Bill Claps | Featured Artist
February 27, 2024
Bill Claps is a visual artist, photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. His work illustrates the universal roots and common elements that are shared by all cultures, often referencing art history and language. He works in various mediums, including photography, painting, video, poetry, and performance, and his artworks have been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.
Bill Claps' Signature Process
Bill Claps begins his creative process by capturing photographs in diverse forests and mountains worldwide. He then merges Byzantine gilding practices with modern photographic and digital processing technologies, along with a one-of-a-kind gold foil method he developed himself, to produce his unique style.
Bill Claps meditates every morning. “I find that the most important thing to me is to listen and be open to what the world presents to me. It’s amazing what happens to me when my mind is clear,” says Claps. He explains that he doesn’t seek inspiration, but rather finds that the ideas seem to present themselves and if he is open he can “grab onto them quickly before they go away.”
Drawing and painting in immediate and gestural style, Claps views drawing as a form of exercise, keeping him in shape creatively.
"I think what first started me on the path was the great feeling I got from making things with my hands. One of the coolest parts of being an artist is stepping back after you’ve finished something that came out really well and thinking, 'Damn, did I just make that?' That’s a big part of what drives me, pushing for that satisfaction that comes from the creative process.
My drawing and painting styles have always been very immediate and gestural. I’ve always drawn a lot and I’ve found regular drawing to be a meditative process that keeps the ideas flowing, keeps the hand loose, and keeps the mind open. It’s like exercising, keeping you in shape creatively."
