Artist Interview: Julee Latimer

I have a treat for readers today! An exclusive and in-depth interview with one of the most interesting artists I have had the pleasure of speaking to; contemporary artist Julee Latimer. What Julee does with paint will make you look at the materiality of paint in a whole new way!

The Interview

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Julee Latimer and I make beautiful things.

Why do you do what you do?

I have a passion for creating, for making things with my hands.

How do you work?

I start with a colour. Making a work often revolves around one colour in all of its nuances. I make a number of pour paintings all using different varieties of one colour with possible additions of analogous hues. When dry I use these paintings to fragment, layer, and weave. If I am working 2D, these pieces end up on a canvas. When working 3D I test techniques for enabling free standing or suspended form. As I progress, the work often begins to remind me of something and the name springs from there. Sometimes I have an idea in mind, such as a mythological place or a sunset. It is only impressions of the colours that these ideas bring, so again, I begin with colour.

All of this takes place in my studio whilst listening to audio books in a loop and drinking green tea from a gorgeous patterned teapot.

What is your background?

I have drawn and painted all of my life, changing the spelling of my first name when I was about 8 in readiness for becoming a famous artist. I did a degree in Interior Design stopping 6 months before the end as I realized that the big picture does not interest me as much as the details I then studied Colour Therapeutics.. I moved countries 12 times in 17 years and whilst living in Indonesia I read an article about mosaics. It started an obsession that lasted years. I worked professionally as a mosaic artist completing residencies in schools, exhibiting widely, including a solo in New York. I wrote a book ‘Sculptural Secrets for Mosaic’ and taught the art form in Sweden and then in Melbourne. I also worked as a freelance knitwear designer for a time. Four years ago, my practice moved away from glass and into paint again. I am currently in the final stages of my BFA with a double major in Painting and Sculpture.

What is integral to the work of an artist?

Trust, belief, dreams and solitude.

Latimer, Julee. Bombe-belicious. 2017. Acrylic and glass beads.17 x 21 x 21cm

What role does an artist have in society?

All artists are different. I should like to transport my audience into another world and to add some beauty to their lives. I would like my work to make the viewer stop for a while to contemplate.

What has been a seminal experience?

In terms of my painting it was the realization that I could work on plastic. This freed up a whole new direction where I could use paint in its dried form as a basis for sculptural techniques. I was also mighty relieved to say goodbye to the paintbrushes, I have never liked the feel of them in my hands.

Explain what you do in 100 words.

I bring impressions to life. Hmmm… 95 words to go…

I use the back of the paintings as much as the front. I make sculptural works out of paint. I make art for inside and out. I like to paint everything vivid colours. I am continually working on new explorations to incorporate into my work. I love the idea of taking mundane materials and transforming them into something remarkable.

How has your practice changed over time?

Early on I tried to draw and paint realistically, but felt the need to look closer, closer, and closer until the works were more abstract. I like to create beauty so was drawn to the sparkle of glass and used it in all of its forms to make mosaic. I like to create three dimensionally so quickly began to make sculpture to place glass onto. I like textural works so gravitated toward making unique knitwear. Now I combine all of this into my painted creations.

What art do you identify most with?

I take a lot of inspiration from fibre art and craft practices. I think though, whatever I do, I tend to do it abstractly.

What work do you most enjoy doing?

Losing myself in colour, thinking up new ways to use colour, deciding which colours to explore next and how. Fragmenting works and putting them back together again.

What themes do you explore?

My works seem to revolve around the unseen, impressions, invisibility and changing perceptions.

What is your favourite artwork?

I don’t have one.  Artists I admire come and go according to what I am working on at the time. At the MOMA exhibition, NGV Melbourne, the three artworks I was most moved by were the shadows cast by Anni Albers weaving, Al Loving’s torn canvasses and El Anatsui’s bottle cap wall hanging. Although I paint, I am only rarely inspired by other painters.

Latimer, Julee. Eye Candy. 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 38 x 115cm.

Describe a real life situation that inspired you.

I think that the constant moving that took up a large part of my life plays an indirect role in the way I see the world – in flashes and glimpses (stopping and starting) rather than full on and complete. Lately, for example I created paint weavings to symbolise the memories of past homes and the people I have left behind. But this recent project is the first that has dealt directly with the influence the moving has had on me and I found it very draining. The moving also indirectly influences the way I often work with ideas of invisibility and lack of support, both of which are felt when moving to a new country, in my experience. Mostly, I think I process information by fragmenting it, whether emotional or visual. For example, I couldn’t decide on a flavour at the Gelati Bar a few weeks ago. I came away from that experience with impressions of the pattern and swirl of the myriad of colours. This played out in my Gelati painting. So it is not all inspirations of great depth.

Why art?

Why breathe…?

What is an artistic outlook on life?

It is appreciating the unseen space that exists between the layers of life.  It is seeing the beauty in the ordinary.

What is a memorable response you have had to your work?

When one of my paintings was featured in Art Edit magazine, it was critiqued by three interior designers. One of them said “it was like a psychedelic jewel box or a slice through the earth of a land made totally of candy” (Brett Mickan, 2016). I liked that description as it suggested the playfulness of a kaleidoscopic journey. The Untitled work became Candyland.

Latimer, Julee. Near or Far. 2018. Acrylic and metal mesh.105 x 60cm

Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

It can be isolating and there is a great deal of alone time, but that does not necessarily equate to loneliness. I tend to look up every few months and realize that I need company. I arrange dates to catch up with friends and invariably eat too much café food along the way.

What do you dislike about the art world?

Launches – my own and other peoples.

Business – the need to market myself on umpteen online platforms.

Finances – the way in which galleries will promote the artists who sell over the many artists who are making fabulous work and could sell, given half the chance.

Discounts – galleries who offer reductions of any kind on artwork. It puts out the wrong message, looks unprofessional and means that work hours often go unpaid.

Fees – the extortionate fees required to exhibit or to enter art prizes.

What do you dislike about your work?

I dislike having to sort out the irritating stuff, like how it will hang, can it suspend without seeing the fixings and how will it transport if someone wants to buy it. Specifically, I dislike everything I do in the middle part of its creation. I think of my process like a journey, the upward incline of excitement as the idea takes shape. The drop into the shady valley when it looks nowhere near as good as in my head. The mountain top I reach when the work is finished and I can’t believe I actually achieved the result I wanted. For this reason, and for my sanity, I always work on a number of pieces at one time.

What do you like about your work?

I like the vast amount of alone time it affords me. I like being surrounded by the colours that I resonate with. I like that I make use of my hands to create wonder on a daily basis, assuming it all goes to plan. Mostly I love to be able to bring my imagination to life in interesting visual ways.

