1. Two-part question: How important is it for you to sell the work you create?
The older I get the more important it seems to become to sell, and though I resigned myself to the idea that I may very well die penniless, unknown, and somewhat broken. -As has happened to many visionaries in past history… *I do want to sell my w3rk. -Just not as a novelty or a decoration or for an unfair amount of monetary compensation. I’m still waiting for the real galleries and/or real collectors to come along. I have sold a few small pieces over the years, maybe 10 - 15 total, but unfortunately no major pieces and nothing to any major collectors as of yet.
I do have faith however, that one of these days the right patron, person, or gallery who believes in my talent and has the means to help get it to the art-buying public is going to come along, get in at the “ground level”, and make themselves and I a decent, honest living in the process. And that’s all I want and/or need really.. Is just an opportunity to make a modest, sustainable living at my Craft. -That’s really it. Unfortunately there may come a point in my life in the not so distant future, where if I don’t find some kind of market to sell my w3rk in on a a semi-steady basis. That the need for survival will completely over take my drive and ability to keep creating new artw3rk. I’ll battle as long and hard as I can to be able to keep making paintings, assemblages, music, and video.. but honestly the older I get, the harder it’s becoming to sustain a life devoted to creativity. If I’m spending the majority of my time and energy doing construction or any other job that I can find, just to pay for basic bills and food. Then eventually the time and energy it takes to create monumental, original artw3rks becomes less and less and less. Until one day there’s nothing left but an empty spot left on the artistic map where there once was vibrant, one-in-a-billion artistic force of humanity. I mean imagine if Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, or Jean-Michel Basquiat had been forced to do drywall or masonry work for all their lives and what a massive waste and misappropriation of talent that would have been? Some may say that I have no right to put myself in that type of artistic company, but I truly believe in my talents, in the w3rk I’ve done over nearly the past 2 decades, and in the potential I have to create future masterpieces of contemporary art. Now all I need, is just a basic modicum of financial support to take my career and w3rk to the next level. *So on that note, if you are a person, patron, or gallery out there who has the means to invest in a future force in the contemporary art w3rld, then PLEASE contact me and let me know what you have in mind. I’d be willing to sign over a percentage of current and/or future earnings from the sale of my art, in exchange for a modest monthly stipend, an investment in me and my artw3rk.. past, present, and future, or a supportive gallery in a decent art market city.
-and how involved in the business aspect do you like to get?
I’d rather just make the art, because I feel that’s what I’m best at, and what I enjoy doing the most in life. At this point in my career though, it’s really just up to me, my wife, and to a few individuals who are helping to promote my visual artw3rk. Up to this point in time, I have had more assistance selling and promoting my auditory w3rks than my visual exploits. Mostly through Polyvibe Records, as well as through another associates company called Xentek, who’s really helped empower me to sell my own w3rks. Xentek also hosts my 3 main websites, and is helping me set up my own company as we speak. I’m hopin’ to have that up and running this Summer/Fall, and will start officially offering up items for sale very soon. -Everything from paintings, prints, shirts, stickers, pins and anything else that we can print on to. Of course my new record label’s website will be offering CDs, DVDs, MP3s and other musically related merchandise for sale very soon as well. All this is long over due and many years in the making, but when you’re going DIY, it’s key to stay patient yet diligent.
2. Have social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook been instrumental in your marketing? If yes, then how?
It all adds up and helps. -So, yes. I’ve made contact with countless publications, labels, venues, and fans through the aforementioned social networking sites, but have yet to have much of it translate into any solid financial gains.
3. What’s your favorite artistic medium?
Assemblage. Though I’ve made many more paintings over the years, and more recently musical recordings. I’ve always had a real love affair with the act & result of assembling collages and sculptures with societal detritus and meaningful personal items that I collect and manage to accumulate. Using actual objects from my life as ingredients in the w3rk, just seems to add an extra ounce of intrinsic value to the art and ends up making it feel that much more personal to me. However, I do thoroughly enjoy having multiple mediums of self expression to explore and would find it hard to w3rk in just one medium all the time. Even assemblage.
4. What’s the local art and music scene like where you’re from?
Non-existent. Which is probably much of the reason for my anonymity from the majority of the art world. I live in a tiny Central Florida town called NoSteen.. er excuse me - Osteen. It’s a small, rural community about halfway between Daytona and Orlando, so there are a few opportunities in those places, but not as many as one might imagine for cities of their size and location. My wife grew up in Osteen and we moved back here from Orlando about 10 years ago to help her father get along after her Mother passed away, and then we eventually have ended up caring for him full time. -As he’s elderly and has Alzheimer’s disease. There are some upsides to living in the woods, compared to the suburbs down the road. There’s much more space, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s mega private. Also my wife and I have become homeowners in the process and will have “some” financial leverage in the future. Should we decide to relocate somewhere with a better art market.
5. I see that you’re not only a visual artist, but you also have your hand in other things like the recording industry. How did Gar, the mogul come about?
There’s quote from Picasso that I’ve always subscribed to, and which can probably answer this question. It goes something like: “I am always doing that which I do not know how to do, in order that I may learn how to do it”. There you have it.
