1 If you weren’t an artist, what else would you be?
If I wasn’t an artist then I would probably be a classical musician as I used to be a violinist in the Welsh youth orchestra, and also used to play concertos in competitions.
2 Name 3 of your least favourite artists.
This is a difficult one to answer because all art has different merits if done very well and as long as the work communicates to the viewer whatever a particular artist wants to convey. For example ‘bad art’ is fine as long as there is a reason and statement for it.
3. Anytime, any place – which artist’s body would you most like to inhabit?
I would like to have been in New York during the 1950s when American Abstract Expressionism was in full swing. The artist I would like to have been inside would have to be Willem De Kooning.
4 What is your favourite ‘ism’?
American Abstract Expressionism.
5 What was the most intelligent thing that someone said or wrote about your work?
One intelligent observation was that my work isn’t overly descriptive and doesn’t try too hard to explain to the viewer exactly what is going on. As a result there is often a feeling of walking into an imaginary landscape, that you know there are organic shapes within the layers of paint and you more or less know what these shapes allude to. Also because of the layering process, there is a sense of history to the paintings.
It’s just as important to realise what has been left out of the painting as what is actually there. As a result the viewer has more freedom to interpret each painting from a personal point of view.
6. And the dumbest?
” I don’t understand why that painting took you so long to do, it looks really easy”!
7 Which artists would you most like to rip off, sorry, I mean appropriate as a critique of originality and authorship?
I admire artists such as Cecily Brown but rather than trying to ‘copy’ I prefer to let things subliminally feed into my work over time along with all my research material. I think it is extremely important to develop my own techniques and language for painting which I hope will evolve over a lifetime.
Occasionally I think it is a good idea to do a pastiche of an old master such as Caravaggio but only as an exercise to learn about good painting techniques.
8 Do you care what your art costs? State your reasons!
Yes I do care what my art costs because I have collectors who have already bought my work so from a professional point of view I cannot be seen to go down in my prices. From a personal point of view I price my work depending on how long I have spent working with the painting and how important it is to me.
9 What are the three big ideas that you would like your work to express?
The twisted darker side of things, magical landscapes and mystery.
10 Are you a political artist?
My work is about romance and the idea that you can escape into a different place/world, the avoidance of the mundane routines of everyday life and the greed and technology which seem to rule peoples lives .
11 How do you start the process of making work?
I collect images from magazines, the internet, films and my own photography as well as looking at as many art shows as I can.
12 What next?
I am continuing with my Dark Garden idea which has been evolving over the last 2 years. I am currently researching weird plants, shapes and looking at what else I can introduce into my work. This is an ongoing process and challenge and keeps the work fresh and exciting.
13 If Moma and the Tate and the Pompidou wanted to acquire one of your works each, which would you want them to have?
I would want the Tate to show Roses 5, Moma to have Black Rose 2 and the Pompidou to have Ghost.
14. What is your favourite cheese?
Goats Cheese.
15. What’s next for you?
At the moment I am producing work ready for my New York show with Opus Art in March 2011. I have also been invited to take part in a group show in London next year which will be artist led and a group show with Opus Art ‘Fresh Cream” next month.
Check out some of Kim Bakers work at FADshop and Opus Art
