I AM
JIMMER WILLMOTT
In my own tradition I leave a memorable edge of fun in my work. Over time my style has developed a great deal. I now realise that it’s more than OK to hit the viewer with a solid wall of sugar coated imagery but equally as important to include an inevitable sugar crash!
I AM A POP
SURREALIST
Pop Surrealism is a fusional mash of pop culture and surrealism… like the bastard love child of Warhol and Dali. Following the formula of mixing the cute with the weird I’ve always aimed to keep my work light, whether it be in a touch of social commentary or bright colours.
I shy away from anything too heavy and avoid dark, moodier pallets.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In 1996 when I was 14, on the island of Kefalonia, off the coast of Greece, I met an old man who asked my Dad and I:
“If it takes a week for a fly to walk a barrel of treacle with hobnailed boots on, how many bananas do you get in a bunch of grapes?” *
This seemingly bizarre riddle resonated with me and took me years to figure out.
From that moment on anything normal was like an allergic reaction. It blew my mind that this pensioner was anything but stereotypical, he was so odd – and I liked that, his weird spark of imagination from that moment was stuck on me.
Years later I discovered the lowbrow / pop surrealist art scene and instantly knew this was the sort of shit I needed to paint.
*Zero
MY NAME IS
JIMMER WILLMOTT
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I AM A POP
SURREALIST ARTIST
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ARTIST STATEMENT
Jimmer Willmott is a pop surrealist painter that lives and paints in his studio, a Dutch narrow barge in Bristol, UK. Painting mainly in acrylics on canvas or board, his work has been shown at exhibitions across the south west. Here he introduces a collection of some of his recent artwork. “If it takes a week for a fly to walk a barrel of treacle with hobnailed boots on, how many bananas do you get in a bunch of grapes” * a fellow holiday-maker, Kefalonia 1996 Moving away from what I had started to find the bland and humourless in many galleries was a defining moment for me to substantiate my own style; a crossroads for me to start my own colourful orgy of edgy and punchy pop surrealism, nodding to the highly influential American lowbrow scene I found myself drawn to. I’ve had a string of influences over the last few years but having amusement is the main contender that resonates in my art and is my main source of inspiration. Mad magazine was always my favourite thing to look at then I found Juxtapoz magazine, which blew my mind. My work combines a frenzied mash of 1950s characters, mass produced plastic and sugary food products. I also like painting eyeballs on things. In my work, I like to play with perspective and contrast. Cheapening imagery is something I genuinely find funny; it keeps me constantly developing my palette and keeps me motivated behind the paint brush. In my recent work I’ve realised that it’s more than ok to hit the viewer with a solid wall of sugar-coated glucose, but equally important to include an inevitable sugar crash. Bright colours and playful imagery keep the subject matter light, with a heavy comedown in the hint of something not quite right and out of kilter.
MY CREATIVE SPACE
For the last few years I’ve been living and painting on my beautiful narrow boat home. Moored in the centre of Bristol, it’s been my own floating studio. My small but warm and cosy creative space, great for hiding away and painting. Sadly, I’m selling my “Lady Sarah”; my paintings are evolving on a larger scale and with my ever-growing daughter, I’ve run out of room.