Conversation With an artist

For my art, I wanted to find how a successful (living master) worked. I wanted to know how they got there, to where they are now. Basically, how they got from not being able to draw. To being able to draw/paint. I wanted to know all the key steps that they had taken in between. Not neccisarily so I can replicate them. But so u can see how they went the ways they did, led them to being successful, both professionally and technically. It was then, that I contacted David Kassan http://davidkassan.com/. I wrote to him on a social networking sight and he got right back t e and told we should talk on skype because it was too much of a hinderance trying to write it all down on facebook.

He then actually rang me. I was sleeping next to my pc waiting for the right time to ring him when he had finished work. He lives in America however so the difference in time was quite large. He rung at nearly 2 in the morning but I was more than prepared! I actually recorded the conversation on my phone, so that I could go back at a later dater and listen to him answering again, incase I forgot anything. He was very very kind. Ill not go into the detail of what he actually said as I feel they are irrelevant as the module is about the networking part.

The fact that the modern technology allowed me to speak with this amazing guy was what mattered. I had much more of an access to him through these sites/ applications. Ok, in the past there was nothing stopping me from writing a letter to him. Infact im pretty sure he would have answered. However. The fact that regular letters take too long, and the phone too expensive, would have already been a barrier between the connection we had going voice to voice. It was really down to earth. No sucking up arses, it was me asking genuine questions about something I feel passionate about. As I said. He was a very good man.

Online Social Networking

Is social networking the great all mighty answer to all our networking problems?

Personally. I like it but not at the same time… is that strange? I don’t like the constant screens. And don’t like how everything seems to go back to technology , but that’s where people are at these days. Youwant to find near enough anything out you can find it online somewhere. That’s where most of the news is and weather, its where people ‘hang out’ and play games, and share gossip… its very very sad. It seems like some new earth defying technology might shock us all to the core, like how cgi now looks like real life (on screen). Everyone is insanely amazed, wow. But really. All we have done is gone the long way around making a image/video, of something we could have done anyway. Like everyone was so amazed when touch screen came out. You can actually write onto a screen. But just like lee evans says. “well let me this actual biro and this actual piece of fucking paper and write that down” ha ha, the way he says it is funny. However written on this screen, it appears he is one angry individual, he sounds unhappy etc. something that happens everyday through emails, text messages and on sites like face book. People mis read what we say. Some gossip may come in and a girl goe guess what blab la blab la and the other girls goes SHUT UP!... which is clearly easy to mis-read… is she telling her to shut up? Is it a figure of speech? Is she annoyed or thrilled?

Screens, do the same. They seem like lives in themselves but in actual fact the computers in my opinion should just be tools to you REAL LIFE. He he another rant. Man oh man.

Social networking is

· Fast

· Easy to use

· Very easy to access, as Wi-Fi is in almost every bar/ resturante, public place and university

· Its free

· You can upload and display images in seconds

Bad points

· Bad posture

· Screen/ square eyes

· Lazy

· Less full filling as sorting something out with a real person. The experience is diluted

· Rely on machines/ electricity/internet

· Images are often small or pixelated or blurred.

· So much more

Its where people are at. If your not online now. You could be living next door to the god of the arts council but he wont notice you if your not online because he is too busy on the screen while your watching him through the window.

victor albrow. staring into space

Gallery Stats for WJLACEY

WJLACEY has 9,765 pageviews total and their 73 deviations were viewed 41,639 times. Wjlacey watches 138 people, while 160 people watch WJLACEY.

Overall, their deviations received 607 comments and were added to deviants' favourites 1,080 times, while WJLACEY commented 341 times, making about 0.26 comments per day since joining deviantART. This means that WJLACEY received 18 comments for every 10 that given.

The deviation with the most comments is Self Portrait of the soul with 145 comments, and it is also the most favourited, with 662 favourites. The most viewed deviation is Self Portrait of the soulwith 15,060 views.

18 favourites were given for every 10 comments.

Every 17.7 days WJLACEY uploads a new deviation, and it's usually on a Thursday, when 16 (22%) of deviations were submitted.

The busiest month was July 2007 when 11 (15%) deviations were submitted.

The majority of deviations are submitted to the traditional gallery (62), while the favourite category was drawings > portraits with 45 deviations.

