Art Critic and Writer Duncan Stewart catches up with the artist in the small picturesque town of Tiburon, with the amazing backdrop of Downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge in view to the south. It is a warm sunny day and sailboats along with ferry boats are out in large numbers on the Bay. There is an air of relaxation and holiday feel here. A perfect location for a follow-up interview.
DS: We certainly got a perfect day to sit outside among these beautiful surroundings and begin this interview.. The weather couldn’t be any better, could it? Our interview in London last year was quite the opposite I remember.
HM: It’s a good reason why I enjoy living in both countries really. I love the fact that when it is hot in California it’s normally a dry heat without the humidity and I can handle that extreme better. Especially in this area where the temperatures can fluctuate dramatically with the presence of wind and fog. I also find the light is different over here and an advantage to painters who work outdoors. We have just experienced a long, hot summer in the UK – very humid and muggy – the kind of weather you would more associate with the East Coast – New York, in particular. I have practically spent the last forty years of my life in this part of the world, with periodical visits to London. I love both locations – London is my true home but the San Francisco Bay Area has become my adopted home. I have completed many of my paintings in both countries – a fact of which I am very proud of.
DS: In this interview I would like to learn a lot more about Huntly, the artist, the man behind the artist and the man in private life – are you of two different personalities? If so, how different?
Although I never think of myself, ever, as a person of two different personalities in life. The person inside me is generally the same whether I am painting at home or out marketing my work or indeed spending my time outside of work with family and friends. Huntly the artist is the constantly creative side and the drive of all my ambitions. It continues within me regardless of whether I’m painting at that moment in time or not. My mood may appear a little more subdued at times when painting, mainly due to my concentration in areas of fine detail but inside I am normally very relaxed and happy – I do enjoy listening to all types of music depending upon my mood at that time and with a strong pot of tea or coffee nearby! I am happy to say that I have always processed a great sense of humour with others in general and I am able to see the funnier side in life. I am more the smiling type in life and generally speaking, easy to get along with. Obviously, like all humans, we can have our moments, can’t we? As to my personal side – it has always been filled with many wonderful family members and friends throughout my life, present and past. They keep me so motivated in life when I need to be – I am the first to say I am so lucky to have them all.
DS: What methods do you engage in to help promote your artwork and the merchandise that is connected within your website? What valuable advice would you give to others starting out in their own on-line art business?
HM: Good question but maybe a lengthy answer from me. Firstly, I have always been a very social individual amongst the public. It’s second nature really. I have spent many years working closely with the general public within my past occupations both in the US and the UK. However, I am quite definitely not the type of person who directly uses my close personal friends and family for any such promotional purposes and financial gains – I would strongly draw the line at that point – but if they wish to willingly assist in getting my name known amongst their friends and contacts then that is another matter entirely – a third party source so to speak. Family members and close friends to me may personally receive my artwork and merchandise in the form of gifts from time to time. That’s as far as it goes. Many years ago in San Francisco, I was invited by a fellow coworker to attend a “tax seminar” at The Fairmont Hotel, promoting the event as an unique opportunity to gain legal funds for trips home to London. It sounded interesting to me when it was first presented but it wasn’t long within the main featured presentation that I realized that it was just another scheme to use your family and friends as ” customers” to buy their household items. It was a total turn off from that point on for me for those very reasons. Business with someone you have never met before keeps the transaction on a strictly business relationship from the start. That’s the reason I like to promote my work on a very business plan basis with the public. I have used social media to help promote my work in the past with mixed results. I have used Twitter for a try out but I found this social vehicle brought few encouraging results I was hoping for me to want to continue. I got bombarded by their continual notification messages. Also, I really never understood how I could gain results with such a limited text message word number allowed. It may work for a President of a country who can say a lot in just a few words but clearly it’s not for me. I think it is a very personal choice which services you use. Facebook has had much more success for me in the past on this subject. Instagram is another site that I have dabbled with over a year or two. Periodically I would post one or two of my artwork items on the site just to see if there were healthy business responses. To be honest, I have yet to see or hear, with any conviction or clear evidence, anyone gaining the terrific results they all claim from any of the main Social Media sites. It maybe pure hype or maybe that I’m in the dark still! Promoting yourself and your website generally takes a great deal of your time and effort to see to fruition. It doesn’t matter which country in the world you decide to start the business within. Its all the same. Time and promotional resources when you are starting out have to be budgeted and directed in a sensible and fundamental way. That’s why I stress to anyone starting out with a new business to refrain from spending endless hours promoting your business with a lot of Social Media sites – limit your time on-line and sites to use as you perfect your outward presentation to the public otherwise the valuable time you need in all the other areas of the business will be wasted away
DS: So what advice would you give someone entering the art world who needs to promote their new on-line business without the extensive use of Social Media?
