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pulled one almost forgotten book off a shelf: A 100 Masterpieces of Art by Marina Vaizey. Two<br />
things immediately occurred to me, firstly that I’d clearly stolen it from my school library at<br />
some point! (Sorry about that Grove School!) and secondly that I vividly recalled each page -<br />
from Duccio to Hockney almost every piece has had some impression on me to a greater or<br />
lesser extent and steadily over the years I’ve been making unwitting pilgrimages to various<br />
galleries around the world to see many of them... I guess that’s fairly symbolic of the fact that<br />
almost everything influences and inspires you as an artist even if only subconsciously.<br />
How important is to remain true to yourself and your individual vision as an artist?<br />
It’s absolutely everything I think, you have to find your own bubble of creativity, not least so<br />
that you can keep up the hours that are involved in producing this work in the first place! To<br />
develop any kind of skill in this craft takes such a long time and then to make a living, and ultimately<br />
sustain a life times work, with any kind of quality and originality? It has to be your obsession...<br />
a lot of other things just won’t get done, and it’s tough! So it really does make a lot of<br />
sense to make sure you have a hold of your own vision and goals, that way you are ultimately<br />
the one you’re trying to impress the most with each piece - that’s what satisfies<br />
and sustains, and you won’t get so knocked off course each time you get a rejection or criticism!<br />
Are you romantic?<br />
In life yes. I think so... a realistic romantic! In terms of Romanticism in my work, it’s certainly a<br />
part but I’m also concerned with veracity, capturing a true likeness or lighting effect if I can.<br />
What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?<br />
I’ve been lucky to have had a number of things that come to mind, seeing my work blown up<br />
on posters in the London Tube and hanging on 40ft banners outside the National Portrait Gallery<br />
when it was selected as the promotional image for the 2009 BP Portrait Award was really<br />
exciting, seeing my work on book covers or used by musicians whose work I love (the new album<br />
by Adam and the Ants will feature Girl in a Cocked Hat) traveling and meeting some very<br />
interesting people in the course of commissioned work, but I think I still feel most strongly<br />
about the moment I walked away from hanging my first solo show. It was a real bench mark for<br />
me, I’d barely slept for weeks but I knew I’d worked really hard, it’s not too often you get to feel<br />
lasting moments of satisfaction in this game! I get excited each time I see some new potential<br />
in my work, perhaps a step on in technique will give me a real kick, but that can tend to be<br />
quite fleeting as the urge to improve and do better seems to kick in ever more quickly - The law<br />
of diminishing returns I guess!<br />
<strong>musetouch</strong> 208
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