INTERVIEW WITH MIKE WILKS

INTERVIEW WITH MR. MIKE WILKS- author of THE MIRRORSCAPE!

1.     You are a great artist as well a fabulous writer. How is it that you took to both writing as well as art?

I am a great admirer of the work of Mervyn Peake, one of the few artists who was also a superb writer. His work shows that it is possible to flit from one mode of expression to the other.

2.     Which form of expression do you consider better- writing or art?

They are equal but different. With writing a narrative is unraveled over time but with images any narrative is presented all at once and it is for the viewer to discover it on their own.

3.     Who is your role model in the real world?

Role models are dangerous. There is always the temptation to try to imitate them.

4.     The ultimate alphabet is an extraordinary book. What was the driving force behind this creation?

It was simply that it had never been done before. Up until I created it all alphabet books were for children and contained only one or two things beginning with any letter. I thought it would be fun to see how far I could push the idea.

5.     What do you consider the best part of writing a book?

The best part of writing a book or painting a picture is the blank page or the blank canvas. At that stage it could be anything, a masterpiece or a disaster.

6.     How did the idea for Mirrorscape occur to you? Was it by accident or was it a result of imaginative thinking?

I always think of the start of any book or picture as peeling up a corner of my imagination and seeing what crawls out. The Mirrorscape books started in the same way.

7.     Which is your all-time favorite novel?

There are too many to mention. In the top twenty would be Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake.

8.     If you had to choose between writing and art for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?

An impossible question to answer. When I have an idea I then select the best medium to express that idea. Some work best as pictures, others in words.

9.     Would you like to say anything to your readers?

Creating a work of art and experiencing a work of art should both be fun. Of course, how you define ‘fun’ is up to you.

10. Any advice you’d like to give to the struggling artists and writer out there?

Dare to be different. It is always better to try to create something original and fail than to imitate.

Visit MIKE WILK'S website!