Billy Zane American, b. 1966
Billy Zane is an American artist most often associated with his celebrated work in cinema as an actor starring in some of the highest grossing films of all time, as well as some of the most watched tv experiences ever, such as Titanic, Twin Peaks and The Back To The Future and Sniper Franchises. However, the raw authenticity of his paintings, drawings and photography which has been exhibited in places like Los Angeles, London, Budapest, Milan, and Miami, has garnered him nearly as much recognition and critical praise.
He began painting during his seven months of filming the 1997 film Titanic, since then he has set up makeshift art studios on almost every location he has filmed in. The cultural influences and use of only local materials influence his spontaneous abstract offerings.
His abstract expressionist paintings are bold juxtapositions of kinetic application and elegantly balanced color combination derived from both intentional and naturally occurring contradictory influences. He likes to inform the process through self-imposed restrictions. Limited time and resources promote a controlled chaos and encourage "beautiful accidents," as he puts it. To achieve this, most of his paintings are created outdoors, under fleeting daylight, with mostly found and recycled materials in remote natural locations.
“For best results, keeping one's humor while deploying unbridled confidence is king...and as the fool, it appears, when paint hits canvas or data hits the drive. The key is once you find it, get out of the way and know that it’s not about knowing when to stop, or when to keep laying it on, it’s knowing you simply attempted with ‘what is,’and it rocks.” - Billy Zane for The Standard UK.