Comments per deviation: 8
Favourites per deviation: 14
Views per deviation: 570
Comments per day: 0.46
Favourites per day: 0.83
Deviation views per day: 32
Pageviews per day: 7.55

Pubs/bars and restaurants are networks in themselves. We see it everywhere in Lancaster. Down in Soupanova the nice woman put up posters of local artists and musicians. She has up work, with prices on it. She literally has posters everywhere in her shop. She is very kind. So does the white cross. Penny street bridge where I work, also has a bit of work on the walls that is for sale. They have considered putting some of mine up too. Putting work in these kinds of places is kind of psychological manipulation. The get you to buy there drinks, put on comforting/ exciting/ welcoming music etc, then make you feel at home with beautiful paintings. When a person has good experience, say they’re on holiday and a song is play very often. Then it sticks. In future the song reminds them of the holiday. Its an anchor and I think it can also be true for art. Maybe not quite as forward however as it doesn’t shout out at you like music does. Obviously alcohol effects decisions also…

I have definitely found that hanging work in the homes of friends and family helps get attention. Because first you draw someone as a Christmas present. Everyone sees it and is amazed. A couple of family members are willing to pay (at a lower cost) for you to draw them. Then the cycle has got rolling. A friend spots it in the persons house and asked who did it. They are impressed, the bill sounds cheap enough. Then they get one, and it continues. However I have niticed, that this can also then (depending of the types of people, your friends and family are), one might like a piece for their wall at work. Maybe if that person is ‘high up’ other high up people may see it, be willing to pay more. Once your in that circle, you have the cv to show any actual job/ larger commissions, they see you have experience. But I think doing it this way alone by wrd of mouth can be very slow.

My work on deviant art http://www.wjlacey.deviantart.com has been seen 41,639 times. That’s intense!! That’s a lot of people. Think, if you piled all these people into a room, how many that would be. Its an army… and im only just starting out. These people add you to their favourites, then other people can see that. Basically, if I have 1,080 favourites, (so people can follow me) that’s 1,080 people who have me on their ‘my favourites’ section. So I am basically spread on the site. There are 1,081 places where you can get forewarded to my work…. That’s so much! Thing is. Many of these people are artists themselves…. Artists don’t often want to buy others work. Why would they when they may be able to try do it themselves. However. You do get the odd spotter. I got spotted over the summer. Gate Films of Manchester offered me a job to do a visual script, a graphic novel for their series. I entered my work and it then got placed in the last ten. Then the last three, and then between us three artists. I had to produce a page of script in drawings/paintings of course. I was the favourite apparently to win the job. However. I declined! After I drew the page, I realise that I was NOWHERE NEAR GOOD ENOUGH! No seriously. Ok, my work may look real, I may be technically sound with my drawing. But I had always missed the skills to produce imaginative work without the aid of photographs… I would have had to do 10 images a page, 82 pages… 820 drawings…. I would get a thousand pounds, it would be fun, I could put it in my cv… but I didn’t want to spend my time trying so darn hard to look like I knew what I was doing when I really didn’t… I struggled skill wise really much. I realised then that I need to proper concentrate. I need to put in my all, in learning how to draw the human figure beautiful and near perfectly. I had to have the enormous understanding that is required by me to produce visually sound work… I wasn’t ready, but I will be!

One of the only things with this illustration kind of work, was that they weren’t my concepts. I believe I have got a lot to say. I don’t necessarily want to be a human printer for somebody elses beautiful mind. I have my own, and my own stories to tell. And therefore I will start from the bottom up!

J

The network at the university, I suppose is already the beginning. In fact even college was. I suppose it can be seen as the portal to other experiences involved within your artistic life. For me. All this is so far away from why I wanted to draw. Its just so shut off and is utter crap. Ok it may help in the future. But is natural progression, not more important. Academically minded people lite to research and read, and write and talk and talk and talk about everything art… I feel like they are trying to tell us/ push us to learn about things, people have spent lifetimes learning in just a couple of years. Its all good. Its all to get us prepared for the big tough world but…. I find all this writing and all this artless art research, so creatively and motivationally sapping. Its all too SERIOUS. It has aDULLT written all over it. Just like when your going to do something epic and then people try to scare you out of it, and believe me this happens all the time. I went to Italy on my own last year to meet a guy I had never met in real life and stay at his/ his landlords home for a full week. Everyone was telling me it was ridiculous, and dangerous, they told me how will I get back if I want to come back early, what If I can find him blad de bla de blah…. I got my back pack and went abroad for the first time on my own. These questions need not be answered (FOR ME) until they arise. I have to trust that I will e able to deal with what ever life gives to me. Its kind of living for the moment with an awareness of the possiblitities etc. I had the time of my life. But when I was surrounded by all the close relatives and friends saying such things, it did sap the freshness, the spontaniousness away a little at first. Its not necessarily that your listening to them, its that the negative atmosphere they give off.

