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Describe yourself in three words?
Um…this sounds kind of strange but I’m patient and then impatient too…but I don’t show either. Someone once told me that it’s hard to tell if I like someone and I think it’s because I don’t show my emotions on my face. I think I can be both patient and impatient but I don’t show either. It takes a little time for me to figure out if I like someone or don’t like someone. I guess in a way I want to be private but I think people take me as being standoffish. What three words do other people use to describe you? Most friends I hang out with think I’m funny. We just hang out and laugh all the time. But a couple of my good friends may say that I’m a little bit irrational...hmm wait…maybe the word is stubborn. It depends on what the circumstances are but my very close friends find me easy going and I see myself as easy going. I don’t know, a guy I’ve worked with for many years once said “are you ever in a bad mood?” but then my boss said I was or could be rough around the edges, so I guess it just depends. And I guess I react to people. I react a certain way or come across as cold because I don’t want to tell people what I think of them. How did you get started? When I was really little… a young kid… I did a lot of painting. And I think it’s because I was really into music when I was young and my mom wanted to get me away from that by getting me into crafts. I was spending all my time listening to music and then I just got a Walkman and would sit at the table painting so I guess it wasn’t that effective after all. (laughs) I got really heavily back into music in my teens and did art as something that I thought was a hobby. And when it came to what I wanted to do I tried the music thing and I was really bad at it. Every time I got on stage I would freak out and leave. I couldn’t do it. I initially thought I should go into design because I didn’t know what I would do with painting. And I did it, didn’t mind it and then decided why don’t I do what I’m actually good at. What do you love about what you do? I love that if I can make a living at it, I can do it making it my own. Before I used to take commissions for money, and I used to talk myself into thinking this is something I want to do. But then when I stopped working for people, everyone started loving my work and wanting to buy it. Like I went travelling and I decided that I would paint for myself and that’s when people really started to like my work, and that’s when my authentic self came through. I love that I can keep it private, and if I hate [a piece], I don’t have to show it to anyone. I can redo it. And when I started doing stuff for myself and people really liked it…it’s short lived but it’s a little high and it feels great like even if I’m not rich, I’m happy doing it. Also, it lets people know what you’re thinking without having to say it. What do you hate about what you do? I don’t really hate the cost because I’ve always bought stuff and found a way to maintain it but I do hate that in the art world there are always people who sell their stuff because they know people will buy it or they know the gift of gab works. You could sell a blank canvas to someone these days because it’s more what you tell them. Like if you tell them what you were thinking. Someone could see something and not like it but then you could come along and say why they should like it and then they do. That doesn’t work for me. I can’t do that. Some people come and they want me to explain [a painting] but I don’t want to and don’t need to. I don’t think I need to tell you what I was thinking. It’s none of your business. That’s why I picked this medium, you know. The only other thing I don’t like is that time just slips away. Like I don’t ever seem to have enough time to get anything done. Uh, and I really hate when I draw something and I have the idea 100% and it turns out on a painting and it’s a disaster. Do you pay attention to trends? Do they affect your work? I didn’t before. I started paying attention to older stuff because that’s the period I like. I love realism. Obviously Michelangelo but then also Salvador Dali. But I also love a contemporary artist from Toronto named Ray Caesar who’s digital. As soon as I saw his stuff—which doesn’t look like anything I’m doing— I was thinking of mixing realistic with something else. I look at what’s going on [in the art world] and I like a lot of people who are out there. But then I see stuff and I’m like “I can’t believe I’m not there, and there, and there.” What inspires you? Mostly, I spend a lot of my hours listening to music and it’s something that is always in the background. I’m a huge fan of fashion. I used to be big into world issues. I don’t want to say that I’m not now. I used to take on things that were going on in the world, but then I started to think about what I like to see. And I like seeing beautiful stuff. I like beautiful stuff because it’s relaxing and I would want it in my house. I’ve learned that people are really attracted to things they find beautiful. What’s your typical process in creating a piece? Initially, I come up for an idea in my head for what I want it to look like. So let’s say I’ve decided to do something with a body in it and I’ll think I definitely want there to be a lot of material in it. So then I’ll think “put them on a bed.” And then I will find…if