BOS 09

"Marshwood Clouds", oil on canvas, 48"x22", 2007-8

This year's Bridport Open Studios event was by far the busiest we've had, with about 750 visitors to St Michael's Studios over the three days. We were also featured on BBC Spotlight and Radio Solent, and had lots of features on us in magazines and newspapers.

It's been amazing for all of us to experience the growth of the Bridport Art Scene over the past few years. It's been a very organic process, led by the artists, and supported by both local people and keen collectors from across the country.

We also have to work very hard, both to maintain our visibility in the media and also to keep raising the standard of our work and justify the reputation of our art scene.

I also love the Open Studios events because this format has allowed me to focus on making the best work I'm capable of, rather than feeling compromised by the commercial requirements and time constraints of galleries and art fairs.

I now dedicate myself to realising my most ambitious ideas, working on most paintings for at least six months and often for over a year. When you look back at the great painters throughout history, you see incredibly accomplished works that would have taken months to achieve, and I now want to do the same. I want to create art that can stand beside the masters, works that demand my greatest skill and dedication, and paintings that push Art to the next level.

I've also become a lot more critical of much of the 'lazy' painting I see around. These are often mediocre artists who have been promoted by galleries who don't know any better, and encourage the idea that 'anyone can be an artist'. What rubbish, that's like saying that anyone can be a concert pianist - of course you can - if you practise for 10,000+ hours!

However, I've also noticed a gradual return to highly accomplished art works, both from artist friends that I respect and also many internationally recognised artists. I regularly go to London to experience the best art being made today from the likes of Glenn Brown, John Currin, Inka Essenhigh, Nigel Cooke, Ged Quinn, George Shaw and Peter Doig. These are all artists who create powerful and pioneering art, and they're not artists that need a gallery to explain or justify their work.

The Art Market is a strange entity because anyone with some money can establish their own gallery and claim to be an expert on contemporary art. This means that there are just a few very good galleries that do a brilliant job in promoting their artists, and then many bad galleries that treat their artists like an unruly production line.

The worst example of this is the awful Affordable Art Fair, that presents itself as a way to get contemporary art for a low price, but does so at the expense of the artists. The truth is that if you want to get good quality contemporary art that will continue to rise in value, then you have to find a way to support the artist, rather than buying from a low-price venue.

The fact is that you should never try to get a 'bargain' from an emerging artist, because it means you're depriving them of the means to make the work they're capable of. If you want to make a good investment in art, then you must invest in the artist, because the strength of their market will depend entirely on the quality and development of their work.

The ideal position to hold is as a Patron, which is something that all great artists have needed throughout history. A Patron is simple someone who is willing to believe in the artist and fund their work, and they also turn out to build the best collections of art because they fund the artists when they're creating their best and most pioneering works.

The Art Market is changing, and in Bridport we're doing our bit to bring the focus back to the artists, to remind people that this isn't about a few 'celebrity artists' but about supporting the hard-working artists who have the potential to be the next Cezanne, Turner or Picasso. These artists are in their studios right now, trying to work out how they'll pay the rent while they labour over a canvas that will one day be proclaimed as a masterpiece.

The Open Studios event is one of the best ways to discover and support these artists. You can visit them in their studios and discuss what they're working on, and unlike any other market, you can directly influence the progress of their career. One generous sale or commission can transform how much time an artist can dedicate to their work, and can be a spring board that brings their work to the attention of a good gallery and a growing collector base.

This is also the best time to invest in the work of many artists in the Bridport Art Scene. This is the beginning of the careers of many artists here, some are already gaining representation by London galleries, and a few will go on to exhibit at international galleries. Most of us offer payment by installment, which means people on a relatively low income can easily start collecting important contemporary art.

It's also been great to see "Wandering Through Wessex", an exhibition by Gallerist Charlie Caldecott. Charlie discovered the Bridport Art Scene while exploring Dorset Art Weeks last year, and he was immediately impressed by the calibre of art he found here. He's planning on bringing our scene to the attention of a far wider national and international audience.

I'd really recommend you visit the exhibition as soon as possible, as it's only on for this week (ends 12th Sept), and has an excellent mixture of artists including myself, Jon Adam, Claire Trenchard (you can see her wolves howling at the moon in my painting), David Cobley, John Boyd, Georgina Fermer, Judith Gait, David Kennard and Wendy Poole.

We're now preparing for an Open Studios event to coincide with the Bridport Literary Festival in November, so watch this space!