Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Clarke
Hi Robert, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a kid who drew ,
I liked painting ,I saw stuff and i copied it on to paper ,
school was fun the art classes were a playground but most students just played in the class
Didn’t learn art ,just messed about , the class was like a free for all …
I felt for the teacher …but he was a good teacher and I learned and he guided me to understand art as a form of communication..50 years on it was pivotal in my future
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was in a life of get a job to pay for the studio situation ,then doing the job ,be it a bar job or painting and decorating or whatever that then took up more time and then NO time to be creative ,
My studio would sit empty for weeks ,with no energy ,no time ,no inclination to Paint..
This is the hard part …this is when you give up ,this is when you decide I need to make money and get a car ,get a house ,I need a normal life ,,,
This is when people give up ….Art school doesn’t teach you about the business of art ,
But I didn’t get a proper job ,I didn’t get a house ,I didn’t have kids …I decided to be an Artist ..
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a teen artist ..influenced by Basquiat ,Guston ,De Kooning ,Hilton , Lanyon , Nicholson ,Hepworth …Got to see a show at the RA in london called the New spirit of painting 1981,,To be honest it was a strange title because most all of the artists involved had been working for some 20 years ..I did get to see Salles,Schnabels Stella and Baselitz I was quite blown away by the size and scale and ambition ….I like abstract but also figuration so I kinda did both ,,,Hilton and basquiat both blurred that line with color and mark making ,Hilton did child like nudes and animals with huge swathes of color .It was my introduction into animals in art really ….
So that all leads me to Dogs I guess after painting abstract linear baubles to no avail I decided to take a more figurative path and did a series of birds which led to dogs ,which led to a show then more shows globally ,then some celebrity commissions and the dog painting road I’m now on ,although I do a collection of A-Z screen prints with my long time master printer Suki based in Kent in Whitstable …
which all started in 2010 with the A-Z of Whitstable and culminating in my new show at the Famous French house Pub in Soho London in July …
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
just continue to work …was it Pollock that said just keep doing it ,everyday don’t stop against all adversity just keep working at being creative ,making time for your ideas .
Pricing:
- A-Z of Dogs $175
- A-Z of Montauk color $350
- 12″ x 12″ dog portrait $4000
- Upstate Catskills &150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robertjamesclarkeart.com
- Instagram: @areclarke
