Friday 19 March 2010

Portrait book nearly there...

(Pic: Jollyon Carter, from "Portrait of the Artist", published 17 April 2010)

I've spent another week working with photographer George Wright on the final edits of our book "Portrait of the Artist". We're extremely happy with the results so far and it feels like the book is gets pretty close to 'vibe' of the Bridport art scene.

I started working with George a couple of years back, when we made a series of adverts for the Art Review magazine - which covers 'high-brow' contemporary art in a very accessible way. I'd read the magazine for years, and I realised that having an elegant advert there might be a good way of raising the art-world profile of the Bridport art scene.

I was recommended George by an artist friend and realised that he had actually won the Bridport Open Art exhibition a couple of years back with a beautiful photographic print of an oak tree, which he'd lit artificially at night. He has also had hundreds of photographs featured in magazines, particularly profiles of well known figures, and he has made a collection of these into an eye-catching book called "Some People I've Met".

I only had a small budget to work with as the Art Review project was only funded by the participating artists, but I managed to negotiate a really good deal with George, and we set out on an ambitious 24 artist shoot, over 2 days!

I was immediately impressed by George's energy and his ability to put the subjects at ease. George has obviously got used to working with all types of people and is expert at finding elements of their environment to frame them in a subtlety theatrical manner. His work brings out the romance and drama of the subject, whether they are an office worker or Royalty, and this makes his work particularly suitable for artists, who tend to create a richly evocative working space around them.

When I started working with George I was, like many artists, quite shy about being photographed, but now I relish the opportunity! Once you realise that having your photograph taken is a form of performance then you can simply enjoy being a larger version of yourself.

The "Portrait" artist who understood this best was undoubtedly Jollyon Carter. Recently back from studying in New York, and really loving his ragged studio on the St Michael's Trading Estate, Jollyon launched himself into the photo-shoot with abandon. He realised that a book can be used as an extension of the means an artist uses to engage with the viewer, and he came up with some crazy ideas. He and his partner Niko have also brought a great new, young, NY energy to the trading estate... I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of them over the next few months.

What I'm enjoying most about the book is how accurately it reflects the amazingly diverse nature of the Bridport art scene. There certainly isn't a Bridport style or consensus approach, instead there's a powerful feeling of individuality and personal exploration. Isn't this refreshing in a world where everyone seems so keen to satisfy the arbiters of taste?

For instance, in the art world, most young artists seem to want to create work just to impress Charles Saatchi! They think that if they can convince him to buy their work then their career is made. And it's true that most of the artists he collects get an immediate boost in the art world, with other collectors jumping on the band-wagon and often a gallery or two. But unfortunately look at their career a few years down the line, and it appears that it might have been more trouble than it was worth, as the next 'hot' artist replaces them.

What Saatchi does is a bit like an art world version of Divide and Rule, because by adding the artist to his collection it tends to elevate the artist above his peers/friends and therefore severs the vital links that artists have with each other - which act likes roots on a tree, drawing in sustenance and refreshment.

This is one of the great things about the Bridport art scene, and why this is the best time to be involved with it. There's now a growing community of artists to engage with and still a strong sense of solidarity. I think the Open Studios events are what has done most for the local artists, because these events leave it up to the visitor to discover what is good, rather than relying on the tastes set by one or two galleries.

Of course I'm not against Saatchi or Galleries, far from it, I want to keep raising our profile so that more and more collectors and galleries discover Bridport and invest in our artists, and that's a big part of why I'm doing this book. But that's the key phrase, isn't it? INVEST in the artist. When artists are enabled to get on with creating their best work, and when the Galleries and Collectors of the art world remember that the artist comes first, that is when the greatest art is made.

The reason I'm such a big fan of the Open Studio events in Bridport is that they've enabled me to produce the work I really want to do - incredibly ambitious paintings that often take months to create. So, rather than repeating my most popular pieces, or producing work to the tastes of a gallery, I focus entirely on the work that I feel needs to be made. And at the Open events I wait for those who really respond to my work and are willing to invest in what is coming next. I've noticed that a similar thing has happened in art history. Artists from Rembrandt to Hirst have relied on the patronage of open minded collectors at crucial times in their careers.

Doing this book has been an excellent way to start the year, and I think this is a very exciting time, particularly for those willing to buy into some of our relatively unknown artists. It's obvious that Bridport is going to produce several art stars in the months and years ahead, but these are going to be remembered as the best times!

For more information on the Bridport art scene, visit www.bridport.org and for examples of my own work visit www.kitglaisyer.com.

Saturday 6 March 2010

The "Portrait of the Artist" project is coming along well. We've interviewed and photographed all 25 artists that are taking part, and we're now gathering examples of each artists work for the two pages they each have in the book.

We've also started to lay out the book, so that it's ready to be printed in a week or so. The book doesn't have to be ready until the week of the launch on Saturday 17 April, but we want to get a draft copy printed, and then make sure the 1st edition is delivered with plenty of time to spare.

I'm also beginning to think about the exhibition at the Bridport Arts Centre. About 8 of the artists will be showing sculptural pieces, and then there are 17 painters. I'll be visiting all of the artists before April to discuss what they want to show.

I like to keep myself continually inspired, here are some of the sites that keep me on my toes:

KultureFlash is a weekly guide to the arts in the UK.

AVATAR Director James Cameron on the incredible TED lectures website.

J K Rowlings brilliant Harvard speech on the Fringe Benefits of Failure.

I came across this extraordinary clip on YouTube, of an elephant painting!

Most recent work from Olafur Eliasson (he made the amazing Weather Project at Tate Modern).

Flavorwire is a cool US based Blog that covers the arts.

Finally, I hope you've all got your fingers crossed for The Hurt Locker at the Oscars, local man Ray Beckett has already won a Bafta for Best Sound on the film.