Mini Interview: Allen Walbourne
Hunting for Wealth Love & Fame
Location? Age? Education?
West Side St. John’s, NFLD. 24 yrs. Bach. Fine Arts (Visual Arts) Memorial University
How would you describe your work to someone?
A merging of traditional Newfoundland customs and fluid contemporary urban lifestyles.
Over To Moms
Influences?
My main influence is the materials. I will hunt for fabrics with bold fabrics and patterns to pair with objects that complete the work. I love to reference Newfoundland cabin and kitchen culture. The ridiculous hidden gems scattered across St. John’s just waiting to be found. I want to go to value village right now…
Work routine? Time of Day? Music?
It depends on the art. With my painting it is all times of the day whenever i can get to my studio to get er done. With my textile work I can chill out in the apartment and watch tv while working away.
My music right now is slightly stuck on Robyn, Goldfrapp, Kylie Minogue, Scissor Sisters and Adele. All yummy to my ears.
How do you pay your bills?
I am a full time petroleum distributor for Esso Empire Ave plus a customer service attendent for Tim hortons. eh. I work at esso selling gas and coffee. But I have just been hired on part time at the new Rocket Bakery in the former Auntie Creas building. So that should be exciting when it opens. yay!
Describe your process for creating new work?
My textiles work start with a poke around my fabrics then a merging of staple gun and canvas. My painting is the more daunting of the two, ive been working on one for a almost a year now..lord jesus. I am ridiculous with detail and it has to be perfect. My downfall.
I usually lay out the materials and look at them for a while. Then i layer and pin seeing what works well with what. Then i just go for it. If it doesnt work I just take it apart and start again. I love the hands on interactions with the fabric and furs. I need to get right in there and make sure everything is exactly the way I want it or else no one will ever see it.
The Value of Your Village Is A Legend
Tools of the trade?
Lots of good stuff
What are you really excited about right now?
Exciting stuff is ahead. As previously mentioned I have a new part time at the soon to be opened Rocket Bakery. Besides that I have been offered a solo art exhibition at the A1C Gallery from the 1st of April up until the 20th. woot!
I Just gave you $100, 000. Quick! What do you do with it?
First thing I would do is go find the person who owns that amazing pink and green art deco building down by the war memorial and ask how much they want for it. If its more that 100,000 I would say yes bah! Then I would say let me lease it out then start an amazing art gallery called The Pink Flamingo. It would be sick! Just wait till i got money, just wait.
Best way to spend a day off?
If im completely forgetting about all the art I have to get done I would spend the day with my mister Mark, poking around Value Village and the Thrift Store. Looking for useless shit that we dont need to clutter up our apartment. Then go buy a 3 cheese deli pizza from Sobeys throw a load of deliciousness on top (spinach, peppers, pineapple, sesame seeds, veggie ground round, mushrooms, onions and so on) layered with a healthy shake of tandoori and chili powder. Yum plus 1! Then play video games in my jammies wit the kitty next to me for the rest of the day, probably lisening to CBC Radio One the whole time. Cause I dies for a bit of CBC radio.
What do you love most about where you live?
The size of St. John’s. It is the perfect size city. Just big enough to have something to do every night, but just small enough that you can get around the city pretty quickly. Plus all the amazingness that is here. Yes many of my really close friends have moved away but I still have a lot of amazing peeps here that are sticking around and making St. John’s a deadly place to live in. Tanks PMU yur awesome rite, I likes yur face!
Okay, your chance to rant and rave about something. Talk Shit.
I got 2 points to make here. First, lazy artists with half ass jobs considered to be finished and acceptable exhibition art and Second Arts Award in St. John’s mainly the Arts and Letters Contest.
1. Lazy Artists
If you are going to be an artist do not make lazy shitty art that is mid rate and just acceptable enough to hang on art gallery walls. Before you make a piece take a day to think about why you are making it, how you are going to make it, how long it will take, what does it say about you as an artist and how does this fit into your overall body of artwork. I have seen so much art in this province that is praised by gallery owners yet there is nothing to praise. The work is slapped together and miss the mark on many levels in compositions, concept and even technical ability. Yes not everyone can be a great artist but put some effort into your work. It really does show when your art is void of thought, the love isnt there, the passion of making a statement isnt there. All Im saying is dont be lazy, get crazy, blow us away with amazing works that we can say “Did you see that sculpture?” or “My gawd what was she thinking when she did that painting?” Take the chance to insult people, move them from their mondain everyday and get some sort of conversation flowing.
*Side note: If you take a picture of your painting and make prints of it you suck! Its not a “print” it is a photocopy, dont gussy it up a make it into something it isnt. If you are a painter paint, you devalue the rest of the artists in your field.
2. Art Awards (Mainly the Arts and Letters)
I have a problem with the Arts and Letters awards, they suck. I dont know what they want, I have tried for about 5 years now everything I can possibly do to win this award. Lord jesus they are so fickle. My first attempt was in highschool, you know crash and burn. And then I have been competing in the senior category ever since. They should rename the competition, The Returned Arts and Rejection Letters Awards. Who wins this competition? I went to last years Rooms opening of this work and it was a sea of boats, docks, stages, and an odd mis mash of other works. Now not to offend I loved Darren Whalen’s painting and Jenny Dwyer’s print(they put effort into their work). I am floored as to what the criteria is for this competition. This year I decided to make the most Newfoundland-ish artwork I could possibly make. I made the previously shown ^^ rabbit fur NFLD shaped spoon collection. And a BIG FAIL! Nothing pleases these people. Someone throw me a bone and give me a hint, do i have to paint a portait of Danny Williams kissing a cod in a fisherman’s hat on george street with signal hill in the background, with picture plants growing out of the ground and NFLD dogs and puffins playing in the street. I bet you if I did paint that I could take a picture and make some load of “prints” of that to sell to all the tourists that come to dis province.
I personally would love to get some accreditation from my peers, but I havent done anything of significance yet to get it. That is key, you have to do something of significance to get an award, not just make some middle of the road art and be young, bam award. Congrats. I also think that it is a good thing not to enter award competitions because it changes what you do as an artist. Do you make art for award competitions or do you make art for exhibition. Its great to get the money from the awards but have you compromised yourself and your whole body of work to get a mild amount of attention for a few weeks.
And thats my rant. Thanks for that.
Upcoming Shows/ Projects?
Yes. I do have an upcoming exhibition as previously mentioned. The title of the exhibition is ‘A Proud Newfoundlander Wit A Cat Called Danny’. The opening date will be on April 1st, 2011 at the A1C Art Gallery Downtown on Cliff Baird’s Road. The show will be a great range of mediums from painting, mixed media, sculpture, photography and even an installation piece. I will make another post later on this for the event. Since graduating in 2009 I have been continuously creating art and working towards this solo exhibition. Enjoy.
Cheers. Allen Walbourne.
Get on over to easternedge.ca and bid on a portrait sitting with a local artist for a valentines! What an super gift idea! @easternedge
