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Welcome to our Artist of the Month feature for July, and congratulations to John Bird for being our selected artist.
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Hi John - can you tell us a little about yourself, and how you got started as an artist?
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I followed a career in professional football for 30 years before becoming a professional artist.
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During my time as a player at Newcastle United I opened my own art gallery which I ran for 8 years before being appointed as manager of Hartlepool United.
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The rigours of football management there, and then at York City and Halifax Town finally took its toll and in 1997 I went back to painting with renewed enthusiasm.
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I then formed Era Prints supplying many outlets with signed editions of my original works. This is still continuing and presently my work is on display at 28 English Heritage sites including Stonehenge.
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However I am now concentrating on supplying galleries with my original paintings; seascapes, landscapes and urban scenes in acrylic on canvas.
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What are you favourite subjects to paint?
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Most of my work now is from my imagination. I like the scene to be simple in construction and often the flow of paint dictates what appears. I have had a leaning towards seascapes with a great emphasis on the sky and clouds which allow me the freedom to change the scene in an instant.
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Lately however busy and vibrant urban scenes have given me a great contrast to work with.
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Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, or for those new to art?
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Experiment with different mediums to find what suits you. Work endlessly on different ways of applying your paint. Study other artists work. Only through continuosly painting and making mistakes will you develop your style.
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What do you hope people see in your art?
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The main aim of my painting is to create an emotional response from the person who is viewing it. I believe because of this there must be some theatre or drama in the painting which the viewer becomes aware of.
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Who are your favourite artists, and are there any works in particular which have inspired you?
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The French impressionists have always been my inspiration. From Monet, Pissaro, Manet and Renoir to name a few.
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What famous painting or work of art do you wish you had produced?
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There is not one I can name. There are so many from the artists I have mentioned affecting me in different ways that it is impossible to single out one painting.
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Apart from your portfolio at artfair365.co.uk, how do you promote your work - are you a member of any societies, and do you have any exhibitions planned?
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Mainly on a day to day basis in different retail galleries around the country as I have mentioned in my portfolio. I am hoping to extend this to possibly 6 more in the near future. Supplying a gallery abroad would hopefully be the next step.
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From your own portfolio, which are your favourite 3 artworks?
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Venetian Nights, Through the Dunes, and Amber Glow.
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Click here to view John's portfolio.
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Click here to view our Artist of the Month for June - Anthony Caruana.
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Click here to view our Artist of the Month for May - Clem Spencer.
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