Full-time Artistry
Spencer Tinkham
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Hi Spencer, Thank you for accepting our invite for this interview. What is the essence of your work? My sculptures are contemporary works, influenced by two seemingly polar opposite art forms - American folk art and Modern art. Both American folk art and Modern art embody bold forms or bold use of the mediums. However, American folk art was often utilitarian, created out of found/salvaged materials, and the artists usually had no formal art education. Compared to American folk art, Modern art was less primitive, had more movement, and was traditionally created by artists with a trained eye. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
While a lot of American folk art was created in rural settings, my sculptures stem from an urban environment. I have no formal art education, I can’t figure out how the color wheel operates, but my sculptures have evolved through many years of trial-and-error. I like how American folk art was created using whatever tools and materials were on hand. I also love the textured surfaces on many examples of American folk art- the tool marks, the crackled paint, and the patinated metal. Sometimes, I find that American folk art can appear "cluttered," and I admire the minimalism of Modern art. There is a disregard for practicality and utility in Modern art, with a heavier emphasis on form and emotion.
In essence, my sculptures are made out of salvaged 20th and 21st-century materials; stress the importance of bold shapes and unique surfaces, while my lack of artistic training gives me an unfiltered perspective on the present world.
What makes folk art special?
American folk art is arguably the oldest and the most original art form in United States history. It’s important to reiterate that a majority of American folk art served a practical function - just as a shovel, hammer, or scissors would. Trade signs and duck decoys were viewed by the makers and early collectors as useful tools, and less as works of art. American folk art possibly first, and definitely more inconspicuously, posed the question of what defines a work of art, before Duchamp’s infamous urinal ever shocked the world.
Who makes up your client base? How have you established your relationship with your clients?
Most of my clients are from the United States, but I am starting to get more clients from abroad. As a full-time artist, I try to approach my art career from a business standpoint. I think marketing is pretty crucial. I spend almost as much time marketing my work as I do creating it. I travel to several fine art shows around the country, and I use the internet to share my work with as many people as I possibly can. One of my absolute favorite parts of being a full-time artist is getting to meet an incredible array of people that I would've otherwise never had the privilege of meeting. I think that relationships are really important and they do take effort. I spend the first couple of hours each day replying to emails or social media comments and messages.
I want to get to know each client, and I send a personalized hand-written letter with each sculpture, which explains the materials and artistic process used to make the piece. I think that a work of art is my best business card, and I hope that collectors are as excited and enthusiastic about my work as possible.
Has your appreciation for the art of woodcarving changed as you’ve gained more expertise?
I think that I have always appreciated good sculpture, no matter what material it was made out of. I have mostly worked with wood and metal, but I am continually experimenting with different mediums. I do respect the traditions and woodcarving methods that have been passed down from one generation to another. However, I tend to be forward thinking, and I am more interested in learning the limitations of a medium, how I can work around those limitations, and how I can use a particular medium's strengths and weaknesses to my advantage. As I have gained more experience, I have developed a more sophisticated understanding of these parameters.
In essence, my sculptures are made out of salvaged 20th and 21st-century materials; stress the importance of bold shapes and unique surfaces, while my lack of artistic training gives me an unfiltered perspective on the present world.
What makes folk art special?
American folk art is arguably the oldest and the most original art form in United States history. It’s important to reiterate that a majority of American folk art served a practical function - just as a shovel, hammer, or scissors would. Trade signs and duck decoys were viewed by the makers and early collectors as useful tools, and less as works of art. American folk art possibly first, and definitely more inconspicuously, posed the question of what defines a work of art, before Duchamp’s infamous urinal ever shocked the world.
Who makes up your client base? How have you established your relationship with your clients?
Most of my clients are from the United States, but I am starting to get more clients from abroad. As a full-time artist, I try to approach my art career from a business standpoint. I think marketing is pretty crucial. I spend almost as much time marketing my work as I do creating it. I travel to several fine art shows around the country, and I use the internet to share my work with as many people as I possibly can. One of my absolute favorite parts of being a full-time artist is getting to meet an incredible array of people that I would've otherwise never had the privilege of meeting. I think that relationships are really important and they do take effort. I spend the first couple of hours each day replying to emails or social media comments and messages.