Pfft, I want to be inspired by fresh vibrant inspirational-ness, people/ things who have an immense love for life and being alive. I could ramble more. You want to hear more? Feel free to ask me in person mr/mrs/miss/ms whoever you are.

Anyway. Uni also provides, connections, links, other students to commune with, spaces etc

LAN Membership details.

• · £10 annual fee
• · Supports (whatever that means) and promotes the interests of professional ‘visual artists’, whom obviously live or art part of Lancashire
• 

jho

http://www.lanarts.com/

Networks in Lancaster (local)

-LAN (Lancashire Artist Network)

Dukes

Edge

Vault

Alexandra Building

Storey

Luneside studios

• · £100 p/m
• · Waiting lists
• · Interesting seeing how ‘real’ artists work, together and alone
• · Networking much easier in such groups (more artists, working together, all developing their own network webs, which get brought into the group

• · Much more help/ links. For things such as exhibitions.
• · Collaborations, more of possibility.
• · Likeminded people
• · Beautiful locations and more practical
• · New likeminded friends
• · More personal and practical space than home
• · Quite cheap for todays prices (I don’t agree, its really… expensive)

Policies

These may include the policies of galleries, risk assessments, government/ public legal rules (Law). And then of course that good old health and safety set of guidelines etc… bla de blahh.

Networks

Local networks, small and large, social networking sites on the internet and in real life, in your own little circles, friends/ family, galleries- in exhibitions, organisers etc. companies/organisations…. It is quite obvious and have already discussed this before but connections are key if you wish to get your work out there. I believe that this is probably the best kind of thing I could do with publishing my work. As my work isn’t some really expensive materiel, a health an safety issue, its not large so I wont have to pay big travel expenses, so therefore for me, I get to miss out much other stuff.

Iain spoke to us about the arts council and he even kindly gave us a reply he received from them from one of his own applications. So we could see their excuses and stuff for not wanting to help him. I believe its just all about getting there name out there with what they may consider are the right people, which I imagine are events/ pieces etc that will be maybe controversial in someway be it good or bad. So they can see their name in the paper for their part played. More money goes out to the right people, more comes in to them I reckon. (opinion, un-researched, so calm down if all hell is going looses in your head to try and argue back your point he he he!!!)

We spoke of what applications may be taken and why an a little on how to write one.

There are so much rules involved with the arts council, lots of steps you need to get through, like tearing through thorny bushes. The more you ask for, the baggier the clothes. The harder the struggle. However if you right up their street, your naked, pasted with lubricant on a slide, lipping through the bushes.

Ellen found that Channel 4 sometimes helps fund artists for documentaries that would feature in their channels. They are interested in ever increasing popularity from the media (whoever the hell they actually are). The documentaries are usually short and are one offs (not series’). Its judged by your little snippet of a film with an awesome proposal/applications. And the funding can be quite handsome.£10,000-£40,000

http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?s=artsinfo&lang=e&guide=ArtsInfo&type=2&item=2733

http://britdoc.org/

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tags/art-design-and-literature

http://www.tvwhirl.co.uk/images/c42005e.jpg

Funding

This was a kind of recap lesson where we discussed what we really knew and had learned. Basically going back to basics to make sure the foundations are solid enough… who funds the arts/artists… Government, Private/public investors, local/nationwide/worldwide companies…. Why are artists helped and funded by these sources.

Publicity?

A genuine interest in the arts or an artists work?

Iains Talk.

Ian talked about many things. A lifetime of work, he talked about exhibitions he had done, mentioning that at the time he found the thing to be quite a bit more challenging than first imagined.

He spoke of trust a few times in the talk, how it tends to be a back and forth thing. Both the artist and th people/person letting you use their space.

He also spoke a little about funding, for one man shops. He looked at possible sponsorships and other little things that needed to be sorted, such as costs for the space, the private view (like food, and drinks etc)

Artist led Spaces

These spaces have good and bad points.

· Their much quicker to set up and exhibit in than larger, more known galleries.

· They are often funded independantely by yourselves which means your not waiting around for money

· Smaller and more intimate, making way for more intimate and honest feedback, like I mentioned before about being able to focus more on one persons work.

How and where to begin your career in a nutshell… (not from experience. This is all ‘theoretical’ knowledge based on other people’s life experiences. So many be and in some parts probably will not be the best way or, wrong completely.