Latimer, Julee. Sunset. 2017. Acrylic on canvas.183 x 60cm

Should art be funded?

Hell yes.

What role does art funding have?

It validates what we do and allows us equal footing with those who have a regular monthly pay packet.

What research do you do?

I do a lot of googling and reading art magazines, both online and in print. I visit the NGV (International and Australian) a fair bit, getting to as many curator talks as I can.

What is your dream project?

To realize my ideas at huge scale by the creation of works that people can be enveloped in. Ideally this would be at the NGV and I would be paid for it (handsomely). I would have a team of practically minded assistants. I would also have a marketing agent to shield me from too much reality, such as TV appearances

What three artists would you like to be compared to?

I have no interest in being compared to anyone. I feel that one of the most insulting things an artist can hear is ‘your work is so similar to…….’

Latimer, Julee. Avalon. 2018. Acrylic and paper on canvas. 91 x 91cm

Favourite or most inspirational place?

I have a studio in Venus Bay, South Gippsland. It is peaceful there facing a farm filled with cows and kangaroos. There are cockatoos and galahs squawking, butterflies flitting and the scent of jasmine and lavender on the air. There is the roar of the ocean in my ears. I can think clearly there and the emphasis is not as much on outcomes as it is in my home studio.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

I have thought long and hard over this question and cannot think of anything in particular. However, I like this quote although I have no idea who said it, “do what makes you happy and the money will follow”, beautiful sentiment and it is so nice to be happy whilst I wait.

Professionally, what is your goal?

To have gallery representation worldwide. To be in major international collections. To have articles written about me and my work. To be able to afford a marketing agent and professional photographer. To be awarded grants to exhibit internationally. To pay a teenager to handle all social platforms.

What wouldn’t you do without?

My family and colour.

 

Thank you Julee for baring your artistic soul to us with your insights and for sharing your beautiful works.

 

If you’d like to see more of Julee’s work she can be reached via the links below.

Web               www.juleelatimer.com

Gallery           www.bluethumb.com.au/julee-latimer 

Facebook        www.facebook.com/ArtbyJuleeLatimer

 

 

I am a member of blogging communities, you will find my posts here too:
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Review: Interview with Doreen Garner

I came across an artist interview in BOMB Magazine online called Memory and Ritual: An interview with Doreen Garner by Forrest Muelrath, confronting the legacy of J. Marion Sims, the father of modern gynaecology. It concerns medical Apartheid, the medial abuse of African American women by a white male doctor. Sims has been exposed by “historical accounts of the brutality involved in the development of his surgical techniques and his racism against black people (Muelrath 2017).” The artist reconstructs severed limbs from prosthetics and other materials that informs her process and supports her conceptual premise. The Sims statue in Central Park, currently surrounded by police barricades and protestors, is the subject of Garner’s November 30th 2017 performance in which she addresses the exploitation of black people.

Her discussion of glass as a medium is insightful, argued to be very flesh-like in its molten form, rigor mortis being simulated as the glass cools and hardens.

The performance exhibition includes a surgical procedure, a vesicovaginal fistulas closure, by black women surgeons on an effigy of Sims, simulating a degrading and painful procedure performed on black women without anaesthesia.

This harrowing and emotional exhibition centres around exposure of a sadist who received acclaim as a white male doctor at the expense of many black female patients. Rather than memorialising him the artist is exposing him for many cruel and degrading procedures he performed that people are unaware of.

Muelrath, F. 2017. Memory and Ritual: “An Interview with Doreen Garner by Forrest Muelrath.” BOMB Magazine. Archive Issues. https://bombmagazine.org/articles/memory-and-ritual-an-interview-with-doreen-garner/

Artist Interview: Paul Hallam

In this final interview of the current series I am delighted to introduce you to the artwork of Australian artist Paul Hallam. Paul’s work is ‘bouncy’ vibrant and energetic, expressed in popular comic style art; a genre that is sadly often undervalued or underestimated in the art world. Paul’s artistic knowledge of anatomy gives his characters structure and believability  and the quirkiness in his illustrations endear these characters to the viewer while often illustrating a parody or life lesson. Even Paul’s signature on his artworks will induce a smile as it is usually accompanied by a loud exclamation mark!  To follow more of Paul’s work please see the links at the end of the interview.

Paul Hallam. ‘Cat water’, 2015, 20x21cm, Pen & Ink with digital colours.

• Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Paul Hallam. I have been married to my wife Carolyn for almost 12 years and we have 4 young children. I currently work as a visual arts teacher’s aide and am studying graphic design, part time at Shillington College, Sydney.

• Why do you do what you do?

A few reasons. It’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s the way I am wired.

• How do you work?

I like trying out a bunch of different materials but my main tools are pen and ink, and digital art programs like Photoshop. I am just beginning to work out how to do my work completely on the computer. I have found that the digital process gives me a lot of freedom to experiment, especially in the rough sketching stage of drawing.

• What’s your background?

In terms of art, my main background has been comic books. I’ve been reading comics since I was 13 and began drawing my own stories later on in high school. After school, I studied a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) majoring in illustration. That was a lot of fun. I then spent the next 10 years working in a different area before coming back to art and design in 2014.

• What’s integral to the work of an artist?

I think that doing art is about seeing and showing. An artist needs to have the ability to see a complex object in such a way that you can break it down into its basic shapes, proportions and spaces. For example, being able to breakdown a car into rectangular prisms and cylinders. And then an artist needs to be able to take these basic shapes that they have seen and show them on the page.

I also think that it’s important for an artist to have a strong desire to keep learning, developing and improving. I want to be continually learning more about human anatomy, storytelling, colour, and so on.

Paul Hallam. ‘Superman Sketch’, 2016, 20x21cm, Graphite Pencil.

• What role does the artist have in society?

I think the artist has many possible roles in society. The artist’s job can be to entertain, amuse, inspire, critique, instruct, to help others reflect, to show beauty and more.

• What has been a seminal experience?

When I was in year 9 my friend gave me a copy of ‘How to draw comics the Marvel way’. This book changed the way I draw. It gave me all the basics that I needed. I still use the ideas and techniques today. I don’t know if I would have carried on with art in high school if not for that book. It equipped me and energised me for drawing. That period was a time of a huge leap in my art.

• Explain what you do in 100 words

Generally, I start with a bunch of really small, rough sketches either on paper or on the computer. I then refine, adjust, combine and strengthen these initial sketches. Once the composition is sorted out, I will do a larger loose drawing, starting with stick figures and building up the shapes and forms. I usually then trace this either on a light box or on the computer to make a tighter drawing. Finally, this drawing is transferred onto Bristol board for inking and then I colour it in Photoshop. I try, throughout this process, to refine the image but I also strive to keep the energy of the first drawings. I don’t want my drawings to get too stiff.

