SPARKed reflections

So, thinking about SPARK, what was good about it for me?
Darryn George: it was great to meet an artist who has inspired me since I first viewed his work. What immediately struck me about him was the way he embodied all the professional qualities that we have been told, good artists should aspire to exhibit. Being humble, organised, well presented, a team player etc. etc. flowed from the man. He is a very good example of a person who is both a highly accomplished artist and the consummate professional. He made it clear this approach has worked for him; I now have little doubt, without exhibiting these qualities it will be very difficult to establish a career in this competitive, demanding yet highly satisfying vocation.

The exhibitions accompanying the event: It was great to see real finished art as well as hearing about the making of art. In particular I enjoyed the National Contemporary Art Award, on show at the nearby Waikato Museum. I enjoyed the variety of art on show as well as most of the choices made by the judge. Certain works were controversial (at least in my book). The winner, ‘Tell someone if something happens’ by Deanna Dowling featured a small empty shelf and smashed ceramic pieces on the ground. It reminded me somewhat of a previous competition winner, which was composed of the screwed up remains of the packaging material used to freight accompanying artworks. Both works at first glance appeared almost pointless, a joke to some perhaps?

Likewise another entry in the competition featured photos of dog poo (titled The Selfish gene by Simon Esling) and a graffiti image of a spray painted dick (penis); Dick by Samantha Matthews. Is this really art? I came away with a resounding yes for all of these works. I may not necessarily like them or want them in my home; but what they are all doing is saying something fundamental about human existence. They make you think – and after all isn’t that what art an important aspect of art?

The PechaKucha evening: In case you don’t know what this is, these are evenings that are all about ideas. The presenters are asked to show 20 slides – they have 20 seconds per slide to talk about their idea. As a result the presentations are relatively quick and in one 2 hour session its possible to hear from 8 or so people who basically talk about their passion or idea. As a result, the audience is exposed to a broad variety of people, ideas and challenges. Its great for networking, stretching the mind and being entertained. The Hamilton night was all these things and a little more. There’s been a Hawke’s Bay series of PechaKucha evenings running for a few years now. I’ve got to the occasional one, but I was again reminded of their value. Note to self: get along more often…

Derek Henderson: Born and raised in Hawke’s Bay, Derek is now a highly regarded fine arts and fashion photographer. More recently he has moved into the moving image and has produced stunning advertising campaigns using both medias. Derek was both speaking and running a workshop which was full before I could get my name down.

What I liked about him was his honesty, good advice and down to earth approach. He kept asking us the audience what we wanted to hear, rather than approaching us with words of wisdom from on high. I liked that about him (I also liked him because I once emailed him a question and he replied with useful advice). Despite his success, he was still prepared to give back and make a little room for those who have yet to make it.

During question time I asked him if the sexualised imagery in some of his fashion photography ever worried him? He said no – sex sells. I suspect it did worry him at times (after all I cannot see how a man can produce such stunning social documentary photography and not be concerned about these things). But the reality is if he didn’t produce these kind of photographs he wouldn’t get any work. This reminded me there will at times be dilemmas in an arts career whether one is producing commercial work or so called fine art imagery. If you are dealing with ideas, people or environmental subjects there will always be questions and answers that are not necessarily easy or comfortable. We will all have to decide where our line will be…

The art of Ta Moko: was an event that took place alongside the main programme at SPARK. I haven’t had much to do with tattoos (or Ta Moko in Maori), nor have I any myself so I found the whole process really fascinating. Yes, the technical side of setting up the machines, needles and the different kinds of inks was interesting, but what really caught my imagination was the cultural aspect of what I was observing. I noted a particular care for the person being tattooed or marked. Respect for the process, the person and what was happening was very much in evidence. The process was soaked in Karakia and protocol. The design wasn’t just for that person, it had to become a part of who they were and reflect their ancestry, passions, personality and calling in life. Great care was taken to find a design that did this and appealed to the person who would have to carry it with them for the rest of their life.

I came away with a healthy respect for the process and the very real art form of tattoo / Ta Moko. Perhaps its time to face the pain and get inked…. If I do I’ll post the result.

