Interview with leighcooney
q) Well, first of all please tell us a little about yourself.
a)I’m a self-taught artist. I’ve been painting for about three years, but after two years of painting I quit my day job in a hotel to dedicate my time to a career in art. I paint animals, people, and objects, but I inject everything with a little humour and whimsy.
q)How would you describe your work?
a)Odd.
q) Did somebody encourage you to become an artist?
a)Growing up, my parents were always very encouraging, but it was my wife who convinced me to quit my job and attempt to do it full time.
q) What is your favorite medium?
a)Oil paint. I’ve never worked with anything else. I use pure oil paint from the tube, and I only use the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue,) and I mix everything else from there. I’d like to try my hand at sculpture soon though.
q) Generally speaking, where do your ideas come from?
a)I believe that life is like a series of autostereograms (remember the Magic Eye books?) Many people go through life not realizing that there is profound beauty and sadness everywhere, one just needs to know how to adjust one’s eyes to see it. Once you learn the technique, you can see the magic in a comic strip, a television series, a derelict building, the chewing gum we got as kids from baseball cards, Science Fiction, children's literature, Gordan Korman books, an old chimney, or a shimmering wheat field. And no amount of description will help someone who doesn't see the magic... they are either unwilling or unable, and will never be truly happy.
q) How long does it take to complete a piece?
a)Anywhere from two days, to six weeks generally, but I’d like to some really big pieces, like a battle or riot scene (think of Picasso’s Guernica, or the Da Vinci’s the Last Supper) as soon as I have a buyer who is looking for something really big and detailed like that. Right now I have to focus on making a living, and therefore I have to focus on small pieces.
q) Who are your favorite artists…and who are some artists you are currently looking/listening to?
a)I’m a huge fan of the German artist and illustrator Michael Sowa, as well as the late Jean Michel Basquiat. Contemporary artists that inspire me are Mark Ryden, Matt Sesow, and Tony Dotson. I’m also a big fan of comic strip artists like Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and Gary Larson (the Far Side.)
q) Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?
a)I represent myself, and I generally prefer it that way. It gives me the opportunity to have full control over my art content and pricing, and it means I can work with galleries all over the world. I’m always looking for new galleries to work with. I have upcoming shows at galleries in
q) As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?
a)Because I do this full time, I don’t have the luxury of waiting until I’m in the mood for working, I just force myself to get into the studio each morning and start. A big cup of coffee helps though. A big enough cup of coffee makes me think I could wrestle a bear though.
q) What is your favorite a) taste, b) sound, c) sight, d) smell, and e) tactile sensation?
a)Taste: The first sip of a really good beer when you’re parched.
Sound: Silence. I suffer from a severe case of ADHD and it amongst other things it makes me really sensitive to noise. A lot of things have a dog-whistle like effect on me. No one else seems bothered.
Sight: My wife after I haven’t seen her for the day.
Smell: Wood smoke from a chimney on an Autumn evening. There is nothing better than that.
Tactile Sensation: Hot bath water. I can spend hours in the bath. I really enjoy isolation, and the bath provides me with that.
q) Do you have goals that you are trying to reach as an artist, what is your 'drive'? What would you like to accomplish in your 'profession'?
a)My main goal is just to keep working as a full time artist. I’ve done many many different jobs over the years before I started painting, and I was never truly happy before I became an artist. I get my drive from remembering what it was like to work on a hot, stinky, factory floor in a back breaking labour job. Then I return to painting with a fervour. Ideally I would become rich and famous, but I don’t think I create the kind of art that is going to make me rich and famous, or appeal to the people with that kind of money. The art world is a funny place. My long term goals involve making enough money from art alone to live a little more comfortably. Right now I make barely enough money making art to survive, and I own a really old and cheap flip phone. I’d like a new smart phone, with cool gadgets. Than I’d know I was successful ; )
q) When did you start using the internet and what role does this form of communication play for you, personally, for your art, and for your business?
a)The internet has changed the way the art world works, and I think artists and galleries are either adapting or falling behind. I started using Facebook to market myself as an artist and promote my art when Facebook was very young, and it was this type of social media that allowed me reach out to the world with my art and meet other artists, galleries, and collectors. I post all my new work on Facebook and leighcooney.com right away for my 4000 FB friends to see. What gallery in the world can guarantee that they will have 4000 potential clients from all over the world come in the door in one day? None, period. In the beginning I sold almost all my work through social media, but now I have more of a rapport with galleries and collectors. However I still sell a substantial chunk of my art through social media every day. I spend a couple hours every morning before painting updating my various profiles, responding to e-mails, and marketing myself. I recently sold a painting within 4 minutes of finishing it. That’s the fastest yet. It’s a good time to be an artist.
q) What do you obsess over?
a)Everything. I have a very addictive personality.
q) Do you have preferred working hours? Do you pay attention to the time of the day or maybe specific lighting?
a)I prefer to work during the day. I’m not a night person. I’m up every morning at 6am, and I work until the natural light fades. I will work under artificial light when I have to but I don’t like it. And I don’t like being up late, I get grouchy.
q) Do you do commissioned works?
a)I do a lot of commission work. Commissions keep me going, and allow me to have the time and income to focus on my own ideas. I’m currently working on a large
q) Any tips for emerging artists?
a)Yeah, utilize social media and work really hard. But work equally as hard at marketing yourself as you do at painting. But don’t be a spammer, find a balance. I love to chat about art and social media marketing in general, and I’ve done various radio shows, and magazine interviews on the subject. I always take e-mails from emerging artists and I answer as many as I can. Feel free to send me an e-mail to say hello, or add me as a friend on Facebook, just be sure to send me a message if you do, at this point I can only accept so many more facebook friends and I like to save the space for people who want to know me or my art personally.
q)…Your contacts
postato da Claudio Parentela @ 05:06
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