• How has your practice changed over time?

My practice has changed a lot over the years. I think I have gotten a bit looser with my drawing than I was maybe 10 years ago. It has also gotten more cartoony. A bit more bendy and exaggerated. I use computer programs more now as the software and hardware has improved and become more affordable.

Paul Hallam. ‘Harry Potter’, 2015, 29.7x21cm, Pen & Ink and watercolour.

• What art do you most identify with?

As I said before, I am a huge comic book fan. I really like the fact that comic stories can deal with deep and important themes as well as be entertaining. I can really identify with Spider-man. The main theme for his story is “With great power comes great responsibility”. He’s all about using his abilities for the sake of others, even when it costs him to do so. I like that moral rule. It’s something to aspire to. I also identify with Batman. Batman is a guy who sees criminals hurting people and getting away with it. He sees the inability and corruption of the police. So he does something about it. I think everyone can relate to that as they look around their community and the world.

In terms of artistic styles, I love bold, simple and graphic looking artwork. There is something very sophisticated about simplicity. I also love dynamic, exaggerated and cartoonish art. I can appreciate realism but it doesn’t really impact me as much as more stylised work.

• What work do you most enjoying doing?

I did a book cover for a friend of mine last year. It was a parody of Star Wars called “Star Pizzas”. It was a fun project because I got to muck around with the designs of characters like ‘Darth Grater’, ‘Princess Lasagne Layers’ and other cheesy dad-joke characters.

Paul Hallam. ‘Star Pizzas’, 2016, 13x17cm, Pen & Ink with Digital colours.

• What themes do you pursue?

Pop culture, everyday life, I like using humour in my work. I want it to be bouncy and optimistic.

• What’s your favourite art work?

I have always been drawn to the impressionist painters. I remember visiting the Art Gallery of NSW and being drawn to the works by Paul Cézzanne and Van Gogh. I think I like the vibrant colours, the textures and the energy of the Impressionists. When it comes to comic book art, I love the marvel comics style of the 60’s and 70’s. I have a print of the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first appearance of Spider-man) on my wall at home. It’s such an iconic image.

• Describe a real-life situation that inspired you

I remember one drawing was surprisingly inspired by a year 1 child at school. I was pinning up some artwork in the library. The class had been given the task of creating a monster and they all did a fantastic job. But one drawing stood out to me. It was a giant pink blob, with three eyes and it was standing on multiple long legs. The student said that it was based on a spider. I thought it was cool and a little cute. This inspired me to create my own version of this “Brain-Spider”. Mine was less cute, but hopefully a lot more creepy.

• Why art?

Because art adds so much flavour to life.

• What is an artistic outlook on life?

I am extremely visual. I remember faces better than names, I usually notice what people are wearing, their hairstyles and their expressions. I also deconstruct the things that I see. It just happens automatically. I see something and I try and work out how to draw it.

• What memorable responses have you had to your work?

In 2014 I took a painting course at a community college. Acrylic painting has always scared me, so I decided to do a beginner’s course to demystify it a bit. I spent the term creating a self portrait where my face was made up of various superheroes. We held an exhibition at the end of the term and it was so exciting to see people looking at my work. Especially when kids were trying to list all the superheroes in my portrait.

Paul Hallam. ‘Superhero Self portrait’, 2015, 29.7x42cm, Acrylics.

• Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

I’m an introvert so I don’t mind being by myself. However, with family, friends and social media, it’s all pretty balanced I think.

• What do you dislike about the art world?

I remember feeling slightly annoyed at the low view many artists or art teachers have to comic art. It’s frustrating because some of the artwork is amazing. I think it’s changing at a popular level. Superheroes are very popular at the moment. I have heard of art galleries doing exhibitions of comic artists and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney did a Lego DC superheroes exhibit.

• What do you dislike about your work?

I find it frustrating when there is one small bit of a drawing that just doesn’t look right. Often I will be whittling away at it over and over again. Sometimes I don’t see it until the work is finished and then all I can see is the mistake.

• What do you like about your work?

I have fun doing it so hopefully my work is fun and interesting for others too.

• Should art be funded?

Yes, as other areas are also funded. Creative arts are an important part of our society and should be respected and encouraged to flourish.

• What role does arts funding have?

I think it would be fantastic if there could be more funding for good artists to work in schools and universities, whether to do permanent teaching jobs or to be visiting lecturers. I can imagine how helpful that would be to high school and Uni students.

• What research do you do?

It depends. Some sketches are just ideas that pop into my head. They are inspired by books I have been reading (fiction, biographies), movies, TV shows, current events and everyday family life. My sketch book is right next to my bed to grab those ideas before they slip away. Other artworks require more research. For example the ‘Coffee Snobs’ illustration I spent a week mind mapping, investigating coffee culture in Australia and brainstorming different possible ideas for the brief.

Paul Hallam. ‘Coffee snobs’, 2015, 20x15cm, pen and ink with digital colours.

• What is your dream project?

Wow that’s a good question. I would love to work on a children’s book. I have been playing around with some ideas for some books. Or something superhero related? Comic books are great but they do require a significant amount of work within a small amount of time.

• Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

Mike Wieringo, Skottie Young and Chris Bachalo. They are all American comic book artists who have styles that I enjoy. While I don’t think my art looks exactly like theirs, I do feel that they are some of my influences so I would love to be mentioned in the same breath as them.

Paul Hallam. ‘The man from the moon I’, 2002, 21×29.7cm, Pen & ink with digital colours.

Paul Hallam. ‘The man from the moon II’, 2002, 21×29.7cm, Pen & ink with digital colours.

• Favourite or most inspirational place

I find inspiration in many places. I love looking through art books, lots of ideas come from hanging out with my kids or watching our dog chase our cat around the house. I have also found hanging out at the shops or the gym to be inspirational. You can see some interesting looking people doing strange and interesting things that make for good cartoon characters or stories.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Keep drawing all the time. Keep drawing the same thing over and over again until it becomes deeply ingrained.

• Professionally, what’s your goal?

Even though I have been doing art for a long time, I have only been taking it more seriously over the last year and a half. Really I am just at the beginning of my professional life. I am looking forward to finishing off my studies this year, which will update and build on my previous learning. So my goal this year is to learn everything I need to be a creative, effective and efficient graphic designer/illustrator.

• What wouldn’t you do without?

I’m a Christian so I would never want to be without Jesus. And also my relationships with my family.