Hanging out and getting to know my classmates better: Yes for me perhaps one of the best aspects of SPARK was the chance to get to know my fellow travellers better. Although I am one of the older members of the group I have always felt included and respected. They really are a great bunch of mainly young people (they remind you that most of them do turn out good). SPARK has reminded me the pursuit of arts has to be a individual and collective endeavour. You will always need people to help you at some stage of the process, even if it at the dealer or promotions end.

The ability to muck in and make it work will always be important. This crew largely make it easy. Getting to know people I only knew at a more surface level is also making it easier. I feel I’ve made a bit of a break through…

What was not so good: Like any event there will always be things that did not measure up so well. For me some of the talks or group discussions lack relevance or did little to inspire me. The  emerging practitioner panel was scary in its lack of focus or relevant advice. Perhaps for me they were the wrong people for where I am at in the process?

Some of the events were a little strange in their organisation. The opening function (day one in the evening) was held in a tiny two roomed gallery – to me a larger space would have been better. At times I felt I was looking for something a little more professional and felt a little let down by people who were not quite there yet.

Overall for me SPARK was a useful time and something I’m glad I attended. There were speakers who inspired and encouraged me (notably Darryn George and Derek Henderson) and experiences I’m glad I had. But perhaps the best thing was getting just that little bit closer to my classmates… something that’s now really special for me.

Sparked by SPARK

I’ve just got from my year 6 fieldtrip, to the SPARK conference held in Hamilton. Now in its 16th year, the SPARK international festival of media, arts and design is organised by WINTEC and is designed to foster, grow and inspire creative minds. Well did it happen for me?

A qualified yes – in my next post I’ll describe my highlights and some of those things that didn’t go so well…

Where am I going? – is something we should all ask ourselves on a regular basis

I’ve been encouraged by my tutors lately to ask myself where am I going both in the creative and professional aspects of becoming an artist.

To many, to ask this question may seem obvious. However I have come to realise I have not asked it often enough. So often I have become so caught up in the doing, I have not stopped to take a breath and consider where have I been and where am I going. This is a danger we can all face in daily living; its too easy to not see the lesson learned or that little learning moment that could be invaluable in some future endeavour.

Already I’ve received some clarity – for instance I’ve come to realise I very much fit into the abstract expressionist stream in my painting. However in other areas the darkness continues. I’m learning to be relaxed about that as long as I (at the same time) work on bringing in the light. Mind mapping exercises, working on a website (as soon as you create something to share content you immediately have to ask yourself which content and why) are all proving useful.

I’ll share my progress in subsequent blogs…

Ben is going places

I first met Ben early after he moved to Hawke’s Bay from Palmerston North; at the time I was working as the manager of Creative Napier and there to support and promote the arts. He was looking for opportunities to promote his work and I was able to put him onto a dealer who went on to organise a group show with him alongside some other local artists.

Ben came to talk to us the other day.

7 or 8 years on, its great to see him doing well and going places in his career as an artist. He would be the first to say it hasn’t always been easy, but he did make it plain there is huge satisfaction to be gained from working in the creative industries.

During his talk Ben discussed some of the common myths associated with a career in the arts. Fortunately he was both myth busting and realistic at the same time. He certainly left me feeling inspired, confident and with a greater sense that it can be done. The myths he covered included:

1. all artists are arseholes – a small percentage are, but the vast majority are really nice sociable people.
2. its hard to make it – its more what you make it and how hard you work.
3. its who you know – its more who you get to know. Never burn a bridge.
4. you don’t need a dealer – a dealer will work hard for you and push you along.
5. it will happen when the time is right – you need to make it happen. Publicise yourself regularly.
6. the world has enough artists – No! There is still too much empty wall space to fill!

Perhaps you too have held one or more of the above myths too? I hope the above will encourage you to move on from the myth and embrace more of what should be a new reality for both yourself and the artists working around you.

Curatorial advise

Earlier this year I attended the open day of the new Museum Theatre Gallery (MTG) in Napier. It’s a great facility although it’s evolution has not been without controversy (now that really is another story). Senior curator, Lucy Hammond came to talk to us the other day as part of our professional development series. Again the advice came from someone who has been there herself, and was very worth listening to.

Again she called us to be professional in our approach. At the same time the work we do got a mention. This should have a rigour to it that can clearly be grasped. “You need to be convinced – a robust practise is vital.”

She suggested ways of doing this include the place of editing ones work – sometimes an art work needs to be left behind as not everything will work. She also recommended working in a shared studio context (good for idea generation and feedback), opening the studio doors to the public and regularly putting one’s work out there whether via a blog or for sale.

