In between his time spent working at Oxford American and playing in a couple of local bands, Ray Wittenberg finds time to paint. His career as an artist dates back to 2000 when he and his wife, Tina Turner, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Stuck with a case of writer’s block, Turner suggested Wittenberg take a drawing class to clear his mind. At the recommendation of a mentor in Santa Fe, Wittenberg headed to New York City in 2002 for a year of intense training in drawing and painting at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. Counting music, minimalism and his time in New York as major influences, Wittenberg has been painting more than ever lately. His first exhibit, “So What!” It’s the Least I Can Do …, is currently on display at the Historic Arkansas Museum.
Q: What was your experience like at the New York Studio School?
A: It was a great, exhilarating program for me. I mean, it was incredibly frustrating because there were a lot of good artists that were in there, and I was kind of this old guy who’s doing something, but no one could really figure out what. But I just went there to make art. Of course it was great, living in the city. We went to all the great museums, studied all the great art that was up in New York. They would take us to gallery shows so we got to see all the contemporary work that was coming out. And that was really inspiring.
Q: Tell me about how you came to the name of this exhibit.
A: “So What” is a famous jazz song by Miles Davis. That’s on his Kind of Blue record, which was a pretty seminal record in the late ’50s. Kind of changed the whole nature of modern jazz. So that “So What” song, I always listen to that before I start painting. It just puts me in the right place. “It’s the least I can do,” that’s a minimalist statement that I’d heard, and I thought, I like that. It just seemed like a fun idea to give the show that title.
Q: You’re in a band, correct? How has music influenced your painting?
A: I’m in a couple of bands. We back Stephanie Smittle, so that’s The Smittle Band. And then we back Heather Smith, another female singer. She’s just getting ready to come out with her CD later in the summer. It’s funny you mention the music, because people that know me know about my music, and they’ve felt like there’s an affinity to the music. When you’re a drummer, your job is to just keep the beat going at the right tempo. And there’s certainly a tempo I think to these [paintings], if you wanna think about it like that. If you want to think about them as being musical.
Q: What do you listen to while you’re painting?
A: All kinds of music. There’s always jazz. Miles Davis and John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, and just the giants of jazz. I love all that music so much. But then I’ll put on some Nirvana. I love all that Seattle grunge band music from the ’90s, and then whatever else is sort of up, popwise. Working at Oxford American, we have such a music franchise — we do this annual music issue — so we’ve got to be really up on what’s new, what’s going on.
Q: What was the experience of opening your first art exhibit like for you?
A: It was fun [in the gallery] on opening night. All the paintings are basically the same, and they’re all different. But I was overhearing people saying, “Which one do you like best?” Like there was a competition going on. And I think that has a lot to do with color and people’s interest in color, and how they have an emotional attachment to color. … A year ago, Donna Uptigrove, who’s the new curator [at Historic Arkansas Museum], said, “I’ll give you a show.” And I said, “Are you serious?” And she said “yes.” I kept saying jokingly that I was kind of waiting for a phone call saying, “I’m sorry Mr. Wittenberg, we’ve made a terrible mistake.” Because I’ve never shown my work. I’ve auctioned off a few pieces around town, sold a couple to friends … I still can’t believe it, that they’re up. The opening, that Friday, standing up here, I’ve never felt that way before. And I couldn’t even really describe that feeling.
For more of Ray Wittenberg’s work, click here. “So What!” It’s the Least I Can Do … is on display at the Historic Arkansas Museum through Sept. 7. For the full interview, visit Stephanie Maxwell's blog: Off The Record.