Paul Hallam. ‘Blame it on the rain’, 2015, 24x27cm, Pen & Ink and Watercolour.

To reach Paul or to see more of his work follow these links:

Website

Facebook Page

Tumblr

Twitter

Linked In Profile

Artist Interview: Petra Kakakios

When I first ‘met’ Petra during our art studies last year she was only 18 years old yet the artwork that she has produced would have you believe that she is much older, and convinces me that she is a prodigy. Petra excels at art, music and Taekwondo. What a joy it has been to see this extraordinary young artist flourish with well deserved accolades in recent exhibitions. When you read Petra’s words below you too will be struck by what an exceptional young person (and artist) she is. This is a link to Petra’s Facebook Artist Page, and to her Youtube Channel.

Petra Kakakios

• Who are you and what do you do?

I am an artist and an athlete in the Olympic Sport of Taekwondo. My Art and Taekwondo compliment and balance each other and are equally important to me. So, researching material, connecting themes, then drawing, painting, composing music, writing poetry, photographing ideas, and training in my sport, drive my purpose and empower me to be the best I can be.

• Why do you do what you do?

I create art because I see it as my calling in life. It is my mission, my thing. It is what I can do! It is an extension of myself.

• How do you work?

I am very perceptive and observant of what is happening in the world around me. I often have a strong visual idea from that insight and then reflect on how I can translate this most effectively. I may begin sculpting my subject and setting, then photographing it. This is the Performance Art aspect of what I do. I then make sketches, draw and/or paint it. As I am painting, I am able to hear its voice and during this process may compose music to accompany, or be part of the artwork.

(WARNING: viewers may find the images below disturbing)

Photography and Make up 2015

Graphite Drawing, 2015, 29.7 x 42 cm

“Untitled” 2015, acrylic paint on canvas, 45 x 60 cm

• What’s your background?

I am 19 years old and the second eldest of eleven children in my family. (I am the eldest girl, though 😉 I live in rural South-East Queensland on 180 acres of mountainous land. I have lived in Sydney at interim periods of my life and I can’t wait to move to a vibrant city in the near future!! I have been home educated since age 5, completing Year 12 in 2013 and home trained in Taekwondo. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art online.

• What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Being true to oneself – not deviating or distracting from who you are. Learning and challenging your assumptions is essential to the work of an artist. Creating original artworks derived from the heart.

• What role does the artist have in society?

A true artist has a very significant role in society. Not only does an artist bring forth his/her intentions, perspectives, and perceptions of life, but in doing so, creates the opportunity to touch the lives of others. The artist prompts the public to respond, creating dialogue, whether it be internal or external, silent or expressed. As an artist, I think the role is to help the public learn more about themselves as individuals and as a society, culturally, socially, historically and personally.

“Goodbye Sweet Hat” 2015, Acrylic paint on canvas, 45 x60 cm

• What has been a seminal experience?

When I was eleven years old, I vividly remember how excited I was when I heard the news that my Mum was going to have a baby. There was a mystical feeling about this new life coming into the world which affected mine. I was going to be there, and have someone new to love and help take care of. My Mum miscarried that child quite late, which was the first of a few. During this time, it seemed the disappointment was unbearable. I think that experiencing this loss was a defining point in my life. I began composing music, writing poetry and painting to express the sadness I felt about the real loss of children whom were supposed to be part of my life, and uncanny as it may sound, their absence has made them present, still here somehow. Now I am compelled to create art with gaps and silences, with something missing, so that what is not there, is noticeable and present.

• Explain what you do in 100 words

I tend to experience phenomena very profoundly and create what I feel about a particular subject. Music and art are my way of expressing these associated feelings. I compose music and create to the feeling generated or vice versa. Life stories, the everyday, tragedy and loss particularly influence me and I am compelled to visually translate this. As the artist, I want to force people to look deeper, to see what is really happening. And because I become, or take on the role of who and what I am creating, I am often trapped in the theme.

“Knock out the Glass People! It isn’t Beautiful!” 2015, Graphite powder and gouache paint on paper, 59.4 x 84.1 cm

• How has your practice changed over time?

My style is continually changing. I think my whole outlook on art has changed over the years too. I have branched out from only painting in acrylic, to drawing with graphite, to using different mediums and techniques, employing photography and film, composing and adding music to my art – to being completely unlimited in what I use to best translate my perceptions. I have transformed from being timid in my artwork, meekly introducing my ideas, to now, confidently shocking the viewer into realisation.

“Black Rose” 2014, Mixed Media on Canvas, 60 x 50 cm

• What art do you most identify with?

I identify with hyper-realism and magic realism in art.

Hyper-realism and magic realism create an intangible form that is rather abstract and cannot be painted. The two forms create a magical sentiment that is ‘unreal’ in realism, unseen in the seen and present in the absent.

• What work do you most enjoy doing?

I really can’t choose what I enjoy the most. Photography, drawing, painting etc is all a part of the performance. Each stage has a purpose in the creative process and I enjoy each one as it comes about naturally.

• What themes do you pursue?

The fundamental theme of my art is sweet childhood. The components that course through this theme are: suffering, the forms of abuse, the slave trade, crime, war and these are juxtaposed subtly alongside historical and political events. Innocence and vulnerability are evident and simultaneously hidden. The way I highlight the naivety of my subject is by inserting a fantasy element. In the ugliness of the reality, there is an underlying beauty in the imagination.

“Harmony of Hooves” 2014, Graphite and Gouache paint on paper, 29.7 x 42 cm

• What’s your favourite art work?

I think one of my favourite artworks would be my own painting, “anima al finé”. It is the only piece of art I have created that has truly connected with me, my purpose and the audience.

“anima al finé” 2014, Acrylic paint on canvas, 60 x 60 cm

• Describe a real-life situation that inspired you

When I was 14 years old I entered my first acrylic painting of a wolf, “Call of the Wild” in a Write4Fun Art Competition in 2011 and came second out of 6,000 entries. I was inspired by the winner’s realistic drawing and I began experimenting with other materials, techniques and styles.

“Call of the Wild” 2011, Acrylic paint on canvas, 30 x 40 cm

• Why art?

Art allows me to express outwardly what I experience internally.

• What is an artistic outlook on life?

Being able to see more completely. Not just taking a quick glance but really beholding.

“The Way We Were” 2015, 29.7 x 42 cm

• What memorable responses have you had to your work?

I have witnessed people standing back, in front of my artwork, utterly absorbed by it. The most memorable responses are optimistic.

• Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

I think there is a marked difference between lonely and being alone. I am not lonely because I am surrounded and supported by my family, yet I am alone in my endeavour. Any vocation that requires extensive periods of time alone, like an author or an artist, I think you have to recognise the prospective loneliness. To counteract this possibility, I intend to experience campus life, where I am receiving more constructive feedback and critical analysis from others.

