Jim Pollock Question and Answer Main Page
JIM POLLOCK INTERVIEW (copyright) Jim Pollock
10/12/96
Interview student, Illinois Wesleyan University, for class research paper.
Questions revolve around the subjects of Vietnam Combat Art Program, type of art supplies, where are sketches and other related questions.
Q: DID YOU USE REGULAR ART SUPPLIES, LIKE YOU WOULD IN DAILY LIFE, IN VIETNAM, OR WERE THEY SPECIAL MILITARY ISSUE?
POLLOCK: Yes, we used regular supplies. In Vietnam supplies were obtained U.S. Army Crafts Program in Army Command Special Services, stores on base, and some supplies were purchased from a local Saigon art supply store. It rained a lot in Vietnam and to protect sketchbook drawings I used plastic bags. Usually in the field we sketched or took photographs. Later we would do more complete work in our studio at Long Bihn.
When we arrived in Hawaii to do our finished work, the U.S. Army Crafts Program provided art supplies. We were taken to a downtown art supply store in Honolulu and we allowed to order whatever we needed with the Army Crafts Program picking up the tab. This was a real treat.
Q: I READ THAT WHILE IN SERVICE, NO WORKS COULD BE KEPT BY THE ARTIST. DID THIS INCLUDE ALL YOUR ROUGH DRAFT WORK? ALSO, THE CIRCULAR SAID THAT NO WORK COULD BE DONE FOR ANYONE ELSE. DID THIS MEAN THAT YOU COULD EVEN SKETCH SOMETHING OUT FOR SOMEBODY?
POLLOCK: Everything we did was turned into the U. S. Army Center of Military History War Art Collection in Washington D.C. All studies and finished work we completed while working as soldier artists are currently in Center of Military History's museum archives.
There was no one following us around to see if we were doing art work for someone else. The purpose the rule was to insure that what we did went to and would remain in the Center of Military History War Art Collection. There were times when we would do a drawing or portrait of someone in exchange for a drink at a EM club, but for the most part everything we did went into the Army's CMH War Art collection.
Q: WHY DIDN'T THEY ALLOW PORTRAITS? WERE YOUR PORTRAITS OF OLD VN MAN AND VIETNAMESE PAPA-SAN LEGAL?
POLLOCK: Actually, the picture you are referring to is a Korean Papa-San. Before being sent to Vietnam I was stationed in Korea. I had some Korean based art that I also turned in to the CMH after my Vietnam Tour.
The army was fairly liberal in their interpretation of the rules. We had almost complete freedom to draw and paint what we wanted. What they did not want us to do was to be going around doing posed portraits. Our job was to portray experiences and historical record of every day life of soldiers serving in Vietnam.
Q: DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY AMERICAN CIVILIAN VETERAN ARTISTS IN VIETNAM? ONE ARTICLE I READ WAS DEDICATED TO WILLIAM PRESCOTT, A CIVILIAN ADVENTURE ARTIST. IF YOU DID MEET THEM, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THEM BEING THERE?
POLLOCK: Prescott was a civilian artist who did work for the army in Vietnam, I did not meet him or any of the other civilian artists.
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