the image becomes my interpretation of the person’s essence. If I’m using a person as a model in a narrative I’m directing the person’s role as a character of the overall story. I don’t have immediate plans to publish a portrait book. My current book project is a social commentary, which features celebrities. I think my signature body of work is the “improbable realities” images that originated with the album covers. That will eventually be organized into a book project and exhibition as well. Well those two book projects are certainly something to look forward to. In England as you probably know we have a beloved radio program called Desert Island Discs in which a `famous` person is asked what book, apart from the already there Bible and Shakespeare they would like on their island, plus only one special luxury which has no practical use; could not be used for escape! May I ask you, what book would you want to have with you??? And what luxury? I would take my home theatre system and DVD and music library. It’s difficult to narrow it down to one book, but I’d probably take “Passages” by Irving Penn. Well that sounds reasonable, good choices, and in your everyday working life what would be difficult to part with? Obviously, a camera and my computer of course! Of course, and what today is you’re most precious possession? My most precious possession is my copyrights.
And what today do you know for sure?
What I know for sure is that the more I know I realize the less I know. The irony is that those who claim to have the answers and push their beliefs on others are often exposed as frauds or hypocrites later.
I agree with you there; and what more do you want to know about?
Alchemy.
And lastly, what more do you want to achieve; aspire to?
I love making original images. That keeps me content with my work.
My initial intent in photography was to do fine art images, but I have done primarily commissioned work since the beginning of my career. This has been a great thing because it has provided the resources to make images that otherwise would be financially out of reach. I would love to arrive at the point that I become less dependent on advertising commission for my work, but I have come to realize that there is a marketing and business side to the fine art world as well. At the end of the day it’s all about the images that I can make, and how they connect or resonate with an audience. It is also important for me that when I create images that are made possible by commissions that the work stands on its own when stripped clean of the original marketing parameters.
As a Brit I am very envious you have your very own Python as a fan….
Yes, I am very flattered that Eric Idle agreed to write the foreword. He was perfectly hilarious, and my only choice for the project. He also provided the inspiration behind a couple of images in the book, which I made after he wrote the foreword. One image is “Preflight” which depicts French knights preparing to launch a cow from a trebuchet. (The image also debunks the origins of the “cow jumped over the moon.”) It’s the part of the scene you don’t actually see in the film, The Holy Grail and or the play, Spamalot. Eric loved the image and a six-foot print is now hanging at the entrance to theatre where Spamalot recently opened in Las Vegas. In the foreword he also describes me as, “a seven foot Scotsman with a wooden leg whom I met Frog Rolling on an Eskimo trip in Northern Greenland. We were sheltering in a sauna at a local bordello with an Icelandic babe called Splut” The description is not very accurate, but the photographic interpretation that followed is actually my favorite image from “The Secret Life of Cows.”
That is a wonderful tale.
Thank you very much Glen for sharing and sparing time out of your busy schedule. It has been an exciting and an inspiring journey for me.
And what`s more; who would have known cows had such fantastical and amusing secret lives.
Thank you Glen.
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