• What do you dislike about the art world?

I dislike the results orientated mannerism that is encouraged – it misleads artists from their purpose. I don’t like how there are political undertones for attaining recognition as an artist.

• What do you dislike about your work?

What I don’t like is how restricted or limited I am with materials and financial ability. The challenge is to find a way irrespective and that is part of being an artist. However, I feel I haven’t been able to reach my full potential at this point in my career.

• What do you like about your work?

I like that I can see how much more I can do. This is exciting for me.

• Should art be funded?

I think there should be requisites to funding and I would like to see funding go through the right pathways for it to be accessible to the right people.

• What role does arts funding have?

I think it would have a massive role in society. At this point I am only understand the significance of funding at a local level and would like to see artists, youth workshops and events funded.

• What research do you do?

I research images and articles and different media sources on tragedy, war, genocide, anti-Semitism, religion, terrorism, and specifically integrate child victims. I like to investigate historical, cultural and contemporary events. Painting and material techniques are also a part of my research and depending on what I want to create, I can discover the best processes.

• What is your dream project?

My dream is to design and build the most unique art gallery in the world and have my work exhibited! I’d like to travel the world photographing/filming people and events and coming back to my studio to continue the creative process! My dream is to touch and change the world through my art!

I have a Taekwondo dream to become World and Olympic Champion.

• Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

I really don’t like to compare myself to other artists. But I will state the artists that I most admire.

Gottfried Helnwein, Chiharu Shiota and Kathe Kollwitz. I especially relate to Gottfried Helnwein’s subjects, art forms, notions and perceptions.

• Favourite or most inspirational place

I find inspiration everywhere as all my ideas are influenced by what happens in the everyday.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Do what you think about!

• Professionally, what’s your goal?

To be exhibiting my work on a global scale.

• What wouldn’t you do without?

Living!

Artist Interview: ‘Joti’ (Julie Taschke)

Joti. “Objects of Obsession” 2009 Water soluble oil on canvas 30 x 60 cm x 2 panels

• Who are you and what do you do?

Hi, my name is “j0ti” (Julie Taschke). I am an artist, wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunty and art is what I do. 

• Why do you do what you do?

I do my art for pleasure, as a release for my Bi-polar tensions, most of all because I can. 

• How do you work?

Usually I work intensely, have to finish what I begin in a day, but sometimes I like to plan and take my time, changing my plans as I go. 

• What’s your background?

I grew up in the middle of six children in a loving family in North Queensland. We had a lot of spare time on our hands, as many hands make light work, so drawing and story writing became some of my favourite pastimes. Childcare was my main working background. 

• What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Imagination, freedom, communication and a desire to create is integral to the work of an artist. 

• What role does the artist have in society?

An artist role is to share some new insight of their surrounding and imagination for viewers to participate in, appreciate, love, hate, communicate about, and invoke emotions. 

• What has been a seminal experience?

I guess being hung in Parliament House, Brisbane, as part of a group show, not once but twice made a big difference to the way I viewed my art.

• Explain what you do in 100 words.

I used to get an idea and just go to my paper or canvas and paint, draw, create. I have learnt from others that sometimes it is best to sketch and plan what I do. Now I use either method, depending on what I am creating. I like my work to be spontaneous. Water soluble oils are a favourite and I am partial to using pastels, charcoal and ink but in recent months I have ventured into the world of glass and clay. I am now teaching art at a community centre near me and find it so rewarding to be able to share my knowledge with others who are interesting in listening and learning. 

Joti. Bi-polar 2015 Glass

• How has your practice changed over time?

I began my art practice as a way to cope with trauma; I now use my art practice to share my feelings, insights and way of viewing the world through mental difference. 

• What art do you most identify with?

Surrealism seems to be the style that intrigues me the most. 

• What work do you most enjoying doing?

I really enjoy ink and charcoal, but any medium is good. Miniature works are the best for me but I am up for any size work really. I enjoy creating new life in old familiar objects. 

• What themes do you pursue?

I usually pick a theme that suits my mood. If working towards a group exhibition then I go with the group theme otherwise I just pick a word and see what happens.

• What’s your favourite art work?

I am yet to pin just one artwork down as my favourite. 

• Describe a real-life situation that inspired you

A real life experience in my art world was to walk through the Louvre in Paris, the Vatican Museum in Rome and to stand in a room with some of my favourite paintings by Salvador Dali, Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Chagall and Gaugin in London. These experiences have inspired me to create more freely and to realize that my meagre contributions to the world of art are different again from anything that I have encountered in these wonderful galleries. 

Joti. “Logan” 2002
Acrylic on canvas 40 x 40 cm

• Why art?

I was not really into sport or school at the time I became interested in art. Art could take me anywhere and I could work on it anytime, even when at family functions, or in the car and it kept me calm when nothing else did. 

• What is an artistic outlook on life?

Looking at the world from a different perspective, not just the role you are given, but the one you create for yourself. 

• What memorable responses have you had to your work?

I have had a young lady sit in the gallery room, where my painting was hung in our group exhibition, and start singing the song that I had painted the music for within my painting. 

• Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

Artistic life can be lonely as you spend so much time within yourself. I share myself with others who are like minded, assisting in teaching others with intellectual difference and I volunteer with people who have Dementia in an Art appreciation group. 

• What do you dislike about the art world?

It seems to be very clicky where I am, if you do not keep in with the “in” group you really have to fight to get noticed. 

• What do you dislike about your work?

Each piece of work has its own character and sometimes the work just does not sit well with what I had set out to achieve. It does not deter me, if I do not like it I set it aside and come back with new eyes in a couple of days and adjust the character. 

• What do you like about your work?

I like that my work is so different from most of the other artists that I exhibit with. It inspires conversation about the meaning of my work. 

Joti. “Together” 2009
Acrylic on canvas. 30 x 40 cm.

• What research do you do?

I research ideas I have for artworks, mainly to see if what I am thinking of has not already been done before. I also research topics that grab my interest such as dementia, autism, food sensitivities, mental illness and of course art styles. 

• What is your dream project?

At this stage in my art practice this would have to be to hold my first solo exhibition before the end of this year. 

• Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

Salvador Dali, Picasso and Pro Hart. 

• Favourite or most inspirational place

I have been to some very inspirational places as I mentioned earlier, but my favourite place to create is at home, under my gum tree. 

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Trust in myself, live life like there is no tomorrow, express what I feel so others may feel it too. 

• Professionally, what’s your goal?

