insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 03 - May 2015

BUSINESS turning art into BUSINESS cont. Janine Creaye // www.sculptureform.co.uk David Melville // www.potteryman.co.uk Tell us about the process that brought you from being a 'leisure' artist to becoming a successful businessperson in the world of art. I have never been a ‘leisure artist’. I have always known what I was and through my A-Levels, undergraduate degree, as well as masters, that is what I have pursued. I didn’t always know what skills I would use to express this need to make a visual response to life, and gradually found that painting/drawing alone was never physically engaging enough for me. Even as I have reached middle age and have had to recognise the limitations of my body, I know that the solution is pacing and working out easy methods of moving weight (large stone and woodcarvings) rather than reducing your ambitions to techniques that would not be appropriate to the work in hand. I believe that each piece has its natural medium, so I do not limit myself to one process. Tell us about the process that brought you from being a 'leisure' artist to becoming a successful businessperson in the world of art. I was initially trained as an engineer, but I was always passionate about art. My spare time was taken up painting landscapes. I learnt to paint through adult evening classes, and a friend of mine suggested we do a pottery class. Once I tried it, I realised that it was a marriage between art and craft. I have always been a practical person and my Mugs for family were all makers and Mary's Meals menders, so it seemed natural for me to take up a practical skill. After a three-year ful-time ceramics course and having set up a workshop, I was ready to go. That was in 1980. For the ﬁrst 15 years, I established a unique way of selling, which was low cost. I would sell my pots through party plan and instead of getting people in to do the selling, I did it myself; the buyers liked to meet the artist/potter, which increased sales. What's the most important thing you've learned along the way, and what has been your biggest triumph and biggest mistake? I have learned many things along the way, but I don’t dwell on the triumphs or mistakes. All that really matters is the thing you are about to do and how it can be the best, most magical, quietly provocative, and often for me – contemplative – Child and Adult Portals at Warneford Hospital in Oxford thing I have ever done. I try to catch an essence of the thing I am fascinated by and rarely succeed as I would want to. It is all about getting as close as possible. This may be a mood, a body in motion, a natural form, or a system of symbols. What's the most important thing you've learned along the way, and what has been your biggest triumph and biggest mistake? The most important thing is to have an open mind and to realise that you never stop learning. Taking on a business that is art based and selling something that is alternative to the mainstream is difﬁcult, and so if you have managed to do it for as long as I have that is indeed a triumph. As for mistakes, there's probably too many to mention, but none that have not been overcome. I have a very positive outlook, so any mistakes are taken as part of the learning process. One career choice that I should probably have made was that in the early days, I just concentrated on production to make money and pay the mortgage, but I stagnated slightly as an artist/potter. Now I have less ﬁnancial responsibilities and I ﬁnd it difﬁcult to be accepted at the high-end art shows, but my positive attitude is slowly chipping away at them and I am starting to get in. At a push, I would say that the greatest career triumphs I have had would be getting strong, quiet works permanently installed in public places without serious compromise. In particular Child and Adult Portals at Warneford Hospital in Oxford; Out of the Block Head in Quaker’s Acre, Guildford; and Outside Inside panels at Old Manor Hospital, Salisbury. The mistakes I have made have all stemmed from the need to earn money to proceed in what can be an expensive business. The answer for me is that work can be presented in a way that is conducive to ﬁnding a market, but must never be made with a market in mind if it is to retain any ﬂair, quality or integrity. What would be your number one piece of advice for aspiring artists who want to turn their hobby into a business? New aspiring artists have often had a better education with business studies as part of their degree, but they still have to realise that it will be hard work and you have to learn to promote yourself wherever you can (hence me answering these questions). Gone are the days of the unknown artist being discovered in their garret. What would be your number one piece of advice for aspiring artists who want to turn their hobby into a business? The advice I would give aspiring artists is do it only because that is what you need to do as a human being. It is a difﬁcult commercial market whatever your style, and public funding is almost non-existent now. Selling directly to the public is the way forward and you need to communicate clearly, present your work well and absolutely ready for display, and try to have some small affordable pieces as well as very large (if that's what you generally do). David is currently working on a project close to his heart called Mary’s Meals. This charity feeds children in poverty-stricken countries as long as they attend school. The hope is that they gain an education and pull themselves out of poverty. David has donated 100 limited-edition mugs and the proceeds are going to Mary's Meals. 92

insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 03 - May 2015 | Page 92