Posted on Monday, 9 November 2009 by
Ben
Ninja Edit: My blog editor was being a prick when i made this post, causing a whole lot of images and info not to show up, the post will look different now as i have corrected the fuck up!
Wow, what can i say about Mel Baxter? I really don’t think my words do Mel, her work and her acheivements the justice they deserve.
She has guest curated a handful of exhibitions, including Curvy, Hand Drawn, New York Buck and designed album art work for the likes of Dan Parsons, Danny Widdicombe and the Boat People, needless to say i am stoked to have been able to catch up with Mel for a bit of a chat, and to introduce her as This Life’s latest feature artist.
Check it out!
Firstly, thank you so much for your time, whats been happening?
Thanks Ben- Its always great to get the opportunity to talk about myself. ;-)
Lately Ive been making plans to start my own business- aside from the other 455 I’m trying to get going ….
This will be a full time venture though- like a 7am-4pm kind of deal. Ive never had that kind of routine before- so its going to be interesting.
For those who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hmmm. That question always bothers me slightly- especially if there’s a time limit.
Not wanting to place down any titles or descriptions I’ll ask you to delve into your imagination briefly and picture about 12 pies all marked “creativity” — some of them are for sale, some of them are free- Now there’s me… standing in front of these pies, not working out which one to buy or to take home- but considering growing two extra fingers so I could put one in each pie…..;-)
How did you first find out you had a talent for art, at what point did you decide to pursue it as a career?
Apart from the dabblings of a 2 yr old and having a school teacher mum who encouraged any output of creativity- I’d have to say it hit me in about grade 10: You’re at that age where you’re trying to fit into some kind of class or category. I was the kid with the private school education, with too many earrings in my ears, died hair, muddy shoes, a foul mouth, and paint on my uniform- art
class was really the only place I fitted in. I graduated grade 12 as a C student but with a dux in art and realised the world of creativity was really the only place I wanted to be.
What other artists are you into or influenced by?
Oh, Im inspired everyday by amazing artists, but my first and most important was the Brisbane based collective called RINZEN when I was 17- I saw their work and needed to do it- Viva La Vector-
Second was Melbourne based designer Ben Thomson aka Simian Lines- We ended up working collaboratively together for The Versus Show I in 08.You work in various mediums and have quite a diverse subject matter, do you prefer any medium in particular?
Well some part of it is down to circumstance – I think graphic design is the lazy mans/woman’s art- you can chow down a bowl of nachos and have a completed piece without even getting your hands dirty- Where as painting and hands-on work for me requires a little more dedication towards a piece- I think I have much higher expectations of myself- so I tend to avoid it at times so as not to disappoint.
Where do you or what do you draw inspiration from as an artist?
I tend to look towards other artists for inspiration, but that always seems to lead into a bit of a rut for me- I realise how much better they all are and it turns into a creative block and a bout of depression- ;-)
I think imagery which I can play with or manipulate is my most obvious form of inspiration as well romance.
What’s been blasting through your headphones lately?
A mixture of Amazing Baby, Bat for Lashes, and Bon Jovi.
Greatest accomplishment as an artist?
Getting featured in Curvy has always been my ultimate dream- I reached that goal at the start of the year and then got the amazing opportunity of curating the Brisbane leg of the Curvy launch. On par with that would have to be the start of my own show concept The Versus Show.
How would you say your style has progressed from when you first started seriously making art?
I’ve never really had or wanted a set style- I think my progression has been experience and learning to vary my style to suit a situation/brief/or mood . If that makes sense.
What’s in your pockets right now?
A lighter and 1 earring-
How would you describe your artistic style?
argh, I vary from realism, photography and sketched portraiture to vector t-rex’s and scribbled montages.
What are your views/opinions on the World and Society today?
Well, in terms of keeping up to date- I fall quite short- My household doesn’t have a TV, I don’t read newspapers, I don’t listen to the news- So you could say I’m a little cut off- I think it took about 4 hours to know MJ was dead- so I still find out the ‘important’ stuff. Its all the same crap repeated- just different hype…
In terms of society- Sometimes Ill step out into the valley streets on a Saturday night and feel like Ive stepped into the modern version of William Hogarth’s “Gin Lane” 1751 -
You, along with Frankie Magazine and Nine Lives Gallery put together “Hand Drawn”, an exhibition showcasing some of Australia and New Zealand’s finest female artists, can you tell us a bit more about the idea behind the event, beside it being an all female exhibition?
The artists who I chose for the show were great sources of inspiration for me. I’ve always really admired these girls for not only their amazing work, but also how they’ve excelled in their industry. Without sounding like an idiot, I sometimes feel the art industry is still fairly male dominated- its not any one’s fault- I just think guys put themselves out there a lot more than women do. When putting together the line-up for the Curvy launch- I had a tough time tracking down sweet local female talent…The show ended up pulling around 300 people and was a big success in my eyes. After that show I had an overwhelming response from girls coming to me and sharing their secret folios of amazing illustrations, photographs, paintings or ideas… now that was special… I really want all women to have faith in their work, their product and themselves. To make work and then put it on walls for all to see not only gives you a sense of achievement and possibly some cash in your pocket.. but it also inspires others to do the same… that’s the aim anyway.
Kelly Thompson – Hand Drawn
Sarah Larnach – Hand Drawn
Xiao Deng – Hand Drawn
Name 5 things you couldn’t live without.
Ideas, a pen, my dog, my man, life.
Advice to aspiring artists?
– CREATE- Make as much work as you can- Put together a good body of work- take some photos- make a blog- email some galleries and force some feedback from people- Be confident to put your work out there- Then take what you want.
Any up coming projects that we should know about?
Im focusing on other people’s art for a while so-
The Versus Show III – featuring Rob Scott Vs. Nick Hornum. Two seriously talented artists who are mates and this will be their first collaborative show together- 20th Nov @ The Fort Gallery.
Word association, you know the deal, say the first thing that comes to your mind when you read the word.
Australia- brown
Kevin Rudd- blank
Religion- obsolete
Time- short
Greed- Magnum
Humanity- green
Peace- dove
Freedom- united
Art- life
Life- art
Happiness- Buddha.
Where can people follow what you’re up to and view your work?
You can check out my stuff on www.melbaxter.com and if you click on LIVE that’ll take you to my blog which is hopefully updated.Last words, shout outs?
Ahoy tha !
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For those who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