I would like to finish my Bachelor of Arts: Fine Arts degree, with some psychology and dementia studies included then work helping others (teens) who need to express their inner turmoil so they can live with an artist outlook on life. 

• What wouldn’t you do without?

I would not do without me, myself and I and the freedom to express my inner most feelings in my art. This is what I think makes my life and art different.

Joti. “Mystic” 2002 (shown in 2006) Acrylic and pastel on canvas.
60 x 60 cm

 

WP Daily Prompt: The Stat Connection

Artist Interview: Stephen Tiernan

It is my great pleasure to introduce readers to Australian portrait artist, Stephen Tiernan. His portraits are beautifully rendered with expressive brushstrokes and exquisite palettes; however, Tiernan goes beyond that. He successfully manages to capture the emotions of his models, breathing an extraordinary life-like quality into his portraits, giving us  – the viewer – a deeper insight into his subjects. These are more than beautiful faces on canvas, these are real people with real emotions that speak to us from Tiernan’s easel. What follows is an interview with the artist as we learn more about his process and practice, his philosophy and dreams.

Who are you and what do you do?

For my day job I am a Detective Senior Sergeant in the Queensland Police Service. I have been a police officer for 26 years with the majority of my service in plain clothes. I have worked in regional detective offices as well as specific taskforces and squads including organised crime taskforces and the Homicide Squad. Once I leave the office though I don my artist hat and paint. I get inspiration from all I see. I like to paint the human face or figure and never get tired of this genre.

Why do you do what you do?

I paint and draw as I have a constant burning desire to create. I have had this since my school days and all through school I was encouraged by my teachers to become an artist or work in a related field. I disregarded all of their advice and joined the army. After 4 years in the army I joined the police.

How do you work?

When I paint or draw I tend to work very fast and in an expressionist style however I am finding that as my technique improves I am having to slow myself down. I love working from life when doing portraits or figurative work however this is not always possible so I use photographs as reference material.

What’s your background?

I was born in Scotland and moved to Australia with my family when I was 2. I am a married man who recently turned 47 years old. My wife and I have 5 children (4 boys and a girl). I started to concentrate in my art late in life so I am making up for lost ground and spend all my free time making art. I have wonderful support from my wife who also works full time as a lawyer.

What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Passion, desire and an inspiration to create are integral but I also believe support is necessary.

What role does the artist have in society?

The role of an artist in society is crucial. When we look back in history it is the artist and the artworks of society that are remembered and treasured.

What has been a seminal experience?

The birth of my children and the desire to paint and capture them in a unique and special way that only art can do.

Stephen Tiernan ‘Looking for Identity’ 2015 – oil on linen 50.9cm X 61cm (20″X 24″)

Explain what you do in 100 words

I am always thinking of ideas for my artwork so I carry a journal and either write them down in that or make notes in my phone. Once I have an idea I will start doing some preparatory drawings to see what the results look like. I will then look for material and if necessary take photographs. When I commence one of my paintings I will initially use the photograph as a reference to lay down the proportions. Once I start I will put the photo away and develop the painting that way and allow the painting to guide me.

How has your practice change over time

I am yet to have developed what I would call a ‘signature style’ however I see improvement in my work all of the time. I would say the biggest change in my practice is I am working a lot slower and methodical. The statement attributed to Degas, “Painting is easy when you don’t know how but very hard when you do” is certainly coming true in my case.

What art do you most identify with?

All forms of painting. I love expressionist artworks. I love to see how others interpret and translate what they see. I have great admiration for the artist that can produce a hyper realist image but it is the expressionist works that make my heart beat faster.

What work do you most enjoying doing?

I never tire of doing portraiture. When I paint a portrait it is like I am removing a mask and I am seeing something for the first time. Those little micro expressions we experience whenever we communicate with someone can say so much and I like to somehow try and capture that.

What themes do you pursue?

As I used to box both in the amateurs and as a professional I love to paint these images and try create that atmosphere of battle. To depict the grace and beauty of the human form in peek physical condition.

What’s your favourite art work?

I have too many favourite artworks of other artists however in relation to my work I painted a portrait of my daughter in oils and I was experimenting with different techniques to create various textures and I caught something that was her so I left the painting as it was and now it hangs on my bedroom wall.

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

My family life has inspired me the most and the strong desire I have to continue to improve and reward the faith and support they continue to give me in pursuing my art career.

Why art?

I takes me to another place. I see good in the world when I create rather than the dysfunction and chaos I witness in my ‘dayjob’.

What is an artistic outlook on life?

To see the beauty in all around you. Being able to notice colours and form when before these things were invisible to you.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

The amazement and shock people display when they find out you are an artist and the work they are viewing is yours.

Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

I can imagine the life of a full-time artist is lonely however as my life is very busy the quiet period when I get to create art become a sanctuary.

What do you dislike about the art world?

The lack of real opportunity for struggling and talented artists.

What do you dislike about your work?

I have pieces of work I have created that I dislike as they have not turned out the way I wanted but I do not have any specific area about my work that I dislike.

What do you like about your work?

The fact that I was able to create it from a thought and turn it into something tangible.

Stephen Tiernan ‘After the Fight’ 2015 – oil on canvas 50cm X 77cm (19.6″ X 30.3″)

Should art be funded?

Absolutely. The benefits are immense.

What role does arts funding have?

Community arts programs should take priority in a lot of areas to encourage engagement throughout the population. Artist residencies throughout government environments and major corporations. Surround society in creativity and watch it grow and develop.

What research to you do?

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Fine Art so I do a lot of artist research.

What is your dream project?

I would love to put together a body of work for an exhibition that tours around Australia and overseas.

Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

Malcolm Liepke, Michael Carson and Lucian Freud

Favourite or most inspirational place

Home here on the Gold Coast

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

You can sleep with a black eye but you cannot sleep with a resentment. Do not take things personally.

Professionally, what’s your goal?

To be a full-time artist

What wouldn’t you do without?

My wife and kids.

Stephen Tiernan. ‘Queenslander’ 2015 – oil on canvas 60cm X 60cm (24″ X 24″)

To see more of Stephen Tiernan’s wonderful art be sure to visit his Facebook Page.

This blog post also addresses the WP Daily Blog’s topic of the day: Quote Me

Artist Interview: Andrea Lumsden

I have been following Andrea Lumsden’s work for some time now and am frequently amazed at what she creates from everyday materials. She excels in an art form that persuades transformation.  It seems there is no challenge too big for this talented artist, particularly with regard to material investigations. She boldly seduces the sublime to rise from the mundane in her fascinating works. It is my great pleasure to introduce readers to this inspiring Australian artist in the interview below. If you enjoy Lumsden’s work and would like to see more please offer your support by ‘liking’ her Facebook Artist Page and/or following her blog.

no. 1 (Little Bowl Project), 2015, Cardboard, acrylic paint 4.5cm (height) x 10.5cm (diameter)

• Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Andrea Lumsden. I have a degree in Fine Art. I am currently in process with a year long body of work called “The magic in the medium: hidden beauty”. This relates to material investigations carried out by me to inspire and motivate the viewer into seeing the versatility of, and the beauty within materials that are so often overlooked.

