Part C...

My interview with artist, Andrew hunt: http://www.radiowaves.co.uk/story/150478/title/AninterviewwithAndrewHuntbyHarrietWilliams

I organised an interview with a local artist called Andrew Hunt, who works from a studio at Yorkshire Art Space. I specifically chose Andrew because I love his work as he paints people in their everyday life with a kind of humanness everyone can relate to. These figures have a lot of character which makes his work very pleasing to look at.

Before the interview I researched him and the evolution of his work through his website and what I could find out about him online. I was curious to know why he did a group of work under the name 'Tobago' as these images were unlike his other work so I wanted to know what had inspired them. There were loads of questions that the research brought up and I looked forward it asking my own which it had triggered.

Andrew was born in Chester in 1973 and grew up in North Wales. He attended Bath Academy of Art in 1992 where he studied for a degree in graphic design and illustration. In 1996 he moved to Sheffield where he has now settled. I found his choice of degree very intriguing as he is now a figurative oil painter so I would have expecting him to have done a Fine Art degree. I was also curious about why he chose to move to Sheffield.

Armed with plenty of questions Vicky and I arrived outside his studio to be greeted by an extremely cute Terrier who ran out to greet us with a collar that read 'Hi, I’m Arthur'. Andrew’s studio was just how you would imagine an art studio to be. There was a half finished canvas set up in the middle of the room, plain canvas stacked up against a wall and a large collection of dirty tea mugs all around the room. There was an old arm chair and everything was covered in paint splodges.

I immediately liked the atmosphere of his studio, it was bursting with character (accentuated by Arthur causing havoc around the room) and very welcoming. I thought these two aspects came across in Andrew's personality during the interview as well. Andrew made the interview very enjoyable as he was very honest and down to earth with his answers so I got a genuine insight into his life, work and thoughts.

I admired how truthful Andrew was when he admitted that he actually didn't like all of the work he had produced. He highlighted that undeniably it's not your personal opinion that matters about a piece of work it's the customers. I had never thought of this concept before as I had always believed that the artist must always like the work they have created, but with commissions it is surely very true as you may be working to other people’s ideas.

Andrew seemed like he had been very persistent and determined to become an artist so it was really nice to see he had succeeded and he loved his job throughout the interview. He sees his job as more of a pleasure that he gets paid for rather than work. I was also interested to find out that the group of work 'Tobago' was a commission in which he got to travel to the Caribbean, which emphasised his success as an artist. I think the most important thing i found out was that after meeting Andrew I could tell that his personality is truly reflected in his work. I really enjoyed this piece of work. Here’s the final interview I edited together:
http://www.radiowaves.co.uk/story/150478/title/AninterviewwithAndrewHuntbyHarrietWilliams
Here are my interview questions…

This is Harriet Williams interviewing artist Andrew Hunt, as part of Site Young Apprentice Scheme.
1. How would you describe the art that you make?
2. When did you first realise that you wanted to do art as a career path?
3. Why did you choose to do a degree in graphic design and illustration?
4. You came from North Wales and you now are living and working in Sheffield, what does Sheffield have to offer you as an artist?
5. If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you would be doing?
6. When would you say you are most creative?
7. Which is your favourite piece of work you have done?
8. Out of all your exhibitions, which one has been your favourite and why?
9. Who and what inspires your work and why?
10. Why do you choose to use portraits of people in their everyday life as your subject matter?
11. You must have met some characters through your work, have you any funny stories from your experiences?
12. You did a group of paintings under the name Tobago, what inspired that work?
13. What process do you go through in your work to create your final pieces?
14. What types of art don’t you like and why?
15. What are the highs and lows of being an artist?
16. What advice for young artists?