Pure talent...
His Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hubcapcreatures
Personal Web: http://www.hubcapcreatures.com/
All creatures by Ptolemys
How would you describe yourself?
Um…nearly fifty? A sculptor so that it’s easier to identify what I do to make a living, but in honesty, just a guy who likes making stuff.
What do you think about industrial art?
I love it. Lots of metal, rivets, coils of copper tubing, dripping rusty chains, contoured plastic and bits of circuitry - fantastic.
How long have you been in art industries?
Professionally for about twelve years but all my adult life previous to that. I worked a lot on festivals and what are now called raves but back then were called acid house parties.
Are the beginnings hard?
Yes. I was lucky. I had some good friends who let me live in their spare room for five years which gave me the chance to get my business off the ground without selling my soul to the bank. In exchange I did a lot of child care. I still spend plenty of time with the kids, but they’re too old for me to babysit them now.
What are you doing now?
Making a wolf - it’s a speculative project. I also have several commissions on the go.
What do you do in your free time?
I really like motorcycles. I have three, and when I’m not tinkering with them I’m careering round racking up speeding points. I just came back from a midnight blast on the ZRX
Can you tell us something about your personal life?
I have a son who is about five months old and he’s the best thing I’ve ever made.
Can you tell us about your Business?
I hate the business side of what I do. I like the making stuff, talking to people, conducting lectures and workshops in schools, but I loathe filling out interminable invoices, lists of receipts, filing statements and accounts etc etc. The business seems to vary without reason in terms of incoming work. Sometimes I have six months in front of me, other times I’m waiting for something to happen whilst the coffers slowly empty. When I say waiting, in actual fact I’m pushing my stuff out there, applying for commissions etc, but to be honest, I don’t get that many because I’m not very slick in the way I apply. I think your work should speak for you, but unfortunately with larger commissions the box-tickers like a polished approach to paperwork. That hasn’t stopped me getting some commissions, but that’s generally because someone has seen my work and invited me to apply.
What are your hobbies?
The aforementioned bikes. I love music, I like to read - mostly biographies and personal accounts, travel writing etc. I like anime a lot and decent movies. The rest of the time is spent keeping the boy amused.
What do you dislike that art industrie?
There’s a lot of bullshit surrounding art. I think it’s a proletariat activity and should be treated as such in education and attitude. We elevate it to mystical proportions a lot of the time and that makes it elitist and stupidly expensive. I know many very talented people who are struggling to make a living whilst work that is merely sketchbook ideas is made by assistants and sold for millions - because it’s contemporary and pertains to be original. This is after Duchamp said it all with his urinal. (sorry about the rant)
What do you like that art industry?
It’s stimulating, exciting and enormous fun and it permeates all of life from the shoes on our feet to the cars we drive to the TV we watch. It is sadly underrated in the UK when in fact it is a part of us.
Where do you live?
On the south coast of the UK in Brighton. I’m not from here, I came to visit my brother and never got round to leaving. It’s a great city where most of the time you can be yourself. There’s a deal of pretension here, but the thing I love about it is that if I wanted to I could walk around town wearing a dress and people wouldn’t think it was all that outrageous.
Did you get injured sometimes?
Less because I take more care and am more familiar with the risks. I drilled into my thumb a couple of times and that really hurts. I’ve learnt to listen to that little voice in your head that says ‘careful’ just before you slip - and it’s saved me a few times now.
Would you stop make creatures some day?
When my hands stop working. It’s not a job it’s my life. I’ll never retire.
What do you think about yourself?
In terms of my art - I would like to be able to earn more - not because I am greedy but I would like to be able to spend more time on a piece of work and get into much more detail. Unfortunately I need to make a living and therefore, because I want to sell to ‘ordinary’ people I need to keep my prices low, which means I have to work fast. In terms of personally - I would like to enjoy the moment more and be less impatient.
Can you tell us something surprising about your´s exposition?
I think you mean my ideas relating to my work? I get a lot of compliments about my talent but I think that it is quite ordinary. I think pretty much anyone can do what I do - all it takes is application and a will. But lots of people tell me that I’m wrong thinking that…
What is your favorite artist?
I have lots. Contemporary artists are people like Edouard Martinet, James Corbett, Helen Denerly and a whole raft of similar sculptors working with recycled materials. Less contemporary but probably quite a bit better are favourites Carravagio, Gaudi, Rodin, Giacometti and of course Michelangelo
How do you feel about be one of the most interesting industrial artist around the word?
That’s a great compliment but it isn’t accurate. The three contemporary artists I just mentioned are considerably better than me.
What kind of music,films,and books do you like?
I have a fairly eclectic taste in music ranging from nineties hip hop and english punk to classical and death metal. One band from each genre would be - Biggie Smalls, Subhumans, Mozart and Burzum. But to be honest, if it’s made by musicians as opposed to created with some marketing opportunity in mind, I’m open to it. I like many films so please accept that this is just a taster - Brazil, Chopper, Bladerunner, Mad Max2, Magnolia, Apocalypse Now, I Married A Strange Person, Amadeus, Fargo, Porco Rosso, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Ghost in The Shell, Taxi Driver, A Prophet. As for books - I particularly like personal accounts relating to war. I’m a pacifist, but I’m drawn to the absolute, no bullshit stripped down honesty in personal accounts relating to great tragedy or struggle. It’s a peek into the truth that lies within us that is usually buried beneath stuff - you know - like most of the things on Facebook if you get what I mean.
What is your philosophy life?
Get moving - do the stuff you like - be honest with yourself - don’t look back when you’re old and say “Was that it?” You should say “Phew! I need a rest.”
Where do you see in future?
Although I’m pretty negative about how stupid we can be, and how we are completely messing up the planet, I’m also incredibly optimistic because the potential in a leaf or a musical note or a whisper of wind is enormous. We’re only here for a short while and the difference we make is almost zero, but the world keeps turning remorselessly and nature bursts with life that we can’t hold back. That’s why it’s so important to be happy because it doesn’t really matter what we do.
Tell me about your dreams...
Ha ha that’s a tough one. I’m reading a great book about Ebola at the moment - it’s called The Hot Zone and therefore my dreams are full of exploding corpses and suchlike. Actually, I have quite peculiar dreams that are the more dispassionate the more extreme the content. Conversely - one of my favourite dreams was one where I was looking out of a bay window over a city at night and I was just bored. That was it.
What about "The pieces of cars"?
I get bits of junk from all over the place. The cars were donated by a car body shop attached to my previous studio. I’ve moved recently so I’ll have to find a new supply. The hubcaps I collect from the side of the road and therefore I’ll not run out of them for a whir. I have about three thousand at the moment. I am very stimulated by the shapes I see in the raw materials I use, and this is what keeps me interested and motivated to go on creating the themes within my work.
Do you have any comments to make, or questions to ask?
I would like to ask everyone to stop doing work they don’t like and start doing work they do like. It won’t be easy, and sometimes you will be hungry, but spiritual hunger in the long run is far less satisfying.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I'd like to mention Eva, my Spanish wife who has been wonderful.
Do you have anything you would like to say from El Hombre Percha´s Blog?
Good luck you guys!
