Meet William Feeney of Artist in Encinitas

Today we’d like to introduce you to William Feeney.

William, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an artist, even as a little kid. My ability to draw and work with my hands was always praised and supported as I was growing up, and it led to me getting a full scholarship as an undergrad at UMass Amherst in the early 1980’s and then as a graduate student here at the UC Santa Barbara in the mid-1990’s.

Between my BFA and MFA, I lived in NYC with the goal of establishing myself as an artist with a career that would support me. That never happened (ha!). I have been making and exhibiting art for more than 30 years and I have always had to work to pay the bills. I have been many things over the years; lifeguard, steelworker, carpenter, college professor, youth program director, and currently a finish carpenter. Basing my success as an artist on money or sales would be like basing a butterfly’s beauty on its ability to swim. The value of art in my life is that I get to do it, and it makes my life full and meaningful.

Katie Ruiz explained it perfectly in a similar interview on this site, “It’s about showing up for your craft. It is not your arts job to support you. It is your job to support your art.” It took me a long time to learn that. Today I consider myself a successful artist because I’m still making art that I’m passionate about, I feel I’m respected among my peers and within my community, and the art I’m making is getting exhibited.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My life as an artist has taught me many lessons; some hard, some wonderful. One of the hardest has been finding out that that old stupid cliche, “it’s about the journey, not the destination,” is true. That one’s hard for a person like me. I am very goal oriented and feel safe within a framework that is supposedly leading somewhere. I’m not a wanderer, I’m a map-reader/direction follower at heart.

That approach may work for some people, but it was becoming a slow death for me as an artist. I found out the hard way that if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone when I make art, I always ended up stuck in a perfectionist corner making art that neither me nor anyone else was really interested in. For me to sustain myself as an art maker I have to operate in a world that consists of questions, not answers.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Artist – what should we know?
I’m an artist that tells parts of stories, sometimes several at once, and hopefully, I make an interesting object that gets people to interact with those parts and determine meaning for themselves. For me, art making is visual poetry, in the sense that it brings disparate things into relation with one another in a way that create a larger meaning within the individual.

My work is about specific subjects; things that I am trying to figure out, or ideas that I am in the process of rethinking. I deal with the stuff of life; fear, joy, politics, relationships, misunderstanding, the lack of self-awareness. I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything, I am not in the business of advertising.

What I am trying to do is construct a constellation of questions regarding a specific idea, that someone would be interested enough to take a moment out of their lives to consider. For me, that is the definition of an art experience, and as an artist, it’s my job to create the circumstances where that is possible.

I am not an artist that is dedicated to a specific material or process. I will use any means necessary in the service of the content of the artwork I’m trying to create. This may not be what other artists are doing, but it serves me well.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First, my parents deserve a ton of credit for creating the space in my worldview where “being an artist” (whatever that means), was a viable option. They never shut doors on me, and they supported me even when they may not have understood what I was doing.

And equally as important has been the support of my wife Cindy and our two daughters.

Cindy and I have been together for over 30 years and she is the rock of my life and our family. My first and biggest role model was my sister Eileen, who is also an artist. There were four of us growing up, Eileen was the oldest and I was the youngest, and I always looked up to her. My brother and I were closest in age but were too competitive with each other for me to consider him a role model. And although we are very close now, we nearly killed each other when we were kids.

Eileen was a solid, consistent and loving presence in my life and I followed her example in many circumstances; choice of sports (swimming), choice of schools, and being an artist. I had an amazing high school art teacher, Brian Dougherty, who loved my sister and connected with me when I was a freshman and took me under his wing. I cannot overstate what a huge positive influence he had on the trajectory of my life. And finally, Michelle Montjoy, who is an artist here in San Diego. Michelle and I have known each other for over 20 years and she is one of my closest friends and greatest supporters.

We have an amazing history of going to art shows together, talking and arguing about art, collaborating on community art projects, showing together, helping each other install our individual shows. We laugh at how many times people just assume we are a couple. We are dear friends and our families are equally as close. Michelle is one of the smartest and hardworking people I have ever known, and she has had a significant influence on me as both a person and an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: williamfeeneyartist.com
• Email: billfeeney@sbcglobal.net
• Instagram: bill.feeney

Image Credit:
Mallory Olenius, Jake Hesseltine, Tracy Robson

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