Simon Gudgeon studied law but, in his own words, he graduated, he qualified, he retired – it just wasn’t for him. He didn’t find his true metier as a sculptor until he was 40 years old – and then only by chance. But in the intervening 15 years, he has more than made up for lost time. Gudgeon has showed in London, New York, Chicago, San Diego, Paris and the Netherlands. His sculptures can be found in the permanent collections of various US museums, including America’s National Museum of Wildlife Art, and in the collections of the British royal family, including Prince Charles. They can also be seen in Hyde Park, one of the most prominent venues in London for public sculpture. And, having seen his work, this comes as no surprise. Gudgeon’s sculptures range from large-scale, powerful forms, both figurative and abstract, to small, intimate, charming studies of animals and birds. Should you ever find yourself in the south-west of England, visit Sculpture by the Lakes, Gudgeon’s sculpture park in Dorset, 26 acres where his works are displayed to their best advantage in beautiful, nature-friendly grounds – a stunning, even magical, place to visit.
Career paths will, of course, be very different for everyone who hopes to make a radical change. This is a very individual example – and an inspiring one. So: how do you set aside what you’ve done before and change tracks?
Don’t be surprised if finding the right route isn’t a straight path
“I never knew what I wanted to do when I was at school, so I decided to study law. It seemed like a sensible route to a job so I did three years at university, a year at law college and a year doing my articles – but in fact, I graduated, I qualified, I retired. I knew I didn’t like academic law but I didn’t know what else I wanted to do. I had done art up to O-level exams and enjoyed it and I started the A-level, but gave it up as I was also doing four others. How do you become an artist? There was no obvious career path. I then did various things: I exported antique prints to the States, did a bit of commercial photography, a bit of promotional marketing – I was really looking around for something simply to make a living. I started a garden maintenance and landscaping company in south London – at its peak, I employed 12 people. Then I went into retail and, even though we hit our targets all the time, the recession got me. I walked away with no more than a suitcase of clothes.”
Talent needs to be nurtured and developed with hard work
“My mother bought me some paints and I decided I wanted to be an artist. I spent the next four years working as a house-sitter while I learned to be a painter. Anyone can master the actual physical skills of painting and drawing – although whether you can develop the talent to do something really original is another matter. I remember the first thing I painted; I’d decided to paint a tree and realised I couldn’t. I didn’t know what a tree looked like. Painting and drawing is looking at forms, observation. Like anything else, you have to put the hours in. There’s no quick way or lazy way of getting good at anything. The painting would go in phases. I’d be getting better and better, then I’d fall back, and I discovered that, when that happened, I needed to take a break do something else for a couple of days. I was up in London and I happened to go into the Tiranti shop, which sells materials for sculpting. I bought some clay and sculpting tools and put them in a cupboard. Then one day I was tidying the studio when I was on a break from painting and found them. Sculpture had always fascinated me – I thought there was a fascinating alchemy in turning clay into a beautiful object. I decided to have a go and I was hooked. I planned to combine painting and sculpting – then I realised I hadn’t painted for a year. I can see the 3D image in my mind much more clearly. Now I sculpt in clay, I use epoxies, CAD, CGI, kinetics, casting. When I started art, it was the first thing I’d ever done where I felt totally at home: not just making, but displaying, selling, marketing – it all felt totally intuitive. I said to myself: ‘This is how I’m going to earn my living.’”
Don’t forget that you need to market yourself to make a living
“If you’re going to be successful you’ve got to spend half your time doing marketing, PR and selling. I once had an argument with a professor at the Slade [School of Fine Art] when I suggested students there should do a marketing course. He didn’t agree. But students are sent out completely unprepared. I once met an aspiring artist who said to me ‘I paint, I draw, I’m not very successful – I suppose you have one of those website things’ – well, yes! If you’re an artist, you’re essentially selling a non-practical item, its only value is emotional, so you’ve got to present it well. When we went to the CLA Game Fair, we spent 10 days building our stand, with a pond and waterfalls. People see a sculpture, they feel good and they buy it because they want to recreate that feeling. We pay attention to packaging. If you’re sending a sculpture to a client, you want them to have a wonderful experience unpacking it. So many galleries send out an invitation that simply tells you what’s on and when: it doesn’t make you want to go! There has been a big change in the role of galleries over the past 15 years. Clients used to have to buy through them, but now you can find any artist you like online and buy direct. Auction houses are also moving into direct sales. Artists can do the marketing themselves.”
Showcase your passion
“I’m most proud of what we’re doing here [in Dorset], which is not only creating the sculpture, it’s also creating the park. I now tend to sculpt for here and this whole place becomes a work of art. Some of my sculptures wouldn’t work in a gallery – the scale would mean there was no point of reference, you wouldn’t be able to see the differing perspectives. The effect the park can have on people is important. When we first opened, we didn’t know what to expect. We were nervous: we thought people might want their money back! Very early on, one man said to me ‘I’ve never really understood sculpture – but now I get it.’ Art is a visual language. If it doesn’t convey its meaning, it has failed. If you can do art in a way that people can understand, you bring them into the contemporary art world. You’ve got to give people ideas, stimulate them as to what’s possible.”
Isis by Simon Gudgeon can be seen in Hyde Park, London, and in his sculpture park in Dorset
Take the jump
“Whatever you do in life, there are going to be difficult bits. What’s important is to look at the skills you’ve got and take the jump. It’s following the creative imperative, you’re almost forced to do it, even if you’re not sure how it will sell. If you’re creating out of passion, it will go well. If you’re creating in a dull, formulaic way that you think will sell, you’re killing your market. That’s one of the reasons I don’t do commissions. What somebody else wants won’t necessarily fire you up, you’re doing it for the money rather than because you want to. I have a long gestation period for sculptures. I think and get fired up and then I have to go into the studio and create. For the Isis sculpture in Hyde Park, the only commission was the question ‘If you put a sculpture here, what would you put?’ And that was perfect.”