1. Visit exhibitions/shows

2. Hunt down for the organisers, of the events

3. Have a good little speech lined up for them, so it makes you look more ‘professional’ and what your on about… however this really would go against me and my beliefs, sucking up fakely to peoples rear ends to get someway… were all equal.

4. Blog following like I have already mentioned is an excellent way to delve into the artists life, pick up links, emails, contacts etc and often online people are much more willing to ask ‘ridiculous’ questions, to learn a little.

5. Signing up to mailing lists in the flesh, is a good way, as it can keep you updated on work your interested in of a particular artist. Then you have the exhibirtion to visit, to foullow the guy whose are your going to suck up.

6. Understading your exhibition space (when preparing for your own) is quite a good way of preparing. Well, if your work has big relationships to its surrounding.

7. Again. Asking people questions helps your learn. However, I have found, that there are unlimed questions with only limited answers. You can ask and ask and ask, you can think your learning because your asking. But the trouble with this is. That the guys your speaking to are therefore giving. You ask they give.there isn’t much learning in between that I have found stays around for a long time in your brain. I have found that the best way to learn is by just doing it. Just living the experiences, less theory more doing. When you stuble into problems, I have found that by orking t out for yourself, and then bleninding it into what you already know in your chosen, whatever, you have a pride. And independence. You were unknowing, you figure it and then now you know, and it all came from yourself. However this is suppose can only reall be true in mastering acts, in learning things that you will need. Skills… hmmm, what I am trying to say is that. You may need to get external knowledge to find the basics of things at the beginning. Man… im taking on a massive field of talk here. Way to big to try discuss here. I will leave it for now. As what I am writing sounds confused and mumbled.

Tethervision- http://www.tehter.org.uk

8. Tailor your proposals to suit the differences in the people you may be asking questions too.

9. Creating your own opportunities is what life is all about isn’t it, either sub/consciously, therefore it would be wise to consciously find where to exhibit. Be it in shops (empty), wall spaces, windows

10. Virtual spaces such as websites, blogs, email etc

11. Think about the kinds of people who may wish to see your work, or the kind of people witch you wish to aim your work at, and therefore the content involved within it.

12. Build up little networks in themselves around the exhibitions etc, such as facebook events, with the times etc, and also by sending out written invitations, posters etc

13. A good kind of way to display your work is at events be it national or local. E.g, a Edwardian weekend, where all the peole coming will be in fancy dress, and you could slip your work in to the weekend event, and would have therefore in its self, be in front of more likeminded people with certain interests. This is in effect. Stealing other peoples hard work and money advertising. However this fortuanately can all be accomplished in partnership with the event organisers.

14. Promotion of work is key IF you wish to get a name for yourself and work. –facebook, radio, newspapers, local magazines/national, posters.

15. Apparentely owners of empty spaces such as empty shops do not have to pay as much tax if their space is occupied, and would maybe beifit both artist on owner.

Philanthropy- the giving of something for the greater good.

David Stringley Video Notes:

The tax payer doesn't pay for the arts. the government invests in the arts and receive substantial

returns

a few notes

funding can be found through private sponsors, commission, arts councils, business and companies.

private sponsors are often the wealthy people who see potential in an artist and pursue to help aid them financially should they require. apparently a very large around of funding in the arts comes from private investors.

Policies. company policies are often their own little rules they have when exhibiting work in their space. they make rules for artists stating what they can do for you and usually how they will undertake this.

they can sometimes be a set list. but more often, in the places where regular growing artists will exhibit, they will most likely be spoken words of trust. a mutual understanding of what will be done, where, when, how long etc. the company/ managers etc may say not to put things on this way, or not by that door etc, they may explain that they are happy for you to exhibit for only two weeks and that they will claim no responsibility over thefts etc.

this leads me onto insurance

insurance is strange. its actually as way in itself to make money from your art. insuring your work. Kit Abrhamson, said she had actually made more money by insuring her work than the had selling.

this i suppose can be considered sad, that your work may not be selling. but i reckon that if your clever and again, money motivated, you could really manipulate the system. hmmm, i don't know, maybe even making delicate work that is bound to break with moving to and fro places, and insuring it for a lot of money. then when some helpful young guy accidently moved too fast and it snapped, you would get a handsome pay out.

i dont think this is ideal however and is far from what i want from my art.... what is art anyway. what?...

i like being alive. i have had experience, amazing ones, scary ones, tough... like everybody. i wish to capture those in some way. the questions. the answers. we will all die one day, we were born and WILL die, so i suppose what we do in the mean time might as well be spent living an having fun. meeting amazing people, listening to amazing music, doing something you love to do... i have noticed, that when you get too serious about your fun. its that no longer.