I don’t have a reference, which I don’t always, I’ll just make the reference. So I just think of how I want it to look. I’ll draw them separately actually. I’ll draw the body, and then eventually I’ll draw what they are sitting on separately and then I’ll draw like curtains in the background or something. I’ll find a reference for that. Sometimes I’ll put it all together and see what it looks like first, and sometimes I’ll just draw it on a canvas and if I don’t like it I’ll think of a different background. How long does it typically take you to finish a piece? Oh gee. It completely varies. If someone wants something for a deadline I tell them that I need a lot of advance notice. Because sometimes I plan and complete something and I completely hate it…and I wouldn’t tell them that and wouldn’t hand it over to them. Or I’ll redo it completely. What I usually do if I’m working on something is draw it out, put it on the canvas, do a light background, and then I’ll leave it for two weeks until I decide what colours I want to use. Then I’ll completely paint it and leave it for a month, and then I’ll put fresh eyes on it. And see all the things I hate about it. Sometimes the things I loved about it I’ll hate about it. Do you have a “day job”? I do. Unfortunately, oh…well…I like some of the people I work with so. And there are other creative people I work with and so we discuss little projects. And I’ve gotten work, like artwork work, through my job. People bought paintings out of there. Is it out of necessity? Oh yeah, I still take classes—lots of painting and digital classes— so I didn’t want to have the option of not being able to upgrade my skills. I like having the option of—I mean I’m not rich—but at least I can save the money for the courses. What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your craft? I don’t think this is a big deal because I had a good social life when I was younger and I made the choice to not go out too much. But I hit points in the winter where I don’t even want to [socialize]. I think I’ve come to a point where I’m so focused on work and sometimes I’ll go out and then I almost feel guilty that I’m wasting time. But then I think it’s so not a waste of time because I love doing that. Also, I’m not buying anything I don’t need. I’ll use my money towards my art. Sometimes I would love to go out and buy nice clothes, but I can’t. What is the best advice you’ve gotten? Someone told me once, don’t ever stress out about what you’re doing. If you love it, do it and the money will follow. Don’t follow the money. If you just go and you keep practicing at something and you are really good at it. The money will come. What do you think of the term “starving artist”? Well, actually it’s a more recent term. Because Artists used to be more appreciated in society. They documented everything and they weren’t poor. But it’s only when people decided to not be hired by the church or by anyone. And they chose—I’m not trying to say I don’t respect their choice, but some of them were a little crazy—not to want to have money. And after that, the term was coined. I’ve known people in the field who I guess were broke, but I have no idea how they had the means to do the things they did without a lot of money. It has to be coming from somewhere. I asked a number of people “How are you doing this? Where are you getting the money? You don’t work and you eat everyday and are out drinking and living?” And I found out their family was completely supporting them, or their boyfriend/girlfriend. Someone’s mother, someone in their life who accepted that they were always in a situation so they were getting a lot of money. So to me, they aren’t a starving artist, but were projecting that [image]. Are your parents proud of you? Who is your greatest support? Um, I’m sure my parents are proud of me. They don’t really boss me around or tell me what to do. They don’t try to control my decisions, which is great. But because they didn’t have the money they didn’t want to pay for art school so I wouldn’t have asked to go to university for art because I don’t think they would have seen the point. My mom really likes the arts. They are just practical people. They don’t see the lifestyle in it. They only hear the horror stories, not any of the good things. But when I paint something, like my family lives in Ireland and my parents live here…when the family in Ireland sees it and they keep telling my parents how much they love it they are so like “Oh!” So when they hear it coming from somewhere else, instead of just me doing it at home, they are proud. My very close friends are 100% my greatest supporters. Whenever I have doubts and I think, oh maybe I should be doing something else, there is always someone who is like: “If you just learn how to function out there like anyone else, there is no way you can fail.” And they just support me. What is the meaning of life? Sometimes I just think everyone has their time on earth and everyone can do something really great and are you going to be one of those people who can last? Put a little something somewhere and make it last. Even if in a hundred years someone finds something in their basement and they have no idea what it is and they love it. So if I don’t make a name now, the idea that something is out there [in the world] is good, you know. [The meaning of life is] to do something really good to be remembered by. |