• Why do you do what you do?

Hmmm…I would say that I just have an inner drive towards what I do.   I guess I want to create a magical experience; to show that there are always new possibilities and new ways of looking at things and that if we take a different view and try to see something in a new way, then that’s when the magic happens.  However, I do think that I started investigating materials in the beginning because I wanted to find my creative niche and even now after doing it for a while; I have found that I really do prefer certain materials to others for their possibilities and their versatility.

• How do you work?

My studio, at this point in time, is in a fairly large garage.  I just love creating in there.  At this stage I investigate a certain material for approximately 4 days to start with to gain a kind of intimacy with it.  I also share the investigation on my blog to start with.  Further investigation happens later when I create a little bowl with the results from the initial investigation to demonstrate how it all comes together.  I work a lot through intuitive flow…ahhh…from one idea to the next.  I just keep moving with the ideas until they come to a stop or until I get tired and realise I’ve been sitting there for three hours and my butt is hurting lol.  I do love being in the flow.  I work best alone or with the cat “Boof”.  He likes to accompany me and soak up creative vibes as long as I don’t start talking to him.  If I try to hold a conversation; he gets up and moves as far away from me as possible. Haha.

• What’s your background?

I think I was quite lucky as a child in primary school.  My teacher’s wife was an artist, so we were introduced to a whole array of art subjects like pottery, enamelling, puppet making, sketching, bark painting, Batik and oil painting.  During high school, I was directed towards computers etc and really didn’t get back into art until 5 years ago and by that stage I was so frustrated with my skill level that I wanted to learn so much more and here I am today with my degree and still a frustrated artist lol.

• What’s integral to the work of an artist?

A good work area is very important, having good equipment and materials at hand to work with, being able to network with other artists, I think is very important and also to keep learning and most of all continual practice whilst being open to mistakes.  Mistakes are invaluable.  Mistakes create beautiful art and amazing breakthroughs.

• What role does the artist have in society?

Again I think this is up to the individual.  I can only speak for myself in this instance and my role, I believe is to introduce a new way of looking at life to society; to offer a different perspective.

• What has been a seminal experience?

My brother dying just over a year ago has changed my path quite a lot.  I keep wanting to be as authentically me as possible.  I needed to start doing what I loved and to stop doing what I felt was expected of me.  So my work has turned more towards, I suppose you could call it a type of decorative art.  I have always loved to decorate; to make things a little more special and a little more magical by adding embellishments and finding the magic or the beauty within something….so yeah.

• Explain what you do in 100 words

Lol, just like I’m back at uni again..um I’ll just give you my artist statement which is quite short and sweet but pretty much to the point.

 I have a love of material investigation.   I try to find/ create a relationship with the material; to become intimate with its possibilities.   I am particularly interested in demonstrating the versatility of certain media that I choose to investigate, by displaying my findings in simple finished forms such as an art bowl or a type of jewel/embellishment.

When working with a material, there is a respect or reverence for the whole process; including the material itself that seems to develop the more I choose to experiment with it.   I have found that most things can be fascinating and quite magical, if I set my mind to looking for the beauty within.  It is that hidden beauty that I am focusing on in my body of work for 2016.   How can I create for others to see; a magical experience showing the versatility of the material?  This is the question that I am choosing to answer through my body of work “The magic in the medium: hidden beauty”.

• How has your practice changed over time?

I have become so much more focused and now know the direction that I wish to take.  I am also now allowing for changes in my art to just naturally occur with the flow and whatever direction it takes but the basis is always to investigate and to experiment.  The last four years gaining my degree, I found the pace was just a little too fast for me, so I guess now I have slowed down and allowed what I have learned to kind of sink in and gel with me.  I look at what I have learned as base skills that I can push further into my own way of doing things.  I’m really just at the beginning.  There is so much more to come.

no. 8 (the little bowl project), 2015 hessian, ink 6cm (height) x 12.5cm (diameter)

• Why art?

Art is my life; my life is my art.  Without art, I would not be a whole person.  There would be a huge hole in my life.

• What is an artistic outlook on life?

The quest is to see things differently, not just the whole picture, but the details that are missed; to document how you see things, as an individual.

• What memorable responses have you had to your work?

I was described as an outsider artist by one of my tutors.  I guess I take that as a compliment.  I have had a few strong reactions towards some older works about my agoraphobia experience.  Their responses showed me that I was expressing myself how I needed to.  I would like to do some more work on my identity but it’s one of those things that can bring up a lot of emotion and in your face stuff and issues with narcissism.

• Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

With my experience agoraphobia, I actually learned to like my own company; or was forced to learn as I had no choice at the time lol.  I love working by myself which is a good thing because being an artist, you spend a lot of time in the studio by yourself.   I rarely feel lonely.  These days I have Facebook to keep me company if I want to know that people are around or just to chat with someone about art.  We are very lucky that we have that in our lives.  Some people like to listen to music whilst they do art.  I like to watch movies.  Movies are good company and great idea fodder. ☺

• What do you dislike about the art world?

I think there is a kind of rushed feeling about art today.  I know I am forever trying to calm the feeling down and pace myself.  We all don’t need to be in some huge competition with one another.  I think that everyone has something different to offer the world and there is room for everybody.

• What do you dislike about your work?

Not having enough supplies to do what I want and having to wait to get them.  This makes me very impatient.  Patience is not one of my strong points…..taps fingers.  I also dislike when I’m wanting to get moving but my body gives me a hard time.

• What do you like about your work?

I love the act of creating something tactile that I can pick up and hold, run my fingers over.  I’m very ‘of the senses’.  I love seeing something that was just an idea, brought into the material.

Signature tags (2015)

• What research do you do?

I spend a lot of time looking for visual cues and seeing how other people use the materials that I am investigating.  I also get ideas from movies and from nature and also from designers and artists that I’m interested in.

• What is your dream project?

I am doing it now.  I am sure there will be more dream projects as I get plenty of ideas, but at this time I am very happy with what I am doing.

• Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

I don’t necessarily want to be compared to another artist although Joseph Cornell was quite an influence for me and many others, but also I particularly liked Dieter Roth for his work with documentation, Candy Jernigan for her interesting collecting of found objects and documenting those.  I am also spending time researching into the Faberge’ eggs.