HM: Absorb everything you can. For that new individual whose starting out in the art world of business I would suggest trying out the following to begin with – focusing the attention about you and your artwork to the local communities. I spend much of my time giving out postcards I have had printed with my artwork on the front and contact information displayed on the back to interested local businesses I normally have frequented within the past. Direct your efforts to businesses such as Family Restaurants, small privately owned Art Galleries and small independent stores that show potential for hanging your work on their walls. Establish a relationship with them. It has worked well for me over my many years I have been in the art business . It is not just the actual artwork you have to offer them but the potential of sales from the various merchandise items you plan to market. You generally can form some kind of an arrangement with the merchant. It still doesn’t stop you from also trying the Social Media sources you have at hand. Working within the local communities can also produce a quicker response to getting your name recognition in the right places and with the right people you need for your future business development. In regards to setting up a new website, I would spend much time in drafting ideas as to the Navigation, Content and Appearance aspects of the site you would like to build. Always see a Professional Web Designer if you feel uneasy or unsure about how to build a professional looking site – it will pay for itself in return visitors and sales every time! Good Luck! Lastly, you can be enthusiastic in your attempts at getting your artwork displayed in an art gallery but owners generally like to see some evidence of past achievements and an ability that you can continually provide them with more profitable inducing work.
DS: Your website is very pleasing to visit. It is not overwhelming with gimmicks that are normally used within other sites. Did you have a professional web designer create it for you or was the whole site designed and put together by you personally?
HM: Thank you for your observations. When I first came up with ideas as to what I thought I would like to see within a website of my own, I came up with a fundamentally simple one under a different name. It wasn’t that I was in anyway embarrassed of creating one with my own name but rather I had ideas, should I find the time, of writing a series of books which would be highlighted within this site. It was really a silly idea at the time as time was the one thing I had none to spare! Needless to say, the whole process was lengthy to integrate as I still worked very long hours in an outside employment situation and free time was neither here nor there other than for doing laundry, home cleaning and buying groceries. Progress therefore was unsurprisingly slow. I could come up with ideas in my head as to how the website should be formed but that was as far as it went for quite a while. My life changed around for a short period and in that time I successfully designed the website you see here today. I tried to make navigation easy for any visitor to the site and I tried to make it as eye pleasingly simple as I could. There is always room for improvement to any website I visit, none more than mine.
DS: How does your general weekday go as a whole when you are working in your own art business here in California and over in London. Are there many differences and difficulties between the two locations?
HM: Not so many differences between working my business in the US and the UK as a whole. Painting in London gives me the added advantage of eight hours ahead of California to sort out problems that may arise on the West Coast. My first problem in the UK was finding and establishing a good relationship with a reputable printing company. The first company I tried out were geographically closer to where I presently reside but took too long to complete any submission. True, their work was of good quality but I was never able to establish a close working relationship with them. I kept looking for that special source and eventually found it without much effort. The moment I arrived at the Panopus Printing Company in Islington, London one wet morning, soaked to the skin and with a portfolio case of artwork, I was warmly welcomed by all the staff there. It was like they had done printing for me for many years before! Such wonderful customer service and appreciation from Lucas, Jenkiss and Dorothy who all work there which has never waned. I have faithfully done business with them ever since and would never think of going anywhere else. These days the best knowledgeable employees do not stay in one place too long if the employer doesn’t appreciate their true work potential, work ethics, capabilities and financial rewards. This can happen all too often with great working relationships with someone ending abruptly I bring this up as I just discovered whilst making this brief trip back here to Marin County that my highly creative and brilliant help David at locally owned Dostal Studios suddenly left for greener pastures in another state – leaving me to find a new valuable source when I return here the next time. He and I had a wonderful business relationship and produced such outstanding work on my Equator Coffee paintings, producing the closest of correct colour hues for future printing purposes. Other than the printing side of the business there are no true problems with finding any art supplies between both countries.
