Artist : JA Wilson

Location: United Kingdom

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Social Media

• Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/jawilsondesign/
• Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/jawilsondesign
• Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/jawilsondesign

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So what is your background?

Education :

As a young person I was always drawing, painting and creating cartoons, designing games and playing video games, a typical 1980s kid! Creative lesson were always my favorite at school ( as well as sport ) and I even won a creative writing trophy when i was 10 for my ability at using my imagination. Pursuing the art foundation and then studying an architectural degree, I dreamed of creating large artistically designed buildings but unfortunately graduated in may 2008 when the recession started.

Exhibiting

I have exhibited my work in Knowsley Open Art Exhibition, Liverpool One Shopping District & other areas of Liverpool. This was me starting to take my art work seriously. I also entered paintings into the John Moores Painting Prize, probably one of the most highly sought after prizes by any artist.

[image]http://www.jawilsondesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/545433_534703646544426_1097364434_n.jpg[/image]

What is your favourite medium?

I enjoy working and experimenting with any medium but my favourites are currently acrylic paint, ink,charcoal and chalk as well as Photoshop.

Do you have a common theme to your work?

Recession:

Architecture & Banking took the biggest hits at first (as usually happens in any economic recession) and so few job opportunities in the industry were available. This was the start of a very difficult and dark time for me in my life. Things went from bad to worse as I attempted tutoring but was unfortunate enough to meet some very nasty people in the industry that were basically bullies, plus the influence of government also made it a very restrictive profession creatively, it was hell on earth to me, another profession i felt i was failing at.

[image]http://www.jawilsondesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lets-go.jpg[/image]

Not only this but my partner at the time was not very supportive towards me and was pressuring me all the time about bringing money into the house. Eventually, 3 years later when i was the lowest i had ever been in my entire life, she left me… on boxing day.

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Deep depression & finding path again

As stated earlier combined with the feeling of uselessness, being so far in debt. the pressure of my past partner to find work and the relationship failing, I became very low and didn’t know how to get out of feeling in this very dark abyss.

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My paintings depict my experiences of this difficult time, the challenges i still face, dreams i have had, coming out of the depression/suicidal thinking and how being close to death can help you rethink life and to value certain things differently.

What inspires you?

My art work is based on my experiences of life through the ups and downs, the dreams i had and the battle to regain my sanity.
[image]http://www.jawilsondesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/277232_267355946723940_590044038_o.jpg[/image]

Do any other artists or designers influence how you work, if so who and how?

I like the work of Jackson Pollock due to the emotional connection he seems to have with his work and I am also inspired by Salvador Dali for his surrealist type of painting and the theme of dreams.

Is your work available to purchase?

At the moment it isn’t available to purchase but I hope in the near future to make it available. If you are interested in any of my work, please feel free to contact me.

As an employed graphic & web designer I am always looking for inspiration and avenues to increase my creative juices and for this reason have collated 6 useful websites for freelance designers. I feel very fortunate to be working with a team of people that are very down to earth and are easy to get along with but for some, especially at the moment, getting that job is a little more difficult with the current economic climate. If this is your case ( or even if you are just after a little bit more work to boost your CV or keep you afloat ) here are a few useful websites for freelance designers that might help you to increase your sales as well as build your brand awareness.

Hexi Design

Hexi Design is an online community of talented designers from around the world thriving in one creative hive – Providing small and large businesses with logo, stationery and website design! When I visited this site it seemed that there were not many jobs available, plus, I think as a designer because you have to design something to compete the emphasis is on the client rather than the hard work of the designer so use only if wanting to improve your cv or have a bit of a creative rush.

Freelancer

Freelancer connect over 7,160,499 employers and freelancers globally from over 234 countries & regions. Through their website, employers can hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software, writing, data entry and design right through to engineering and the sciences, sales and marketing, and accounting & legal services. The Problem with this site is that jobs can charge very little in wages ( due to the Indian market being very competitive, but if you are Indian then no problemo! ). Saying that though, just because the currency is a little different over there doesn’t guarantee them the work, lower rates doesn’t always mean better solution to the job. The old saying you get what you pay for is still very true…

TalentHouse

Finding the right platform to express yourself as a designer and to meet the right people to work with are essential elements of every artist’s success story. Talenthouse is the bridge between emerging talent and established professionals, and helps you get your own projects off the ground. This is not just for artists and designers but all variety’s of arts.
Build a following, find new collaborators and earn amazing rewards by taking part in our life-changing opportunities!

Etsy

Etsy is the marketplace for artists and crafters to sell art works. Its a place where buyers value craftsmanship in all we make. Sometimes its difficult finding the customer basis for your products and setting up your own e-commerce site can be expensive or quite difficult to learn how to do it, Etsy is simply a type of e-commerces site for artists.

LinkedIn

A great way to network with people you have worked with, join groups and share your knowledge with people in your industry. A great way to improve your reputation. Not only this but Linkedin will tell you of jobs coming up in your area that are suitable for your skills. You may never need to go the job centre ever again!

Learnable

Good Designers always advance themselves. Its a never ending quest to learn more, improve skills & keep ahead. When it comes to web and app design new coding languages are always being created. Learnable aims to make learning web design and development easy and fun. They want students to gain practical and usable skills on topics they are passionate about. Or alternatively if you feel you are a guru in an area you can deliver training that you believe in. Helping others is surely the best thing we can do with our time?

If you know of any other useful sites please feel free to share and I will add it to the list.

As a child born in the 1980’s i was a keen video game player. One of the computers I played the most was the Amiga 500. I used to spend many hours playing these games, loosing myself in the imaginary world of video game artists. One of the most famous games that I used to play was Lemmings. Lemmings was about helping a group of little green haired. blue gown wearing critters get home without being squished using various means such as building brings, floating to the ground , bashing walls and more little activities. This acrylic painting is based around this game and my philosophy on the journey of life. Continue ““Let’s go” – an Acrylic Painting by JA Wilson Designer & Artist”

So what does art represent?

Art representation is an interesting subject. Many times I have heard a person say “thats a pretty picture”..”wow, that picture looks real!” In my opinion, that is not what art is about. Now I am maybe going to sound really deep and cliché but for me …art is an expression of the soul. Continue “What does Art Represent?”