I want to get to know each client, and I send a personalized hand-written letter with each sculpture, which explains the materials and artistic process used to make the piece. I think that a work of art is my best business card, and I hope that collectors are as excited and enthusiastic about my work as possible.
Has your appreciation for the art of woodcarving changed as you’ve gained more expertise?
I think that I have always appreciated good sculpture, no matter what material it was made out of. I have mostly worked with wood and metal, but I am continually experimenting with different mediums. I do respect the traditions and woodcarving methods that have been passed down from one generation to another. However, I tend to be forward thinking, and I am more interested in learning the limitations of a medium, how I can work around those limitations, and how I can use a particular medium's strengths and weaknesses to my advantage. As I have gained more experience, I have developed a more sophisticated understanding of these parameters.
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Did you ever doubt your choice of becoming a wood sculptor as being the right one for you?
I began sculpting wood when I was eight years old. It is something that I have done for most of my life. I never doubted the possibility of a career in wood sculpture primarily because I never considered it as an option. Making wood sculptures was something that I enjoyed as a passionate hobby, usually getting a taste of life as a full-time artist for three months in the summer. From as early as I can remember, it was always made clear that wood sculpting was nothing more than a great hobby and a good way to keep me out of trouble. I maybe knew one or two people who made a living at it.
College was a real wake up call for me. I struggled to find a major or a career path that I would dread the least. I heard of many students taking off several weeks, months, or even a year between graduation and their first job. I wanted to pursue a career that made me excited to wake up each day. I realized how fortunate I was to have identified and developed a skill set that I was so passionate about. I decided to not apply for any jobs. I spent most of my last semester creating my own website, learning what search engine optimization was, applying to my first shows, lining up commissions, and anticipating what the first few weeks would be like.
I felt very prepared and pretty confident in myself. Wood sculpting was something that I have done my whole life, and I was practically a full-time artist during each summer break. Much to my surprise, wood sculpting for twelve months was much more difficult than wood sculpting for three months. I was didn’t realize how much time was spent building relationships, shipping, marketing, and not creating art. All of a sudden, I felt totally unprepared. My passion, support system, stubbornness and work ethic helped me get things off of the ground.
Who are some contemporary folk artists whose body of work you see as remarkable?
I do like contemporary folk art, but ironically I tend to be more interested in other art forms. For me, a remarkable artist is one that is creative, innovative, and consistently executes on an extremely high level. I have an ever-expanding list of contemporary artists whose works I find remarkable. My favorite living artist is Chuck Close. In no particular order, several other contemporary artists whose work I find remarkable are Mark Maggiori, Andy Harris, Ryan McGuinness, Paul Jackson, Carlos Delgado, Andrew Myers, Aimèe Hoover, and Will Kurtz.
How does your environment affect your work and how does your work reflect the place you come from, the place you call home and where you work?
My environment is one of the biggest influences on my work that I can think of. For one thing, my works are mostly created out of materials that are salvaged from my physical environment. In a way, my environment is my medium. I live and work in Norfolk, Virginia. It is home to the world's largest naval base. You can see water from just about anywhere in the city. At a few feet above sea level, Norfolk is the second most vulnerable area to sea level rise in the United States. Sadly, it is pretty easy to find materials to use in my sculptures. Heavy rainstorms, lunar high tides, and hurricanes are constantly wearing down my hometown. I see subtle beauty in Mother Nature's fingerprint…maybe because it is something that I grew up experiencing.
Metals and interesting materials tend to be stranded along beaches, which are close to the naval shipyards. I search granite bulkheads, dumpsters, construction sites, medians, and anywhere is fair game to find materials. The seats are folded down in my SUV, I have a saw handy, and I am always prepared to load the car with materials.
