IDEA SEED INTERVIEW

Benjamin Björklund

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Saatchi art

Artist Decoded podcast

I am absolutely delighted to start out with one of my favorite artists, as well as a great guy I always enjoy to talk. It is an honor to know him.

His art has fascinated me since the beginning, and I even printed out some of his work as inspiration, some years ago. It is apparent that his oils are highly influenced by his aquarelle experience, which is one of the reasons he is practically impossible to copy.

His color palette is well thought trough and his atmosphere and use of light is really pleasant and mysterious.

We talked about social media, the art world and market, and some of his views on art. Enjoy

                                        ****************************************** Everybody has a social media account these days, how do you feel it affects your art?

For me social media has been a huge help in getting my art noticed. I am very bad at networking and reaching out, but I have been posting my artwork online since I started painting, and it helped me  get in contact with collectors and galleries. There are some concerns that I have with Social medias as a platform for art. One important thing is that they censor the artwork, simply remove the uncomfortable work, nudes, which might make painters follow someone else's rules. You also quickly realize what kind of work seems to go well with followers. I have noticed for example on Instagram that portraits/heads seem to be popular, which might have to do with how small the photos posted are, a big painting with a lot going on in the composition might be hard to read on such a small screen.

There is also numbers telling us how popular someone is, and it might be interpreted as a kind of rating, judging someone by those numbers.

For a young artist, do you think there is a good and a bad time to start sharing their work online? After all you can not erase anything from the internet.

Oh, I don't think that painters will be held back by having older work floating around, I would say it is interesting to be able to follow someones progress. I think sharing your work should be considered a way of documenting your work, I feel worried that taking it into consideration when painting might affect the work in a negative way.

In your art education, do you think you were well prepared for working in the art world?

No, but i did not attend art school very much, I’m sure they talked about it. But working in the art world seems to be a lot like having your own company, and it takes a lot to be prepared for that I noticed. I don't have much knowledge about it, and have never been able to write texts about my own work. So I am probably not the right person to ask, haha.

Do you have any advice to novices about looking for a gallery, or how to find and get through to an art director trying to get work?

I am not sure, but putting together a portfolio and sending it around to galleries seems to be a good idea. Maybe try to get a piece into a group show to begin with. I think going to a gallery and talking to the people working there is a good idea, let them hear your thoughts and show them some of your work.

What is you medium of choice and why? Do you think it has an advantage or disadvantage in the market, and do you think it is right to be so?

I cant choose between watercolor and oil, they each have qualities I really like. I noticed that switching between them helps me a lot, and keeps me from getting to comfortable with either of them. Oil paint is so versatile, I can scrape, sand, work thick and thing, glaze and so on. with all those possibilities I sometimes get to cautious and wary, and end up removing more paint than I add. Watercolors force me to be more direct and bold, there are ways of manipulating the paint when it is applied too, but not to the extent of oil paint. I also notice that different subjects I work with seem to suit one or the other more too. When talking to galleries I get the impression that they are more interested in oil paintings, the market is so much larger, but I think watercolor still has a good reputation and considered a great medium. I don't think the difference in price is justified, but maybe people are worried about how a watercolor will last? Oil paintings on canvas don't have a good record for lasting either tho.

The questions of pricing the work is always difficult. How do you get around that? What are your advice's for beginners?

Oh, yes, I consider this is by far the most unpleasant part of being an artist. I find it really hard to put a price on something so personal. Now that painting is my only income, and I have to have money for rent, dog food and art supplies it is something I have thought about.

One thing I started to do is putting together some sort of formal price list. State the size, medium and price (remember to add shipping). That way you don't have to make up a price as you talk to someone, you can just refer to the list, almost pretend someone else wrote it, haha. Selling studies and sketches is a good way to have some income in between exhibitions and working on larger pieces.

How long do you consider yourself to be an artist, and how long did it take for you to get where you felt you were in the right place? Or if you are still aiming for something more, what is it?

I have been studying  or working until last year, when I took a break from school and started painting full time. Maybe that is when I became an artist, or maybe i am a painter more than an artist. I feel my work has started to come together a bit more in the last years, I have an easier time calling something finished and moving on. It is not necessarily a good thing, I believe something good comes with the struggle a painting can give you. But for many years i could not complete a single painting, it was terrible. I would like to think my work is heading somewhere, I keep looking for ideas and trying things, but the aim is uncertain. I’m happy to be able to paint as much as I do, and I have been thinking of trying out different things such as sculpture and video art, slowly gaining the confidence to do it.

As for the internet, I understand what you mean. I don't know what makes someone get noticed and others don't. There are many great artists who don't seem to get noticed enough at all. Some artists seem to appeal to other artists in the same field, while others manage to reach out to different crowds. My take on it has been to keep painting and hoping that it will be enough. I think altering your work to appeal to a  certain crowd can do harm. I do notice that some paintings are more successful than others on for example Instagram. Faces seem to go well, and I think it might be the small images on the small screens, multiple figures or busy compositions might not read well on a small screen.

I understand if people feel discouraged by not getting noticed, painting is already lonely as it is.

What do you consider art? Is there a visual only aspect to it, conceptual, or both?

I try my best to keep an open mind and absorb different ideas and approaches. If someone calls their creations art, I consider it art, good or bad. I am very visual in my approach, I like to be at home with my dog and paint things. I’m sure a lot of people would not consider that art, but I am not too concerned with that. Well, sometimes I am, questioning what i am doing and why, which I think most artists do from time to time. I think we choose to express ourselves in the way that comes most natural. Some sing, paint, write, put sharks in formaldehyde.

I think its a shame the art world seems divided between traditional artists and conceptual artists.

We all have problems with motivation from time to time. How do you cope with those days?

Ok everyone, the Bjorklunds are kind of famous around our studio. They are pretty much on every single family portrait wall around here and something tells me that this latest shoot with be up with the rest of them soon. I may be biased, since I did take the photos, but I have a feeling that you will agree with me when you see how darn cute Leah is! Her little laugh and giggle kept stopping me in my tracks. She so precious and I truly cannot believe that she is turning one already.

-Ali