Developing critical thinking, talking to other artists, mentors, networking (yes, it can be useful to attend those gallery openings – just don’t get drunk) and mastering social media will all be useful in their own context.

Lucy also mentioned public money and made it plain that a track record of success will make it much more likely that an artist will secure funding.

Art & Enterprise

One of the first thing I noticed about Napier is the lovely Statements Gallery situated on upper Tennyson Street. The next door café places its outdoor tables alongside the gallery windows which means a person can have some lunch and look at the art or you can look at the art and the people outside. Somehow it just seems to work and continues to be one of those places of town I just love.

Now days the gallery has been renamed A&E Gallery, although in most other ways it is pretty much the same. One of the owners, Annika Bennett came and spoke to us the other day. The one thing Annika said that stuck with me was “always act professionally.”

The professional side of being an artist is not necessarily the first thing one thinks of when considering what it means to be an artist, however I strongly suspect it is the glue that holds everything together.

Being professional is everything from meeting deadlines, being prepared, working well with others, dressing appropriately, having integrity, being on top of all the legal, accounting and copyright issues… She summed up by saying “under promise, over deliver.”

Looks like I’ve got some work to do…

BAND it

Over the last few weeks we have been encouraged to start thinking more about where we are going as artists both creatively and professionally. There is little doubt in today’s world a person will need strong artistic skills and the ability to run a business. Marketing, book keeping, tax, PR, time management etc. will all be as important to being successful as the art work one creates. It’s difficult to promote rubbish, but good art that is poorly promoted and managed will be held back too.

Our school has arranged a series of speakers to encourage us to think more about the professional side of being an artist. Each time we have a guest speaker I will post a few comments reflecting on what I learned.

First up we had Al from Band; which is a successful design company based here in Napier. Al has had many years in the business and as a result what he said was certainly worth listening to.

Al made it plain that the art and design business is not one for a light approach or for coasting along. Natural talent is a damn good start. But to be successful a person will also need to work hard, be prepared to put in the extra, be on time and do overtime as required. The ability to do good work consistently is also important; after all we are talking about a business here and to survive it will have to keep, attract customers and make money.

He also talked about the importance of humility (know it all’s don’t tend to last long), being able to listen and being a good team player (what’s the point of talent if you can’t fit in?)

Finally – for anyone with big ideas you will have to start at the bottom (yes you will the one that goes to get the coffees and the office errands) and work your way up. However if you have what it takes you should succeed – then maybe those big ideas will see the light of day. Good luck to my readers and…. Me!

EXIT

Today I went along to the EXIT exhibition held in the aptly named Tiny Gallery in Napier City. EXIT is a collective of artists who have graduated from EIT’s visual arts and design programme and who have banded together to hold semi-regular exhibitions post school.

I was impressed by what I saw. The quality seemed high, it was well laid out and was professional in its approach. As I wandered around admiring the art, it occurred to me, this will be me next year. I will be graduating and wondering what next. I too will be faced by suddenly finding myself alone and potentially insecure.

EXIT gives me a sense of hope. One of the hardest part of being an artist no doubt are the years between graduation and starting to become noticed. I suspect many give up when it turns tough -as I am fully expecting it to be (for a while at least). Doing it completely on my own sounds just a little too tough. However groups such as EXIT mean we can do it together at times, while we continue on our journey towards sustainable art practise.

Of course most of it will be up to me. I will have to start working on a plan (best to start now); which will help me work out where I want to go and how I will get there.

First point on the list – join EXIT before I graduate.

some more paintings

Well, here are a couple more paintings, again a little mixed in quality. Soon I will have to select the final few images, including the one I might put into a show. Will let you know what I decide including the reasons, in a future post.

2014 update

Well hello there…. its been a while hasn’t it? I’ve spent the last few months discovering more of the artist within… I’ve started to specialise a bit more (at least at the moment) in paint and video, with some photography thrown in as well. In the second term I might return to sculpture or perhaps try combining my interest in photography with paint.

I’ve basically discovered that my paint work falls into the abstract expressionist stream. Please find below some shots of some recent work. Some are certainly better than others, however I have included them all to give you some idea of the ideas I have at least been exploring. I am only just beginning…