6. Who are other people in your field (or other professions) who have influenced you?
There are so damn many…. I’ll give it a shot though -
Painters: Don Van Vliet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Roberto Matta, Joan Miro, Matthew Ritchie, Banksy, Jim Dine, Francis Picabia, Franz Kline, Nicolas de Staël, Keith Haring, Chuck Close, Glenn Brown, Kenneth Noland, Cy Twombly, Yves Tanguy, Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, Daas, Michael Blair Scott, Brice Stephens, and Brett Hamil
Sculptors, Assemblers, & Conceptualists: Tim Hawkinson, Jean Dubuffet, Ray Johnson, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Rauschenberg, Kurt Schwitters, Alexander Calder, Paul McCarthy, Bas Jan Ader, Chris Burden, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Duchamp, Martin Kippenberger, Matthew Barney, Tobias Stretch, Damien Hirst, Isamo Noguchi, Cai Guo-Qiang, Richard Serra, Christo, Andy Warhol, & Andy Kaufman
Film Makers & Video Artists: Len Lye, Chris Cunningham, and Stan Brakhage are the 3 biggest in this category for me. Joel and Ethan Cohen, John Waters, Gus Van Sant, David Lynch, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, David Fincher, Larry Clark, Woody Allen, Wim Wenders, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Guy Ritchie, Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, among others..
Musicians: (In this category I’m only listing artists that I know personally or have played shows with. For further info: See the link in question #9 below)
A_Scissors, Dr.XnLb, Drone Operator, R_Garcia, Plusses & Ups, Dino Felipe, Machine Drum, Otto Von Shirach, The Rules, Mic Mell, Kalx, Oddknock, Adrian Taylor, Tel Aviv Bats, AttachedHands, Sigh Rodgers, Joel Caldwell, Mr. Whitefolk, Mr. Antonym, and Yip-Yip
7. What’s one thing about your profession that you were surprised to learn about once you began your work?
Well this was something I learned after I’d been working for a few years, but it’s really blown me away how completely close-minded many artists can really be. I suppose that from the outset and as an artist myself, that one wants to believe other artists are people, who by their very nature, should be some of the most open-minded and compassionate beings on planet Earth. Sadly I come to know otherwise over the years. After meeting hundreds, if not thousands of artists from all over Florida to NY to Seattle, WA to Vermont and many places in between. -That artists in general, are some of the most obstinate, narcissistic, close-minded, know-it-all bastards there are. I think this is possibly because art by it’s very nature of constant self-exploration and self-examination leads to.. you guessed it: “Self-absorption”. -Which if used incorrectly can lead to narcissism, smugness, stagnation, and eventually exclusion and divisiveness. Hate to generalize, but just keepin’ it real for my interview and for the readers. On the flipside of that realization, the few artists who manage to stay humble and truly “open” in their lives.. ARE some the most compassionate, beautiful people you will ever meet. -There are a few of’em out there.
8. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it to you?
“Don’t be afraid to make your dark’s DARK and your light’s LIGHT.” Advice from Kaile Adney. A former artist, a gifted student, and one of my high school girlfriends from way back when I was just starting to get real serious about making art. It’s a mini-lesson about the importance of contrast. A theme in my w3rk and life that has served me well and still holds resonance today. I believe many of the most powerful analogies and truisms from art are just as applicable to life and business as they are to art.
9. What kind of music do you listen to, and who are some of your favorite recording artists?
I am Mainly interested the genres and sub-genres of & pertaining to: Rock and Electronic musics. I’m moderately interested in: Pop, Hip-hop, and Jazz. I am NOT interested in: New Country, Classical, or Hippie Jam Bands.
I’ve got many more “favorite” bands than I could list here, but if you’d like to take a more in depth look at some listings of what and whom those artists are, go to: www.garlives.com/about and check out the links to my “alGARhythm” project and to my “Gar BaiLey” myspace pages. There are also links to my LastFM pages, which display my regular listening habits and have actual radio widgets. *Which you can play and physically listen to quite easily. -Quadruple Yay!
10. From where do you find inspiration for the [visual] art you create?
From the universal laws of nature, science, and philosophy. From Irony. Tragedy. Triumph. Defeat. From other human beings who’ve inspired and confounded me. From spirit molecules. From within the intangible places inside my own being which I could not understand or comprehend but through the transmogrifying journeys of self-expression, exploration, and transformation.
11. What does Gar Bailey like to do for fun? To relax?
Listening to music is the bee’s knees. I like to watch films (with my wife especially). I used to skateboard a lot until injuries started taking their toll on the body. Traveling is fun, with the exception of the whole “flying” part. Going to galleries and museums can be a fun. Good sex is relaxing and can be one of thee best natural stress relievers. -So having and creating orgasms. I’m a huge fan of nature by way of hiking, biking, or even driving if there are the right roads.. I love going to the mountains, old growth forests, and going places with water. -Lakes, rivers, ponds, waterfalls, seas, and the ocean. I also like making mix CDs for my friends and family and have probably made about 100 or more in my lifetime. Going all the way back to the days when you had to do it on cassette tapes.
12. What has been the biggest career bummer you’ve faced thus far? Please give details if the answer involves a specific scenario.
Not having a career would probably be the biggest “career bummer” for me. Not being able to make a sustainable living at what I’m great at, what I love to do, and what I should be doing in this life on planet Earth is a major “bummer”. If the world had it’s way with me, I would have giving up making art a long time ago, and would be a full time construction worker right now. I fight every day of my life to keep that from happening.
13. In your own words, describe your music to me.
Take your pick of descriptions:
-> “Found sound audio collage amalgamations w/ performance art connotations. Continual cross pollination of mediums, builds an air of contagious electricity. A bountiful palette of knobz, boxes, switches, & signals are forged into a wall of profound sound. The Dada with drum machines aesthetic.”
-> “Primordial Circuit Machine Button Boxes, tickling Existential Futuristic Arm Tricks.”
-> “Avant-Garde Auditory Exploration for Creatures of Enlightened Habitats.”
-> “Organic Electronic Music made by a Neo-Dada, Maximalist Artist and Assembler of all things Original & Arrangeable. GaR BaiLey is a true Visionary of multiple mediums & his alGARhythm ProjeKt is the Pinnacle of LIVE Post-Punk Electronics. The Ghost of Rock is Now the Ghost in Gar’s Drum Machines.”
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