When I embarked on this degree course, it was to 'do art' and I'll be honest, my main drive was not necessarily to get a degree but to learn and practice new art techniques and see where it took me.... and if I got a degree at the end it was a plus point. Those heady first few months in the new academic year of 2022 were a whirlwind of printmaking (which I had done before, having worked as an art technician for eighteen years) and screen printing which I had never done before and loved among other numerous interesting things that we were introduced to.
But the main thing which is now evident to me, three years later, is the fact that the degree has taken me in a direction which is a complete surprise to me and in many ways we have been encouraged to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone.
In my second year I started to work with a material which I had never worked with before, Cement (or rather Ciment Fondue which is the actual manufacturing name). Combining cement with fused glass, I made two large bowls. This making of this artwork re-defined my artistic direction and propelled me into the art of bowl making.
This discipline is a steep learning curve, as there are several different mediums that could be used for bowl making. The most common being ceramic. Jesmonite is another more recent material which is made from ground stone powder and bound with an acrylic resin. There are several different types of this product, the most commonly used being Jesmonite AC100 which has a cream like pourable texture and is useful in mould making. However, I became more interested in one of their other products which is Jesmonite AC730, which is a drier mix and the technique is more building that pouring. I have to say that I really like Jesmonite, however, it is expensive and at times, unpredictable, but I liked the effect of the white surface when combining it with glass.
The other positive side is that although it is acrylic based it is cold to the touch and I will absolutely use Jesmonite again at some point in the future.
Business understanding and tactical game plan.
When considering the future and which direction it might take me, it is clear that there are a large number of institutions, grants and other monetary incentives to help.
Preparation for a career in creative industries needs careful planning and it is important to understand and be familiar with what is needed in both the local and wider economy, or entrepreneurial field. It is also important to ensure that your practice is ethical as it can be, and to minimise environmental impact with the type of art you do. But what is vital is not to forget to nurture the development of your own creative practice, as it is important to make sure the artwork your are undertaking is still interesting not just to you, but to your wider audience.
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It is important to think of yourself as a business rather than just a practicing artist and to gain a major understanding in how to run a business. There are many A list galleries in the UK and they are likely to be harsh to deal with initially, however, this is the very top of a large market which is worth £126bn in gross value according to the UK government (House of Lords Library -January 2024) and employs around 24 million people. (Google January 2025)
More often than not, the art world is a tough place to try to get a foothold on, and therefore careful planning is essential.
One of the more important aspects of selling your work is how to market, and one of the interesting things my brother (who works in marketing) is the phrase - "know your market" This is a simple yet vital piece of information and it's one that I appear to constantly deliberate over. What type of person would want to buy your work, who would like the type of designs that you produce.
Here is the list of desirable skills that our tutor gave us: Technical skills, computer skills, analytical skills, communication, adaptability, leadership, teamwork, time management, emotional intelligence, and finally organisation. Quite a list, some of which we will already have, like for example, computer skills. One of the very valuable things we have to do on this degree course is to learn how to build and maintain a website, particularly a regular blog.
Then add to that list: Practical hand skills. be motivated, committed, reflective thinker, communicative, digital, photoshop competent, adaptability, problem solver, transferable skills, open minded and flexible, resilient, focused, competent written skills, good with numbers and charts.
There is a further list but we all get the general idea, you need to be a jack of all trades and master of all!
The lists above suggests that what is needed is a long hard honest look at what skills I have and how I might proceed.
Branding and Mood Board - this is something that I have never had to do before and sadly using this website does not make it easy. Here is my initial first stage
Claire Settle -Artist
working with Cement and Glass.
Inspired by the Natural World
and the plants that are found there
(unfinished - this will be updated)
What help is there out there?
Having visited a few galleries, in the South West, it is clear that there are many different approaches and many different costs. I have looked around one or two who have so much artwork, that one feels saturated before you have finished the tour of the gallery. Some galleries charge a small amount of commission and others a hefty 60%. One gallery which I stepped into in the unlikely place of Cribbs Causeway is a good case in point.
This is a huge chain of galleries (worldwide) and they are geared to support artists. On visiting the shop/gallery, there were may limited edition prints by artists like John Pasche (see below) .
(Rollings Stones logo) designed in 1970. But you can still get signed prints at the Clarendon Gallery. The gallery assistant also told me that they are connected/affiliated to the London auction house Southeby's who enlist the galleries help when trying to identify a painting. This particular gallery charge a commission of 60% which is a lot, however their reach is clearly far and wide and when considering a gallery to support you, they are doing the marketing promotion, transactions, thus freeing the artist to spend that time making more work.
Galleries
I have visited many galleries over the past few months, and there is one thing which has struck me (to be honest this is not a new observation but one I've pondered on for a while) and it is this. When entering a gallery space, the immediate effect should be (to my mind at least) quiet thoughtful space, where there are gaps between work so the observer can "catch their breath' between at pieces. I first noticed this in Lynton in North Devon a couple of years ago. Lynton is a place where there is clearly an interest in art, It enjoys many visitors during the summer season, and therefore, if art is your thing then there is much choice. Personally, I like space to think and feel the art I'm looking at, two of the galleries were exactly this, they were spacious and although one was light and bright, the other was slightly darker, but their artwork was inspiring and interesting, and would, without a doubt, attract people wanting to buy art. The third, however, for me, did exactly the opposite. It was crammed with mostly 2D artwork, there was so many paintings that a viewer would struggle to choose a piece, in my opinion. To be honest, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. This is clearly not what you need if you want to sell art.
There are many galleries in the Somerset area and again I visited them and chatted to their owner/organisers. My favourite in the local vicinity is Studio 3 at Clevedon Craft Centre. It is run by the artists themselves and in fact call themselves a working artist studio & rural gallery, (overseen by a woman called Gail Clarke). Its compact but well thought out and the work there is great, nicely spaced and beautifully curated. Having chatted to Gail, she has offered me gallery space in October 2026. This seems like a long time away but this gives me time to undertake making and developing more work.
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