ART INSIGHTS Creating Wealth as a Successful Artist - John Dahlsen

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decade, a vast collection of litter from theocean has been crowding his studio.Dahlsen attended the respected VictorianCollege of the Arts in Melbourne in theseventies, and was enthralled by theabstract expressionism of Mark Rothkoduring a memorable visit to London’s TateGallery in 1981. After a stint in the UnitedStates, he returned to his home turf andtook up a position as artist-in-residence atEditions Gallery in Western Australia. Withhis traditional realm of paint and canvasalready giving way to explorations with newmaterials and techniques, the “accident” ofcoming across a bounty of waste plastic onthe beach was all the inspiration neededto transition to a new way of working. “Iwas immediately affected by a whole newpalette of colour and shape revealing itselfto me; I had never seen such hues andforms before,” says the artist, who hassifted, sorted and colour-coded his preciousfinds ever since.140
Of that early time, Dahlsen says: “Mychallenge as an artist was to take thesefound objects, which might on first meetinghave no apparent dialogue, and to workwith them until they spoke and told theirstory, which included those underlyingenvironmental messages inherent in theuse of this kind of medium.” As a seasonedartist, Dahlsen could be forgiven for dwellingon the aesthetic, but a deep environmentalconsciousness clearly has its roots in thoseearly experiences.“By presenting this art to the public it willhopefully have people thinking about thedeeper meaning of the work, in particularthe environmental issues we currentlyface,” he says.The “environmental” art of Dahlsen atteststo the staggering global problem of trash inour oceans, the majority of which is plastic.In 2006, the United Nations EnvironmentProgram estimated that every squaremile hosts some 46,000 pieces of floatingplastic. So vast is one area of concentrated141
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ART INSIGHTSCreating Wealth as aSuc
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All Rights Reserved.Reproduction or
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Table of ContentsPart I (page 7)Alc
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Part IAlchemy: My Career in Environ
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This new medium, it occurred to me,
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My InfluencesAs a young artist, I w
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form of both patronage and exhibiti
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Shedding of IdentityMy entrée into
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Sandra Murray, the then director of
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In 2006, the United Nations Environ
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"Thong Totems"Found objects and Sta
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I toe the line betweenfulfi llment
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“Blue River”Recycled Plastic Ba
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esidence at Jefferson City, Missour
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Driftwood artMy work with driftwood
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Digital Prints and PaintingsAnother
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As well as embracing the digital an
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“Light Blue Purge Dialogue”Acry
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geometrical imagery and constructiv
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The Pass #52007Acrylic on Belgian L
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‘Contemporary Landscapes’ -his
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of Wendell Berry’s paradox that
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Central ConcernsIt amazes me to thi
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It is of utmost importanceto have a
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Let’s be clear about one fact: th
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The manager of the plant was highly
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Remember that it isyou who is placi
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62how much you’re willing to sacr
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3. FOCUS.Successful artists have th
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ends meet. This usually does not wo
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Managing your timealso means placin
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your next show, selling art and tal
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To create somethingof beauty at any
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and start again. My integrity force
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Marketing is also anattitude. Your
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her updated website that she set up
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that you feel confident about the w
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Approaching GalleriesOne of the fir
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it’s good to acknowledge it. Ther
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Page 92 and 93: opportunities, such as writing a bo
Page 95 and 96: The Parthenon PrincipleTo create an
Page 97 and 98: Responsible Financial ManagementArt
Page 99 and 100: please everyone that they say yes t
Page 102 and 103: dealings, but you might find that t
Page 104 and 105: do gauge that as both an interior q
Page 106 and 107: “6 Driftwood Totems”Found Drift
Page 108 and 109: I strive to act as areminder of our
Page 111 and 112: Reflections on Obstacles.You always
Page 116: And many people simply didn’t kno
Page 121 and 122: almost like a cross cut through the
Page 123 and 124: People would tell me to look at thi
Page 125 and 126: e squeezed out of the machine to cl
Page 127 and 128: I remember telling the media during
Page 129: Articles and Reviews“Australian E
Page 132 and 133: Art Calendar: I read that a fire de
Page 134 and 135: time appreciating highlighting a pr
Page 136 and 137: asically by a talk on my environmen
Page 138 and 139: demand, and has made the decision o
Page 140: Art Calendar: Ultimately, what do y
Page 146 and 147: the art-making process has led to s
Page 148 and 149: concerned about global warming. But
Page 150 and 151: 148express strong environmental and
Page 152 and 153: I am with this work, apart from wis
Page 154 and 155: The one plastic bag that was blown
Page 157 and 158: Are paper bags any better?As paper
Page 159 and 160: “Environmental Art”University o
Page 161 and 162: tradition of exploring the relation
Page 163: plastics assembled into abstract fi
Page 166 and 167: projects of land reclamation.Dahlse
Page 168 and 169: ReferencesPart I1,2Murray, Sandra.
Page 171: Art/Business$34.95The Artist’s Mu
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