DS: What art supply companies and local shops do you normally use in each country? Do you have favourites and ones that you use constantly? Have you ever had difficulties in finding certain art material items you would normally use in one country than the other?
HM: What I so enjoy about working in Watercolours is the fact that I do not need such an extensive amount of art materials and supplies to keep going. When I worked in Oils and Acrylics I seemed to constantly order and buy more items to use. Having said that I have been a customer for decades with Daniel Smith Art Supplies from Washington State and still have materials from them that are still in good condition to this day so I am not in need of too many items to replace. Generally, Watercolour paper, paints and brushes are all I may replenish from time to time. If I need supplies on the day, I generally visit Rileystreet Art Supplies or Michael’s Arts And Crafts in San Rafael or drive to Berkeley to check out Academy Art Supplies for goodies. There is nothing I cannot find here. In London, I generally visit the remarkable Green And Stone Art Shop in Chelsea which has been around for 90 years and frequented by some of the most famous influential artists living today. Jackson’s Art Supply near Putney Bridge also has a great selection for all artists and lastly, Cass Art provides a generally good selection for every artist’s needs. The only thing that I couldn’t readily find sourced in London funnily enough seemed to be a portable drafting board, an invaluable tool for me in California so I took my own on-board the plane!
DS: What areas within your website would you consider improving or updating for your visitors and followers in the future?
Presently, I use fineartamerica.com as my main vendor for the merchandise section of my website. It is important to have a supplier who is reliable, have a large operational network to ship nationally in the US and offer a good selection and quality of merchandise for your clients. They reproduce my artwork on archival paper, canvas, pillows, cushions, T-shirts, tote bags, blankets and even shower curtains to name just a few items. Their system does work, the quality is good and I have sold many items in the past with them but really only when the orders come within the US. The reason being that orders that originate in Europe, for example, may still be produced and shipped directly from the US and not within Europe, incurring a more lengthy wait time and possible import duty attached upon arrival. Not a nice surprise for your eager buyer to receive! Ultimately, I would like to find better sources within Europe for future distribution. Overall, I am happy with my present supplier and their services. For a sole artist who is already busy at work and business, I don’t have to worry unduly about that side of the operations for now.
DS: Some artists enjoy solitude when working in art while others enjoy music and movement around them when painting? What is your preference? Do you have a certain room and routine when you are painting? Any interesting information to pass on?
HM: As with most artists, I can work in all environments however I prefer to have music surrounding me most of the time. It’s important to remember that painting and music go together – they are both the great bodies of creation within the Art World. I can paint anywhere really but I’ve been known to complete my most demanding artwork sitting on top of a bed….and no (laughing).. interesting information or routine to pass on!!!
DS: (laughing)… Fair enough, I’d say! Can I ask on average, how long does it take you to complete a typically well detailed watercolour painting?
HM: It really can vary from one painting to the next depending upon how complex the detail work I wish to include for that particular painting. I generally look at about a month for a full size painting. Obviously, I do not spend every day on that one painting as I have several others in varying stages of completion. There are days that I do not paint at all. Working on several different paintings help keep the approach to each work piece feel fresh with new ideas. I like to keep the other paintings well out of sight. You have a new perspective to those paintings in progress when you haven’t seen them for several days. Also, I like the change from one painting to the next rather than focusing on just one main commission otherwise you run the chance of getting impatient. There is nothing worse than rushing its completion with less rewarding results for both you, the artist and the prospective buyer. Moreover, those imperfections will generally become blatantly obvious to both parties. The bottom line surely remains, it’s just not worth all the anguish and disappointment after all that hard work you have put into it!
DS: What painting subjects are you currently working on at this time? Have you completed any more paintings for the Equator Coffee Company since our last interview in October? Also, what future paintings are on the horizon that you can you tell your readers you are planning?
