David Clayton is the head of the art department at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH. He is responsible for implementing the “Way of Beauty” program that not only trains artists to serve the Church but also educates non-artists in the transcendental nature of beauty.
David was gracious enough to take some time to answer some questions on the vocation of the artist.
1. Can you tell us a little about your journey as an artist?
I short, I had always wanted to be a painter but assumed that because my high school had pushed me into academic pursuits (I did physics/engineering at university) that I had missed my chance. I converted in my early 30s and was given direction on discerning my vocation (David has a terrific blog entry detailing the discernment of his vocation, Discerning my Vocation … Deacon Lawrence) which gave me the confidence to have a go at becoming an artist. I started off looking for a school that would teach me the skills and knowledge to serve the faith. I realized that it didn’t exist. Then I thought that I would try to gather up people who might be able to contribute to such a school, establish it, and enlist as its first pupil. Then I realized that this was going to be very difficult and that I was going to have to be able to teach at it. So I found individuals or places who had part of what I wanted and did a lot of studying to get the information about Catholic traditions (there is no single book that I know of that gives us this). I did courses with Aidan Hart, an icon painter in England and I studied at an atelier in Florence for a year about 5 years ago which trained us in portrait painting in the academic method. I tried to get an art school going in Oxford, organising summer schools and hoping to attract American students to come over but it didn’t succeed (the dollar suddenly plunged in value). As I was trying to promote this, colleges were saying that they couldn’t afford to send students over to England, but they might be able to afford to bring me to the US. Thomas More College in New Hampshire invited me over to be Artist in Residence. There I paint and teach art, but also direct a course called the Way of Beauty which teaches students about Catholic traditions in art and architecture and how the whole of Catholic culture is rooted in the liturgy. It sounds shorter as I describe it, but this has been a 20 year journey so far. But great fun all the way.
Once I realised that the greater need was for a Catholic artistic education, before the artists could emerge, I felt that this was my vocation. So my own painting has always served that in my mind. However, along the way I have done a few large, high profile commissions. These have been great to do, and have served to help give me authority when I talk about art. So I have done work for the London Oratory, the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, Pluscarden Monastery in Scotland (all well known places among orthodox Catholics in Britain) and illustrated books for children, including one written by Scott Hahn called God’s Covenant with You.
More recently I have been doing a series of large commissions for Thomas More College, where I have work that hangs in their chapel. These are in a gothic style.
2. Tell us some more about your work.
You can see some of my paintings at the Thomas More College website and details about a six foot cross I painted for the chapel at The New Liturgical Movement
3. In your opinion what is the role of the artist in our culture?
Simple – for a painter it should be to paint good pictures for the glory of God and joy of mankind. It shouldn’t be to promote any ethos that contradicts the faith. I don’t go for the idea self-indulgent bohemian prophet, which is the modern image of the artist.
4. How is your faith reflected in your work?
Most of the work I do is sacred art and I try to follow the traditions of the Church. I follow the principle recently cited in regards to the liturgy – the ‘hermeneutic of continuity’ that is, do what others have done and don’t change it (even down to copying) unless there is a compelling reason for doing so. The spirit of the last period has been the opposite – change everything that you can possibly get away with. This attitude reflects my faith because this is just the view of the liturgy. And I guess you could say that our worship speaks of our faith.
5. By pursuing a career using your creative gifts, have you had to make sacrifices specifically because of your faith?
Generally no. Quite the opposite. I was given some great career guidance that allowed me to realize my vocation (I have written a couple of times about this on my blog here). When I follow this I feel fulfilled and always get what I need. The only frustrations and sense of sacrifice come when I don’t do what I am meant to do. The one thing that I thought might be different is that if I had followed a more conventional career where I had earned more money earlier I might have been married by now, because I could have supported a family. But even then I know that really things will work out as they are meant to for my greater happiness ( I wouldn’t have been happy even with a family but unable to do what I am doing now), and it still might happen of course (although I’m 47!).
6. We have a rich tradition of Catholic art to draw upon, how much of this plays a role in your work?
I think one of my previous answers reveals that it influences everything I do.
7. What is the biggest challenge for Catholics today who want to pursue an artistic career?
Discerning vocation and having the faith to follow it. I was told recently by someone who is an expert in vocational guidance, that those who follow vocation are always looked after, but usually what they are doing is counter cultural and so parents worry that you’re not earning enough, friends who don’t understand these things worry that your drifting and so on. This is why it is important to have people who are sensible and have faith and can tell the difference between following your vocation and being reckless…and there is a difference. Then you will get encouragement when you need it.
When I was given the right guidance on how to discern and follow my vocation it was quite easy, but I don’t know any of this until I was told. If it is your vocation and you follow it one step after another then everything will open up in front of you.
Aside from this the main thing is gain a deep understanding of our traditions. No art history book that I know presents Catholic traditions in a way that is consistent with a Catholic world view.. But there are places now that teach this. The Maryvale Institute in Birmingham in their Art, Inspiration and Beauty course and, if I can blow our own trumpet Thomas More College.
8. Where have you experienced success and failure in your artistic career?
I have been lucky in having those few big commissions. I am a convert and influential in my conversion was the liturgy at the Brompton Oratory in London. I made my ambition to have a painting hanging permanently in that Church. One week later out of the blue, I got a call asking me to go in to talk about it with them. This was my first commission – amazing. I suppose you don’t know about the failures because you don’t know what opportunities you missed because on the whole people don’t phone you up to be rude about your work, they just don’t call you.
9. What advice would you give aspiring artists?
That advice on personal vocation which is the most important because then things just open up for you. Beyond that, the steps are to get hold of the technical information and knowledge which I have outlined here.
I would honestly recommend any 18 year old Catholic who hasn’t been to college to come to Thomas More College in New Hampshire first. They will get the best formation for someone who wants to be an artist in terms of understanding how the culture is linked to the liturgy and our traditions in art. On top of that they would get a fairly good grounding in iconography and if they attended our summer schools, in academic drawing. Then you will be armed with the right information to benefit from more intensive training elsewhere in the skills, which should be academic drawing, iconography, and sacred geometry.