MY ARTWORK FEATURES IN: ART REVEAL MAGAZINE Issue 44 | September 2018

WHEN, HOW AND WHY DID YOU START YOUR ART PRACTICE?

There isn’t an exact point in time when I started to ‘practice’ art, it was more a natural progression given my upbringing in an urban middle-class suburb of London, which in and of itself encouraged self-expression over ‘traditional’ childish play. My family were also prodigiously artistic, enabling me to develop my burgeoning interest. Dad was a Designer and Illustrator, who greatly encouraged my sincere and earnest early dabbling’s, which included drawing / painting, and the creation of almost ritualistic ‘sculptures’ in natural environments.  My uncle Michael, who is still a practising artist, was also a defining factor, and several cousins / antecedents attended art college, so ‘art’ in all its variance was conceivably instinctual.

I was told later in life that at the age of 3 (after a near fatal accident involving a lift in Amsterdam!), I amazed doctors, who had never seen anyone as young draw a recognisable object - in this case, a car, which for some inexplicable reason I was obsessed with. I continuously ‘doodled, or drew abstract figures, and encouraged by positive feedback from art teachers, I started to take creativity more seriously at school, often to the detriment of my other studies. In my teens I began to feel more of a pull towards art as a vocation, rather than purely a diversion.

It was familial encouragement that acted as the catalyst for me to enroll onto a Design course, which I would rapidly regret. Design and its machinations, in the sense of its prioritisation of aesthetics over emotional response (and my naive presumption of rigidity at the time), proved to not be a path I wanted to tread, despite my parent’s disapproval and despite paradoxically, my actual interest in typography and design. I desired something more cerebral, experimental and ultimately meaningful. Thus, after some ‘wilderness’ years, during which I was employed in various roles, including two years in a design studio (becoming ‘efficient in drawing straight lines’), and a brief stint at the Royal Academy of Art, I returned to further education, a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art. This suited, relatively speaking, my need for freer expression.

Recently I have determined my subjects of discussion as being predominately about human rights through political discourse and the complexity of the human condition.

Vitam Impendere Vero – ‘Dedicate your life to truth.’

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING AN ARTIST?

When working in the field of conceptualism, simply coming up with the final visual ‘product’ is invariably the hardest part. It can require an intense degree of research into the subject matter, a continual breaking down of the concept into its constituent parts, to derive the ‘ne plus ultra’. Transforming an idea into an object / construction / or other physical manifestation can be a cognitive ordeal, but ultimately of the greatest reward.

Another challenge is that of self-belief, intrinsically linked to self-promotion. The ability to actually appreciate my own work, and to ‘persuade’ others to believe in it too doesn’t come easily, particularly as appreciation of art will invariably be subjective. Critique can be an egotist’s ultimate nightmare, or a modest person’s gift. Art is without doubt an incredibly hard vocation to master, and one that often leads to disappointment.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE / DISLIKE ABOUT THE 'ART WORLD'?

The ‘Art World’ is often exclusive, and this exclusivity is perpetuated by mainstream media who tend to only talk about artists and their work if they have shock value or sell for millions at one of the world’s most prestigious auction houses. With regard to major galleries, there is a tendency for them to exhibit art by more well-known artists that have the ability to attract a larger number of visitors, and with financial backing already in situ. In this sense, curation can become driven more by financial gain and footfall (which is perhaps exemplified by the ‘ubiquitous’ exhibition catalogue, which can be an extortionate price), than perhaps exhibiting something more experimental or progressive. It is unfortunate that it is left to the smaller less well funded galleries to push the boundaries of contemporary art, and to encourage emerging artists.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ART SCENE IN YOU AREA?

Having been in the area for less than a year I am still exploring the creative underbelly of the country / region, and the current town I reside in. Historically, there has always been an affiliation with the creative arts in the area, and a stream of important artists and revolutionaries have seemed to emerge from every corner of Spain, often having a direct and profound effect on the art movements of their time.

I have also found there to be a burgeoning, underground movement of visual artists and performers, especially in the nearby city of Murcia. I’m hoping to start developing relationships with local artists and curators in order to fully take advantage of any art discussion, ideas and spaces, whether through a traditional gallery-based setting, or through exploring other presentational contexts within non-traditional locations.

WHAT'S THE BEST ART-TIP YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?

A friend recently introduced me to Brian Eno’s ‘Oblique Strategies (subtitled Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas) which is a card-based method for promoting creativity, jointly created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, first published in 1975. Physically, it takes the form of a deck 7-by-9-centimetre (2.8 in × 3.5 in) printed cards in a black box. Each card offers a challenging constraint intended to help artists (and musicians) break creative blocks by encouraging lateral thinking.

I have found it, rather beneficial even if the ‘answers’ seem a little ambiguous or ‘oblique’! Definitely Recommended.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS AS AN ARTIST?

My future plans are ultimately to further explore my chosen subject matter and to be inspired to conceive a larger body of work. Also, to be able to exhibit as a solo artist or to participate in more group exhibitions (where the subject / theme fits my agenda), whether locally or internationally. I also hope to expand my creative output into other media, perhaps film, installation, publications and ephemera, whilst retaining my need to keep my work minimalist but striking in nature.

LINK: ISSUE 44