Artist Interview – Jenny Davis
When did you want to be an artist? At an early age even before starting school I would tear up old Xmas cards and glue with sparkles .Then when I started school I fell in love with the smell and texture of the paint used for finger painting.My brother was learning to be a carpenter and I used to love arranging the samples pieces of wood and laminate. I used to be very fascinated watching him drawing and we would make paper mache buildings for his train set. We never had books in our family so I would make my own and collage things into lined exercise school books. I lived near the beach so with the Australian summers being very hot I would go to the beach most days and collect shells glass anything and create things at home with them. I think I realized it when my school marks for art and music were well above average while my other subjects I failed badly in.
What are your favourite materials to work with? I collect junk, street litter when I travel, advertising and packaging materials, lolly papers baguette bags I have over 200, these and more are all my favourites things. Oil paint and wax ,wallpaper, graph paper, hand painted papers, for my sculpture I like to use found objects,boxes boxes boxes for sculpture, music boxes, cups, china, coloured perspex, metal rusted and patina car parts for welding, scientific stuff , microscopes, test tubes, vintage shoes, hats I could go on and on.
Describe a bit of your process…is everything planned or sketched out before hand? DO you work on impulse? Most of my abstract painting is about the creative process this is my interest…the end result is never in my mind because my job is to discover new things as I’m doing..over the past few years my work has expanded ,changing and can be more issued based in some areas. With my sculpture it’s completely the opposite I have to have my objects all around me and it’s a much slower thought out mathematical creative process. Especially with the welded pieces I do
Where is your favourite place to work? My shed (studio) in my backyard.I built it 8 years ago even after a car accident I was determined to get it finished. I’m a welder and did the framing myself and my brother helped with the rest.
What inspires you? My environments , strange underground spaces, life, my 3 creative children who always amaze me with their creativeness , the silence and the in between .Traveling discovering new cultures. Science, religious iconage and dogma relating to violence,wars and destructive behaviors. I have been researching and documenting underground spaces a for a few years now in Australia Paris and Spain. I’m interested in the forgotten unseen spaces in life as well as graffiti a, street art, litter, tips, collecting.
What artist, past or present, has inspired your work? The American Abstract Expressionists especially Rothko, Pollock, the Surrealists, Dada, Vincent, Tapies, Joseph Cornell,Picasso, Manet, Ian Fairweather, Max Ernst, Basquiat, and so many many more
Where do you see your work going in the next 10 years? Continue exploring online opportunities and more arts residencies, traveling exporting my art overseas.I would like to making a full time living from my work but mainly have enough money, to continue doing what Im doing and to get my projects and ideas happening. I would like to expand into other areas including video and installation and to live overseas in USA or Europe, especially Spain or France in the future.
Unfortunately, I think there are better oppurtunities for artists overseas than in Australia.
You only have to look at the way artists are perceived and not respected in some areas and can been called bludgers , but it is slowly changing….. We are so far away from everybody else …..too many artists and not enough outlets.
How are you taking your work/techniques to the next level?
I’m using the computer as tool now, as well as,digital photography,digital art creative video , sound, installations. I like to recycle where I can and use materials I have found from many places to create with. At the moment Im experimenting with a new process I developed that recycles high density polyethylene. I do whatever else I need to do to get out my expression so my practice is changing and expanding into areas unknown,experimenting with new materials ideas and thoughts and just let it happen and try not control it see what happens….
Have you ever taught any art classes? Yes, I taught 3 people from my studio once.
What item are you most proud of on your Artist Resume?
An Arts residency awarded to me in Barcelona Spain, and I was chosen to exhibit my work at the Athens Olympic Games. Working and living in Paris,exhibition at National Gallery Victoria Australia, New York ,Berlin and Spain. Publishing my first book “Meet The Tenant”,Paris
What is the role of the Artist in our society?
To experiment and discover new ideas ,new worlds…….to be allowed….to express freely and uncensored, in order to give new perspectives, new ways of seeing,,,,to be open to the present, past and future and of course without artists there would be no history.
Has selling art on-line been a success for you? Why? Getting there……
It depends on how you define a successful artist?
If you mean in terms of money well, I’ve only sold a couple of paintings this year online, and a few t shirts,cards, handmade books and art materials .I have many websites selling my work. It doesn’t seem to get seen, maybe cause I live in Australia I get on the 5,000th page and no one sees it. However,the Internet is an invaluable tool for marketing and promoting my art, getting it out there. I have made heaps of contacts worldwide, invitations to participate in exhibitions and awards.I use the computer daily to network and to send off my portfolio for residencies, applications, art competitions, grants exhibitions,commissions, art blogging etc. I also sell my paintings at exhibitions which have been slow past year.
How do you encourage people (or why would you encourage people) to buy Original Fine Art? Buy from a living artist, it’s not only a good investment but it helps artists to continue what they do best…..
Your biggest sale or commission was.. Paintings for a winery and to collectors in Australia and in many overseas countries.
The biggest show/award you got was… This year 2008 I received the Australian Government Export Award for actively promoting and marketing my Australian art Internationally that was pretty cool….An Arts residency in Barcelona Spain.
Where do you sell your work? Mainly exhibitions, online and word of mouth but, Im working on opening my house, maybe having some happenings ,showings over the next year or two. Im actually looking at new ways of getting my work out there, sick of the gallery scene and paying gallery directors for spaces that cost the artist a mint and the directors get a wage from us so they dont have to sell the art….. mail art and collaborations with other artists and collectives here and overseas I keep pushing the web looking out for opportunities.Im also investigating and experimenting with other ways ….mail art , collaborations with other artists, scientists, architects, interior designers,space programs, Online cyber worlds like Second Life where I have exhibitions of my work, collectives,cooperatives, here and overseas I keep pushing it in all areas looking out for opportunities.