Be Personable
just my under-standing of the terminology. We are back to my understanding of art and craft, perhaps it is just semantics. P&S: Why wood firing? DP: The reason I chose wood firing is because I wanted something that was indigenous to, or at least new to Jamaica. Rather than a continuation of what I was making at art school that was refined in NYC. This new approach forced open a new world of exploration, a new pallet, a new way of thinking for an entirely new beginning. P&S: How lucrative a business is art today? DP: When people ask how is business I usually just smile and say that I’m busy. I am always busy creating, which is an entirely different thing. If what I am doing is primarily business, then it’s not art. Commercial art and design are something entirely different from ‘art’ and requires artistic talent, creativity etc. and is primarily a business. Art is about expression and for most artists, the selling is necessary to fuel the need to create rather than the business of selling motivating the creation of art. I think this question is more easily answered by galleries. What I hear is that when business is booming then more people buy art and less when there is financial uncertainty. P&S: What have been some of your more memorable jobs? DP: The thought of a job takes me back to my days when I had a salary as a designer - we worked on scuba diving equipment for a Japanese manufacturer and stacking enamel bowls for Dansk International while working in NYC. Now as a production studio I have had some great jobs making dinnerware for fabulous people who love what I do. My most memorable times as an artist are not jobs but creative bursts of exploration where time and place seem to disappear and the process of making art takes over. P&S: What would your advice be to someone interested in becoming an artist? DP: If you need to earn a living, don’t become an artist. Do whatever you can to earn a living, save and continue to practice and create your art from love and passion. At some point one of the two will take over your life. If there is no other choice than art, then my advice is: try to find a way for survival with minimum expenses. There are many jobs that require artistic skill and/or creative thinking. Perhaps one of those is a good place to start.
Soul Serving II
Venus Pod
30
Places & Spaces