Interview with Dr. Mark Harris
This semester I have Dr. Harris for Advanced Painting. (This, by the way, is his website: http://markharrisstudio.com/punk-lyrics/) He does very conceptual work but also has incredible technical painting skills; the combination is really fascinating. Even though I don't normally gravitate to the sort of work he does- and English punk music, the subject he is currently exploring, is very far off my radar- I appreciate the painterly way he approaches everything he does (even his sound art). Before I took his class, I never imagined you could paint with sound. Dr. Harris showed us otherwise.
Having him as a teacher is very intimidating as he is a true academic; I often get the feeling that there is a lot more going on inside his head than he is saying. When we had to do studio visits with artists as a requirement for another class, my friends and I all thought of Dr. Harris. He was kind enough to take us around the studio he keeps in his house. We met his cat and he showed us what he is currently working on, as well as older work which gaveus an interesting glimpse of his artistic trajectory. And his wife, who is also an artist and teaches at Ohio State, made us English tea with milk it it! Below is the interview.
How long have you had a studio?
Since finishing undergrad in 1979. Even if I didn’t have a studio I’d find a place to produce work with whatever time I had, even if it was 30 minutes after I got back from my job.
Why did you get a studio? That’s how I was taught. My education was to make things by hand, in a studio. I seldom make things in galleries; I like to spend time with my pieces before I display them. I like to see them develop and grow.
How do you financially support your artwork? (through sales, salary, grants, etc.) I sell very little. It’s mostly my job teaching at daap and elsewhere. I receive grants, I make art and use the grant money to create it and finance shipping and showing the work. Without grants some of my projects- China, the tile piece we’re showing in London- would be impossible.
What are the problems you face in getting your artwork done? Lack of time and too many interruptions. If I have problems in my work they work themselves out eventually, but lack of time isn’t something you can fix. With artists without a steady job, money is also an issue.
What do you do to market yourself as an artist? Website is important. I try to interest friends in my work who who may be able to introduce me to galleries through collaboration and so forth. Networking is important. Be visible to other influential people. Interest the community in your work. Marketing is not just finding places for work; you should be making yourself to other artists.
What type of person buys your art? It helps to think of it as a larger market. Its not just selling your work to people. You should be writing, teaching, ect. Exhibiting work is important to becoming a teacher too- you make your self a more interesting candidate. Institutions are also art buyers; teaching positions are investments in artists and art work just as much as buying artworks in galleries.
What are your greatest challenges as an artist? At one point I thought it was keeping going but once you finish grad school its in your blood. It’s a lot of little things really- financing the art, storing it. Little challenges along the way that add up.
What are your greatest rewards as an artist? I think it is its own reward. The luxury of being able to make things no one needs but that people enjoy. Making things that are strange, that haven’t been in the world before- that feeling when you look at something you’ve made and every time you walk past it it surprises you.
What recommendations would you give to an artist who is just starting out? Make yourself useful to other people. Create your network and enjoy beign around other artists. There are many ways of categorizing success, and one of them is enjoyment of being part of this world.
