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Artist Spotlight |
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This Month We Spotlight Fellow ArtBeacon Artist Arthur Koch.
Arthur Koch is a painter, photographer and digital artist currently residing in San Francisco. Arthur's work can be seen and purchased from his web site:"Arthur Koch Web Gallery".
Q: How did you become interested in art? Was your interest nurtured or randomly found?
A: When I was in the first and second grade I used to get up at 5 in the morning and draw until 7. I got and F in art in junior high for drawing nudes. When my high school counselor said I wouldn't amount to anything if I chose to be an artist my decision was made for me, and I dropped out (tuned in and turned on).
My mother is a painter and my father is a photographer so at least I was encouraged, although my brother turned out to be programmer/manager at Microsoft so there was no pressure to be an artist. I traveled around Europe for two years, going to museums and taking classes that allowed me to build a portfolio which won me a scholarship when I returned to the states.
Q: How long have you been painting and pursuing photography? Which do
you prefer or find more rewarding?
A: All my life. I find photography the most rewarding, drawing the most direct, and painting the most challenging.
Q: What area of your preferred art form (painting or photography) do
you find most appealing? (documentary photography, travel photography,
a certain style of painting, etc.)
A: travel photography
Q: Whose work have you been most impacted or influenced by? If so are
there particular works that come to mind?
A: Goya, Daumier, Rembrant, Pisaro, Benton, Pollack, Thiebold, and Diebenkorn, Salgado, Bressant, and Weston.
Q: Your Kashmir photos are beautiful. When did you take this trip and how did you decide to visit this war torn region?
A: I went to India in 1997 for 5 weeks and felt like I barely scratched the surface. I didn't plan to go to Kashmir and all the guidebooks warned me not to because some tourists were kidnapped and murdered the year before. Some Kashmiris befriended me in Dharmasla and convinced me to take the trip. I had already photographed all the major religions in India except for Muslims so I looked at it as an opportunity to get more familiar with Muslim culture.
Q: Wasn't it a bit risky?
A: Yes, it was risky, I got searched by the Military a lot, and I got ripped off, but I got some good photos and many people treated me like royalty because they hadn't seen tourists in while.
Q: What lessons from your trip to Kashmir would you relay to other travel photographers?
A: Don't get all your information from one source. Always ask a couple of different people and compare the info to what you read in travel guides. Don't let yourself get sold a bunch of stuff you don't need.
Q: Are there other locations you'd like to visit and photograph?
A: Yes I want to travel through out South America, South East Asia, and China someday.
Q: How did you find your way to digital art & animation? Tell us a little about your background in this area.
A: I got my BFA in Painting and Photography and learned to create computer graphics on the job. I used photography for reference and to created textures for 3d models in the game industry. I always had access to digital cameras at work and bought one myself when I felt like the technology was finally practical. I took classes and pursued artistic interest while I worked to update my skills and stay inspired.
Q: Has your migration into digital art influenced your artwork? If so do you consider this a positive influence?
A: Yes, it's all a good learning experience. I don't like depending on expensive flaky machinery and the long hours in front of a computer can take it's toll. I'm especially excited about how digital photography because I can experiment a lot without spending money on film and processing. Seeing the immediate result on your camera forces you to become a better photographer. Building 3d models caused me to seek out textures in the world around me and to take a more technical approach to the way light effects our perception of the world.
Q: What pieces of artwork have you created that you're most fond of and why?
A: The last painting I did outdoors was especially fun because the weather was nice and I was surprised that I could still paint after of a long hiatus. It felt glorious to be painting outside on a weekday.
You can see it here...
I'm also working on a series of city scenes at night in the rain. Here is a painting that inspired me do more (see left bottom)
I like night scenes because of all the reflected light, especially when it's wet out. I refer to photos I've taken while driving around at night in the rain. I think the night photos would make a nice series as well.
Q: How does art sales fit in with your passion for the arts?
A: Sales will allow me to keep making more art, but the amount of and promotion required takes away from the time and energy you put into creating art.
had positive or negative experiences in this area?
I've had much more success working for a salary creating commercial art than I have selling fine art. I usually regret selling paintings because they are very personal work and one of a kind. The amount of money I get for a painting doesn't come close to what I've made working for a salary. I prefer to sell photography and do commissions.
Q: What seemed to foster these experiences?
A: My experience selling art range from working in a Gallery/frame shop, to outdoor art fairs, showing in restaurants, selling or trading with friends, freelancing for newspapers and publishers, and working full time as a salaried digital artist. I've finally come to the conclusion that marketing, sales, and project management are vital for sales and require about half your time and effort.
Q: What are your goals and aspirations in regard to your artwork? I'm trying to market my photography and find another job creating computer graphics for video games.
A: Hopefully someday my photography will become the majority of my income so I won't depend so much on a salary. My goal is to do more commissioned work and someday be sought out for my particular style rather than cater to other people's tastes.
Q: As an off the wall ending to our interview... how do you fit an Elephant in a refrigerator?
A: Short of cutting them up into little pieces you hide their favorite food inside the fridge until they get so hungry they find a way in themselves or you visualize an elephant and draw a picture of a fridge around it.
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Did You Know? - All ArtBeacon Artist Sites Are Listed Under "Resources"
In the navigation a top every ArtBeacon page is a link titled "Resources". Clicking on this link will bring you to a page with several resource types including "Artist Web Sites".
You can display "Artist Web Sites" results by Name or Location.
NOTE: Individual artist site results are displayed automatically once a site/store is published. Content for these automatic site/store references are pulled from "About The Store", "Store Name" (from your "Site/Store Settings" page) and "City"/"State" (from your "Account Information").
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Forums & Community
We remind you that you can discuss account setup, business practices, recent site developments, and suggestions, with fellow members and the ArtBeacon Development Team in the ArtBeacon Forum. >> Access The Forum |
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