Funding

Funding is often needed for the arts in large amounts, but sometimes smaller amounts are needed. i suppose that if your spending lots and lots of money on work (maybe to get work somewhere or make large sculptures) then these pieces of money available are in need. i think that working in this way has way too much negative properties to do it often. i suppose, however. if it makes lots of money and your money motivated with your work, then its ideal.

Funding is definitely needed if your a person whom is very prosperous with really low income or financial 'security'. i have met people who could do wonders given the chance, but are held back. which is sad, as there is so much money in abundance, at one time we had no money, now its everywhere, and i dont personally like that but it is as real as brushing my teeth in the morning. which funnily enough actually costs money sadly.

Policies (notes from class)

Theme one: Creative responses provide and support access to the arts in the city.

Theme two: Arts, Media and Communication: Enhance Positive media interest for the arts in the city.

Theme three: Community Partnerships promote arts and culture as a means for positive development, expression and good relations in the country.

Theme four: Arts, provide and support creative solutions to resource challenges in arts delivery.

http://www.sibleyfineart.com/

Networks

Im more sure of network than anything else but as far as i assume. they can be in the form of.

• Websites
• Councils
• studio's (private)
• Companies
• Art Forums
• Blogs
• Friends
• Social Networks like Facebook

networks are the connections you make as an artist to get work. so is therefore in the long run... basically and advertisement of your work, an is happening at an ever increasing rate due to the internet being so accessible. in the older days, you would put up post its in shops, on notice boards at maybe a charge of 50p a week. you would have to fight much harder to get your work in with the in crowed where it would maybe then become a little easier.

a woman once told me in a framing shop that also had a little public gallery/ shop, that sold limited edition prints. that your work had to be clean and professionally executed, that the more you advertise your work in print form, the more your work may get sold, the more your work gets sold, the more popular you get. a king of this kind of selling. (limited edition prints, including greeting cards, souvineers etc) is Mike Sibley. he is on of the guys whom everyone seems to have somewhere in their homes. usually he draws animals, specifically dogs. i found a card we had of his that looked identical to one of our dogs at the time, and never realised it was buy him till recently.

Local Galleries

The Edge Gallery:

the Edge Gallery was established in late 2003. it is owned by Local Lancastrians Mr and Mrs Jones. its only a small gallery which displays, continually changing work which is usually by selected artists from across the UK. The work involved isn't iron clad and is continuously changing formats. jewellery, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, paintings, prints, accessories and greeting cards all appear often under the same roof.

The Vault Gallery:

The VAULT Gallery is a small space which is led by artists. it is a place where fellow artists can exhibit and talk about their works. usually only exhibiting one artist or a small collaboration at a time, its quite unique in that the viewers get to focus and think about the work in front of them much more thoroughly than if they were presented with lots like in regular galleries. its a much more intimate experience, with a welcoming, albeit a very expensive bar above.

the gallery is not that well advertised from what i have seen in the street and lies quite hidden below the bar.

its not really the most ideal place with it being small for large works, also with its uneasy accessibility.exhibition space designed for emerging contemporary artists working in any medium.

City 'Museum' Gallery:

i think the introduction on the Lancashire gov site is perfect 'Situated in the heart of this historic city in an elegant Georgian building. Discover more about Lancaster's past from the Romans to the present day. Trace the pedigree of Lancaster's regiment from 1680 onwards. A wonderful collection of portraits and landscapes. Changing programme of temporary exhibition'.

personally i think this is one of the best art galleries in Lancaster, just simply because, its so, full with beautiful objects, and old paintings. it doesn't really hold any of the worlds best paintings, but it really does have some little gems. paintings which are local and really old so you can see how the places have changed.

downstairs in the building, as you walk through the main doors. you are confronted with exhibition space. usually having two on at a time in each of the two large downstairs room/ corridors.

the work is often well advertised. as because its a very prominent and beautiful historic building in the centre of the city centre. its the place where people go to hang around. their are usually lots of posters up in the windows. on the doors. in places such as Sainsbury's also i have seen them. then obviously places like local pubs bars and restaurants

the exhibition spaces are not always just for artists. i have also seen biblical exhibitions which contained artefacts and even exhibitions on the first motorways.

Story GLLE