Jacqui Stewart
Jacqui Stewart has been making art since ‘teenaging’ set in. “I got into art at secondary school mainly photography and some fine art practices. My art teachers were positive and encouraging..” Jacqui said.
The web address for more info is… http://723.com/jacksme http://www.warmtoastcafe.com/art/jacks68
Also the blog for Jacqui’s for radio show http://www.houseofjack.blogspot.com
Interests you have other than art you feel are important to mention?
Radio and Music, I enjoy being a DJ and interviewing interesting people.
What are the main medium/s you work in…
photography, painting, I am also interested in sound in gallery.
How do you describe your work, realistic, stylised, abstract, narrative, symbolic, other?
Photo documentary artistic photography and abstract art. The photographs are a record of out times and I’ve recently joined the digital revolution so use my digital camera when I can. I still wonder at the miracle of film though. The abstract art lets me express things without concrete images, which may make the pieces more intriguing.
Does your work have social, political, cultural and or personal messages?
It’s a record of our times and says something about people on the margins and my own personality.
What are you currently working on?
Some black and white portraits sound ideas.
What fascinates you?
The world and all the different kinds of people in it
Why are you an artist?
I enjoy photography, it’s a way of connecting to the world and expressing who you are.
How did you get into art?
Loved it at secondary school. I was encouraged and we had good art spaces. Which led me to TAFE, which I absolutely loved. You could be whoever and whatever you wanted to be at TAFE . no bells to tell you when to go to your next class. Just the enjoyment of being a young adult able to express oneself through art.
Your art education was…?
Top in art and design BA fine art museum studies at post grad level.
Was your education helpful, or a hindrance?
Helpful, gave me discipline and the skills to move on. You had to help yourself in many ways Teachers just let us do our own thing. I learnt a lot and loved the facilities.
What or who inspires your art?
The people of the world. I like photographing people the way we are all quite unique and have all travelled on this planet both emotionally and physically I try to capture this.
What caused you to choose the medium you currently work in?
Easy to get things printed easy access to a camera something you can take around with you. The camera is a very accessible thing.
Does the “creative process” happen easily for you?
Yes it does I feel that is was my choice to be creative
Do you get to other artists exhibitions, openings etc?
I try to see as much art as possible across all mediums and genres. It always fascinates me the variety of ideas people have and it’s always inspirational to look at other peoples work.
Do you have much contact with other artists?
I’m at an art studio so yeah. People are doing all kinds of different works at the gallery studio space. Some big works other small intimate works and such a variety, everthing from abstract to photo realism
Any upcoming or completely new projects you want to talk about?
I put in for a submission to the midsumma festival, we shall see.
Working towards an exhibition, is it a daunting task?
It is a daunting task and takes lots of energy but its good to get your work out there. The results usually pay off when you see your work displayed. I was pleased with my last exhibition I thought it came up well had lots of good comments.
Some say the lifespan of many “artists” post educationally is about five years, any thoughts on that?
An artist is an artist for life I think you keep maturing and developing.
Do you keep an Art Journal or Visual Diary of some kind?
I jot down ideas do sketches and plan things. I should sketch more I tend to launch into finished artworks before pre sketching. I enjoy just randomly putting any random idea on paper kind of like just seeing what comes out and it can be surprising
Do you have a personal philosophy that underpins your work?
When working in photography its about the decisive moment.
Musical influences?
I love bands like massive attack portishead, and radiohead music can be inspirational.
If you stopped doing art right now would you miss it?
Sure would, I’ve always got something on the go I always take photos.
What about the role of titles with your work, some hate them others revel in them, what about you?
Sometimes I title things, others I don’t, some titles are more factual then others ie photo taken at Camberwell market is self explanatory while rebirth is open to interpretation.
What is the most unexpected response you’ve received from a viewer of your work?
I did a piece called fork off which featured forks on a canvas and it got quite a response, many saw the humour.
What or how do you respond to the term “Starving Artist”?
It’s a reality.
What moves you most in life, either to inspire or upset you, which might be connected to your art?
The thrill of the unexpected nature of film is inspiring and capturing that moment.
How important is society, culture and or history to your work?
In some ways it is about context, society, culture and history can shape your work and give it meaning
How long did it take to develop your own style?
Forever developing and changing. I do different things like put words on canvas play around with sound ideas I’ve even got some old super 8 film which I want to piece together for a projection in a gallery.
What was life like for you as you were growing up?
I was never into sport so I was an arty kid at school a bit weird and kind of different I couldn’t wait to get to art school. I could be who I wanted to be at art school.
Eccentricity is seen as a common trait of artists of many disciplines, how about you?
It helps to be a bit different.
Do you wake up with ideas at 2am etc… and have to jot them down?
Some of my dreams can be inspiring they can be very creative.
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Compiled and edited by Steve Gray © 2009+
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