Investigating in studio (2015)

• Favourite or most inspirational place

My studio and my shower ☺

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

To look at nay sayers as challengers to motivate me further towards my goals.

• Professionally, what’s your goal?

To be a highly respected, happy and well paid full time artist who is continuously developing her skills and moving forward in her chosen field.

• What wouldn’t you do without?

My scissors and my big bottle of PVA glue , my laptop, coloured inks, my art journals, my printer and my camera…oh …and coffee.

If you’re as inspired as I am to see more of Andrea’s process pop on over to her Facebook Page: Andrea Lumsden – Art & Design and her blog: The magic in the medium

Questions sourced from Artsculture

This blog post also addresses the WP Daily Blog’s prompt for the day: Quote Me

Artist Interview: Gaye Tait

One of the my greatest pleasures since starting my studies in Fine Art has been to connect with other artists. Gaye Tait from Australia is one such artist whose work leaves me breathless and wanting more. Her style, while fresh and playful with a satisfying Klimt-like familiarity, is strong and timeless. Her subject – Mother and Child – resonates universally and through her art Tait teaches us how to cherish the most sacred (and often misunderstood) amongst us. Enjoy getting to know Gaye through the interview below and if you like what she offers please support her by ‘liking’ her Facebook Page – The Tait Gallery.

Gaye Tait, 2014. Mother and Child. Acrylic on canvas. 60 x 60 cm

• Who are you and what do you do?

Gaye Tait.  Artist and student, Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother

• Why do you do what you do?

Art:  Because it feeds my soul. If I am not creating I feel lost and lonely. I think about art continuously and how I can achieve the desired outcome.

• How do you work?

I try to stick to a plan organising my time.  I prefer to work alone as I become so lost in the moment that I would not be able to work and be social at the same time.

• What’s your background?

Some of my earliest memories are of drawing and creating beginning when I was about 4 years old.  Becoming a wife and mother in my teens limited my creativity and then as a single mother working became a priority.

I started painting again in my 30s having small successes in the country town where I lived.  Again, work became more involved and there was never enough time for art.

When I retired I then had the time to pursue my love of art. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Fine Art at Curtin Uni WA.  I have been studying part time for the past 4 years with 2 more years to go before graduating.

Living in Bundaberg I became very involved in the local art scene.  I have entered several group exhibitions in Bundaberg and one solo one. I also exhibited in Brisbane for the ‘Celebration of the female form’ exhibit in 2014.  Recently I moved to Bribie Island and entered an exhibition competition at Aspire Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane and was delighted to be a dual first prize winner.  The art gallery gave me the opportunity to show my work for 6 months which was wonderful. I am currently applying for two more exhibitions at Aspire and I have been accepted to exhibit my work in June in Brisbane for ‘Celebration of the female form’.

• What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Research, workshops, a place to work and make a mess and like minded social group.

• What role does the artist have in society?

Artists’ role is to express their feelings and emotions as well comment on what is happening in our world.

• What has been a seminal experience?

Research has helped me identify where I am heading in my art work.  After 4 years of study I am only now seeing what I don’t want to do with my ideas and concepts and also having the courage to head in the direction that appeals to me regardless of the risks.

• Explain what you do in 100 words

What a tough question!  I am finding that I am developing work from my own experiences.  I married when I was 17 and had my first child two days short of my 18 birthday.  By the time I was 21 I had three very small children and a husband who couldn’t cope.  Divorcing at 22 left me alone and bewildered.  Those were tough years that only in hindsight do I realise what a struggle it was. To cut a long story short I find myself painting images of a mother and child a lot.

I remember other people’s attitude to me back then as a young mum and how alone I felt.  Now in my art work my aim is to show young mums lovingly caring for their babies. Young mums having fun enjoying the gift they have.

Just because a woman is young and inexperienced doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want the best for her child. My art reflects the fun side of having a young mum. It shows the warmth and love that these young women have in abundance. I guess in my small way I am trying to change people’s attitude hopefully making the viewer think about their own responses to young, single mothers.  

Gaye Tait, 2013. Madonna and Child. Mixed media on stretched canvas. 40 x 30 cm.

• How has your practice changed over time?

It has changed in how I approach my work in as much that I am more thoughtful about what I am painting and why.

• What art do you most identify with?

So many artists that move me I am not sure where to start.  I adore Gustav Klimt’s work as well van Gogh.  Of course the old Masters for their skill and dedication but am amazed at the work of many contemporary artists. 

• What work do you most enjoying doing?

Painting women and children.

• What themes do you pursue?

As above.

• What’s your favourite art work?

Anything by Gustav Klimt and Marc Chagall

• Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

My own experience as told above.

• Why art?

It is the only way that I can truly express myself.

• What is an artistic outlook on life?

Seeing the beauty and the ugliness in the world.  Looking beyond the obvious and finding what is beneath.  Noticing the shadows, the darkness and the light. Being open to new ideas and change.

• What memorable responses have you had to your work?

Winning shared first prize at Aspire Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane.  One of my works chosen by Dalgety Australia as part of travelling outback exhibition.

• Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

It does involve isolation at times but for me never lonely.  I do make sure that I involve myself socially although to be honest there are times I would rather lock myself away in my studio.

• What do you dislike about the art world?

Not a lot. I guess there can be pretence and arrogance by some artists.  Some artists who put other people’s work down but on the whole I find the art world quite a welcoming place.

• What do you dislike about your work?

Everything! I am never really happy and see lots of mistakes.

• What do you like about your work?

I like the idea and the involvement. I become the work and it becomes me.

• Should art be funded?

Definitely!

• What role does arts funding have?

To encourage and fund emerging artists.  To fund training, workshops.  To bring art from other countries to Australia to broaden our minds and ideas.

• What research do you do?

Not a lot re funding but huge amount regarding artists and techniques.

• What is your dream project?

I am living my dream.  Happy with the exhibitions that I have been involved in and the ones that I am planning for the future.  

• Name three artists you’d like to be compared to.

Klimt, Klimt and Klimt and of Chagall.

• Favourite or most inspirational place

Ocean or country where I can just sit and look.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Relax and let it happen.

• Professionally, what’s your goal?

To exhibit and sell my work.  I would also like to teach children and the elderly.

• What wouldn’t you do without?

My camera.

Gaye Tait, 2015. Safe In My Tiger Suit. Acrylic on canvas. 70 x 100 cm.

For more work from Gaye Tait join her Facebook Artist Page, The Tait Gallery.

Questions sourced from Artsculture

This blog post also addresses the WP Daily Blog’s prompt for the day: Quote Me