Von Answers FAD’s Questions

Title : Semblance 02 Medium: Pencil and Graphite on Rives BFK (300gsm) Size: 56cm x 75.5cm
1 When did you start to make art?
I suspect my story is pretty much identical to many in the industry in that drawing and painting was has been my one constant favourite thing to do since I was a child. I remember when I was very young my Dad showing me a box of drawings from is childhood/teenage years he had kept in a box in our loft. I was totally mesmerised – it was like he suddenly had these super powers he’d been keeping secret. I guess I wanted those too.

2 How did you evolve into a professional artist?
I studied illustration and animation at Kingston University in London and after a few years of figuring out how and what I wanted to do via various jobs I setup up studio HelloVon in 2006 as a freelance illustrator. My work has always been created primarily by drawing or painting so coming into the commercial art scene in a period where vector work was king really helped me stand out once the work started appearing in print. The craftsmanship involved began to attract associations with fine art and as a consequence I was encouraged to exhibit in small slots in various design and illustration based exhibitions and I soon began to seek out as many shows as I could exhibit in to get my work seen. My first entrance into the gallery circuit proper came when I was privately commissioned by one of the owners of StolenSpace Gallery after seeing my work in a design show. From there I began to exhibit in their annual group exhibitions. It has evolved from there.

3 What drove you to make art as a professional vocation?
Since childhood the idea of another career seemed alien and still does. Although not from an artistic family that side of me was always encouraged and any other job I’ve had, from being an ice-cream man to working in a small design firm, has just been a means to this end.

4 Explain your inspiration?
That is impossible to pin down to a sentence. It can be anything – it could be something my Dad said to me on the phone, looking at a poster in the street the wrong way, old literature and annuals, some music. There is never one thing guarenteed to produce instant inspiration but a cup of tea is always a pretty good start.

5 In what way does your inspiration transform into ideas?
A lot of concentration and hours of distraction.

6 From Ideas to production of art – how? And why?
There’s a lot of rough sketching, just shapes and note making to try and distill what I’m seeing in my mind onto paper. From there a lot of experimenting is done on my Mac digitally before then producing the work by hand.

7 Could your ideas be portrayed in any other medium? If so which?
I would really like to translate some of my work into both 3-D and moving image. There is a fluidity in those mediums which I would very much like to explore and manipulate.

8 Which artists would you most like to blatantly rip off?
None

9 Why is your art made?
If this weren’t my career I would spend all of my spare time drawing and painting trying to make it my career, much like I did before setting up studio in 2006. On a very basic level it is the one thing I enjoy most. I have to do it.

10 What does being an artists mean to you?
Restless happiness.

11 Are you happy with your reasons for making art? i.e Are there any trade offs that make life hard?
Aside from the obvious rewards and indulgences of being able to turn the thing you love into a career that supports you financially a swift, stark blow comes soon after – you are running your own business which can be a very time consuming and very steep (verticle) learning curve. That special divide between free time and work that is such a big part of a normal job disappears, or at the very least becomes blurred beyond recognition. As a result , like any passion, your “work” can then become all consuming. I’m fortunate that my girlfriend is an illustrator so we can sympathise with those elements of our respective careers and support one another where potentially a non-creative spouse may grow to resent them. Either way, I was always brought up believing that anything worth doing doesn’t get done without a blood, sweat and tears going into it – my parents have never spoken a truer word and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.

12 When does your art become successful?
When other people appreciate it. The weirdest, albeit very flattering, thing so far for me is getting emails from GCSE students saying they are studying my work for their final project.

13 What is art?
A display of skill or thought that sparks desire or awe in it’s viewer.

14 How do you start the process of making work?
Sketchbook to Mac and back to paper.

15 Who prices your work? And how is the price decided upon?
It’s a combination of gallery and myself. I often ask the exhibiting gallery for advice on pricing as different places cater to different buyers all with their individual spending brackets. Keeping prices reasonably low at the beginning of a career is crucial for longevity but pricing something you’ve invested so much of yourself into is often a difficult task. An objective opinion onboard will always prove prudent.

16 What is your next; move,project,show etc?
My next show is just around the corner and will be my debut solo in LA entitled “Semblance” at Cerasoli Gallery in Culver City. The ehibition opens on Saturday 19th of September and runs to October 14th. The title is taken from a new series of work and I will be exhibiting all new originals.

17 What are the pros and cons of the art market?
Those are things I am still in the process of discovering.

18 Which pieces would you like to be remembered for?
The best ones.

19 Any routine in making your artwork? If so what?
Always start with a cup of tea and end in a whiskey.

20 What has been the biggest break in your career?
My biggest break to date gallery wise came from Zoe and David at the Espeis Gallery in NY when they offered me a solo show there in 2007. They were incredibly supportive, nurturing and an absolute pleasure to work with – I count myself very lucky to have had such a fantastic induction into the world of solo shows.

21 Who has been the biggest influence on you?
My family, my friends and my music collection.

22 How many artworks have you given away and to whom?
None.

HelloVon: www.hellovon.com

*Upcoming Solo Show* Semblance, Cerasoli Gallery, LA Info : http://vimeo.com/5910456