MICHELLE RHEESTON-HUMPHREYS

A practicing visual artist, researcher, art lecturer and co-founder of (h)edge kelektiv, working with katrinka Wilson (Visual Artist and Researcher). She works on a number of projects, residencies and commissions.
Research Interests: liminality or in-betweeness, non-space/place, the material and indexical handmade, paradoxical realism, illusionistic images and objects, site-specific installation and intervention, notions of magic, wonder, narrative and performativity.

MOY MACKAY

A Scottish Based textile artist thats style is very delicate yet bold...

What is more important to you, the subject of the work or the way it is executed? 

Both to be honest. I have an idea, or image in my head or a photo of a place that is somehow special to me and then I try to recreate it using merino fibres as my paint. I strive to create something of the essence of my original idea/image but perhaps with a more ethereal quality. 

Do you have a University Degree? If so what course did you study and which university? 

I have a BA (Hons) in Design from Glasgow School of Art. I specialised in printed textiles. 

What environment do you find yourself working in the best? 

I work well from my Wasps studio in Selkirk. I have my own space within a huge old textile mill working alongside twelve other artists. It is good to have the buzz and company when you want it and equally have my own space where I can focus when working. 

What is your main inspiration?

Beautiful landscapes and skies which surround me in the beautiful Tweed Valley where I live in the Scottish Borders. Also love the west coast of Scotland and the Highlands. Anywhere I go where I see beauty is an inspiration to me. Colours inspire me, the sky inspires me... 

What advise would you give to a fresh graduate that wants to pursue a career like yours? 

Work within the industry; learn about marketing, selling, pr, advertising etc. I know so many talented artists who don’t have a clue about business. Sadly you need both to be able to create a business out of your passion. 

What motivates you to create your pieces? 

I constantly think myself very fortunate to be doing what I love doing, and make a living out of it. I have a real drive and passion for things that I find aesthetically pleasing and want to share that beauty with others. I love when somebody buys my work because they really want to live with it, rather than as an investment. 

Does failure motivate you? 

I come from a very hard working and positive family where failure has not been a word ever used. We are all very passionate about what we enjoy doing so guess we just get on and do it. Maybe the drive is an unconscious fear of failure now you ask, now you've got me thinking! 

Where do you feel your practice is going? 

Since I have shared my ideas openly in my first book I am now finding that what I do is no longer quite as unique. It is good to share something like this that brings pleasure to others. Again because of the book my work is not getting exposure to a much wider audience which has led to offers of teaching etc worldwide which is nice.  I am constantly trying to improve my technique and stay one step ahead. 

Did you ever think you wouldn't get this far? 

No!  I read a book a while back called 'Excuse me your life is waiting’, I believe you can achieve anything you want if you just believe you can. Quite simple really, it’s magic. 

Who is your favorite artist?

Well my dear uncle, John Prentice has always been a great inspiration. I don’t think I have one favorite artist; I admire some work by lots of different artists.  There was a Scottish artist called Joan Eardly whose work I have enjoyed most recently.

PAUL PICKARD

PAUL PICKARD

A professional photographer, based in Staffordshire with twenty years experience in the field.

When did you first become interested in this field of study?

When I had my first job, I worked in a planning department aged 19 and I bought a Russian film camera and started photography as a hobby, later converting a cupboard into a darkroom at my parents home

Where did you study photography?

I taught myself photography but later studied law for a short while in Sheffield – useful for a photojournalist

How would you describe/define yourself as a photographer?


I used to be a photojournalist - I now shoot a large range of types of photography so I guess a professional photographer is easiest label – do you have a better suggestion?

Which other photographers inspire you or do you admire?

Denis Thorpe was my first point of inspiration – He was a brilliant photographer on The Guardian  newspaper in Manchester, now retired. I actually take more of interest in paintings than photographs for inspiration but one photographer who stands out for me is Albert Watson.

How important is the quality of your equipment to your work?

It has become more and more important to have good quality equipment for a number of reasons, one being the advance in technology in ‘amateur’ level cameras and mobile phone cameras. I have shifted from using a selection of zoom lenses to using top range prime lenses in order to stand out from the crowd

Out of the many areas you have worked within- photojournalism, design/ad agencies, fashion houses, portraiture- which do you find most stimulating?

I find photographing things ‘as they happen’ the most stimulating as this plays to my strengths of observing and capturing the moment. I like to use available light and where possible make my photographs amusing as well as fulfilling the brief of the client

Is there a particular memorable shoot or key experience within your career?

I have had petrol bombs thrown at me in riots, that was quite memorable, I have witnessed the biggest mass murder in modern history when I photographed the dead bodies in Lockerbie after a plane was blown from the sky. I found dead bodies whilst covering a shooting in Hungerford, the gunman was still on the loose nearby. Just last week I have been working with film director Shane Meadows on The Stone Roses film. I once took Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, on work experience. I have also been fortunate enough to work with many well-known names in film, music and fashion – so being trusted by brilliant people is certainly a key experience I am proud of.

JACKIE MOCK

New York based artist who specialises in Reliquarium Art 

Some Secrets Should Stay Secret, 2010

Found bottle on wooden stand containing instructions on how to build a ship in a bottle

Winning Bingo, Losing Bingo, 2011

Two matching frames containing one single winning bingo card and a large uncounted quantity of losing bingo cards, each with a hand stamped metal plate.

The Entire Life of This Pen, 2011

ballpoint pen and paper in a handmade frame constructed of antique wood and glass

source

What is more important to you, the subject of the work or the way it is executed?

This is a really interesting question, I could probably rant about it for an eternity. I'm interpreting it to mean the dichotomy between my ideas and my craft. 

In my work, I'm very concerned with the execution (construction of the shadowboxes, the mounting, materials, etc) because I constantly find myself giving weight and importance or celebrating and drawing attention to some fairly diminutive objects and ideas. A solid and thoughtful construction and execution lead the admirer to want to spend time with the artwork. I did struggle and toil with woodworking and a poor shop and little knowledge of tools, it took some time (and some neighbors in Manhattan that hated me for running a table saw in my living room) for me to really get it down, and become confident and quick in executing my artwork that it has allowed my ideas to flourish. I enjoy working quickly and I have a hard time leaving things unfinished at the end of the day, but the hardest part for me is to learn patience and skill within my craft, to really refine my craftsmanship. I'm lucky that I haven't had a very long stretch of a lack of ideas (I know at some point it will happen) But, to conclude... the conceptual aspect of my work is the most important to me, but the execution is what makes it worth looking at.