HM: Presently I am in the middle of my most personal painting I have ever undertaken – Kensington Church Street, London circa 1968. I loved the cars of that period and I have included the hundred-year-old frontage of Kensington Barracks which was demolished in the nineteen-eighties after becoming a youth hostel and a refuge for asylum seekers. My mother’s apartment was close to the world-famous fashion Boutique BIBA and she has lived there for almost fifty years! The painting will include St. Mary’s Abbott Church where Princess Diana often visited and the famous 1930s’ art deco designed Barker’s Department Store at the foot of the street. With my present role of being a caregiver to my elderly mother, the painting has been slow in its progress but now it is well on its way to completion. Similarly, my paintings for the Equator Coffee Company are also in progress with a Downtown San Francisco skyline rendition for display in their Financial District stores and also one for their newly opened Fort Mason location beside the San Francisco Bay. The previously completed paintings of their Mill Valley locations ( The Surf Shop and The Tiger) now hang in the company’s new Headquarters in San Anselmo. Future paintings on my list include a BOAC Vickers VC 10 airliner on the ramp at London’s Heathrow Airport in the sixties, a London street scene of Hammersmith Broadway in the early sixties and a few sailing ships and pleasure steamers in different scenarios.
DS: I can thoroughly appreciate the fact that time must be very limited for you when you are looking after your elderly mother these days. It sounds like you have a lot of future work ahead. Caring for someone must take a lot of creative energy out of you. Who do you stay so focused on your work?
HM: Caring for any mother can definitely bring other daily challenges in life which always have to be resolved one way or another. As I go about the daily duties needed for her, I still find my inner thoughts can be hovering over areas of my current painting, whether it be on resolving an area I am not happy with in its present form or trying to solve how to paint a tricky area a different way. I have to say that I have been very fortunate in life to have the skill and focus abilities to produce creative ideas whilst doing other tasks and duties in life outside of my painting time. One example I can give involves my painting entitled “Equator Coffee – The Visitor” where I placed an oversized Tiger hovering behind a man in a large coffee cup, disguised as a Hot Tub on the roof of the building. It made the painting. The idea came to me as I was driving my regular Commuter Bus route to San Francisco one morning in stopped traffic! Sometimes I will scribble them down but most times they linger for months in the back of my mind. I may not be painting at the time but when I get to it, I end up with a more interesting piece of artwork. My mind is ever active with ideas…some say overactive for my own good!
DS: I am in agreement with you as to your creative addition of the Tiger and the Hot Tub – it really does make the painting more special and I love it! Speaking of which, have you had time to visit the coffee company’s new Headquarters you mentioned to see your work displayed?
HM: Sadly, not this time. I can only really leave my mother for a week at a time so I head back to London on Thursday afternoon. On my next visit here, I shall hopefully have the other paintings finished for them to display and market. I always enjoy painting for this company, I love the people and, if I may add, absolutely love their coffee. I only wish they had shops in London!
DS: Changing the subject , what advice would you give to someone who is starting out in basic art but at the same time, is trying to make some sense of the different types of artwork that can be displayed in museums or galleries?
HM: Firstly, Art is very subjective, art is very personal and art is very fickle. What one person may deem a piece of artwork brilliance, another may judge it as hopelessly boring and a load of rubbish. It truly is a very personal judgement call that you bestow upon it . My advice for what it’s worth would be – if a piece of artwork doesn’t necessarily excite you in anyway when you first see it, stand in front of it and spend a few extra minutes trying to figure out, if possible, what the artist was trying to convey within his or her art. If that fails your original thoughts were correct.
DS: Finally we have come to the end of our session this time but before we finish I would like to ask you what are your future plans? Are you going to remain in London in due course or return back here to California to live for good?
HM: That’s a good question which I am not all that sure about presently. I think many individuals reach an age when they start reflecting upon their present life and towards the future generations behind them. There are times, I confess, that I feel “irrelevant” in today’s society but I still give full support to the younger generations growing up to replace mine, bringing a new lifestyle and quality to life. I plan to finish the Equator Coffee painting series and finish up my short list of UK paintings in the works before I embark on my new direction in life – writing various books that I have long ago planned. It will undoubtedly be an exciting new chapter in my life. As to living and remaining here in California and or London, that’s on an unknown horizon in my life at this time.
DS: Whatever happens, it has been a great pleasure meeting you again and I personally wish you all success and happiness in your future horizons.
HM: Cheers! Likewise, it’s been wonderful to meet you again. Thank you for your time today and best wishes for your future too!
Interview held in Downtown Tiburon, California
September 18th 2018