I work in a small 15' x 15' studio, which restricts the number of power tools that I can use on my sculptures. I have managed to fit four large workbenches in the studio, along with a drill press, bandsaw, and shop vac. I usually have multiple pieces in progress, so that I will always have something to work on while glue or paint is drying. I never sculpt and paint at the same time because I do not want any dust to get into the paint or finishes. I usually sculpt multiple pieces and get them to the painting stage. Once I am finished painting, I do a deep studio clean and start the process all over again.
Who are the people that have given you the best advice and the most relevant support during the initial stage of your career?
My wife Megan, who was my girlfriend at the time, gave me the most encouragement to pursue art as a career while we were finishing up college. Megan helped me to recognize the window of opportunity that would probably disappear if I were too hesitant to pursue art as a career right out of college. I realized that even if I were only able to pursue art for one year, I would never regret that one year as an artist. However, if I never attempted a career in art, I would probably stew on the “what-ifs” for the rest of my life. Megan also spent two weeks helping me clean, organize, and build storage for my studio before I officially opened the doors full-time. She continues to encourage me and has one of the most positive influences on my life and my work.
My younger brother, Clay, also really helped me kick start my art career. For several months during my first two years as a full-time artist, Clay worked as my full-time studio assistant for at or below minimum wage (no more than $8 an hour… probably closer to $4 or $5 an hour.) I often gave Clay the most labor intensive, repetitive, and grimy work. Clay was always on time, very thorough and detail oriented, we never got into a fistfight in my tiny studio, and he didn’t sue me for developing a MRSA infection from working in my studio. There’s a saying, “Good labor isn’t cheap, and cheap labor isn’t good.” With my brother, I was super fortunate to have the exception to this rule. His cheap labor helped me save more money to reinvest in better tools, experiment with art, and gave me more time to market my work.
My family has always been very supportive, as I have grown up. However, I think that it took them a while to warm up to the real possibility of me making a career as an artist.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I sketch almost daily. Most of my ideas come from the random progression of these daily sketches. I have a notepad in my backpack, car, studio, apartment, and almost everywhere that I wish I had kept one.
I firmly believe it is important to sketch in pen. If I make a "mistake," I have to redraw the concept. If the next sketch is better, then the idea is more refined. If the sketch is worse, then I often come up with shapes and concepts that I never could have imagined.
I think it is crucial to draw regularly, experiment frequently, and be surrounded by creative people. My wife and my dad are two of my biggest critics, and I often turn to them when I hit an artistic dilemma. They have an excellent eye for design and are always pushing me to be a better artist.
Do you listen to music while you work? What type? Do you see reading, traveling or other art forms and activities as ways to stimulate your creative flow?
I love to learn. I usually listen to NPR or a podcast while I work. I think it's essential to exercise creatively, intellectually, physically, and spiritually every day. That said, I do sometimes listen to music. Some of my favorite artists are Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Bèla Fleck, Jack Johnson, The Beatles, U2 and Steel Pulse.
I don’t want to jinx myself, but I cannot remember ever hitting a creative block, which halted my production. I seem to always have more ideas than I have working time. I get so excited about whatever I am working on, that it is a borderline obsession. I forget to eat, have a hard time sleeping, and at times I start to feel a little burned out.
I try to make time to take mini-vacations. For me, this is spending a day reading through art books at the public library, visiting museums, or birding. These small, probably too infrequent, stints away from the studio help me to feel fresh.
We have two new ongoing campaigns and it would be awesome if you gave us your take on both or either one of them?
#BeatTheBlues features works and confessions of artists and non-artists about experiences and ways to beat the blues and rise from the depth of darkness?
I think that it’s a great idea to try to form some kind of community that would work to battle the stigmas associated with mental health. By featuring works and confessions that shed light on low points in people’s lives, I think it enables people to feel more relatable and less alone.
#WhatMatters A paragraph about what matters to you the most at this point in time and how does your work and life reflect that.
#WhatMatters sounds like an excellent campaign for many reasons. One reason being I think it is important for people to reflect on what is most important in their lives. The world moves at such a fast pace. It's important to find some time to really reflect on your life, and I think that this campaign encourages that.
Thank you for sharing your story with us!
For more, visit Spencer's website HERE.
