'The art world is watching' - Ty Clark shares his creative journey [17]

"The art world is slow. It is not fast. There's no ten steps to make it in the art world...Some people have two steps, some have 400 steps, some have 20 steps, some have 30 steps. The art world moves at its own pace. And at the end of the day, it's all about the work"

Ty Clark is a visual artist, film maker, sculptor and writer based in Waco, Texas.  He produced an award winning film, Jump Shoot and is currently working on a documentary series.  He began a Mentorship Programme in 2021, through which he has mentored 49 artists from 17 countries. He recently wrote his first novel. He has exhibited extensively and is represented in many major US cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

US artist Ty Clark chats to Éadaoin Glynn about:

• The value placed on art in his family


• Falling in love with painting


• His studio


• Moving from figurative drawing to abstraction


• His studio practice


• Spending time with his work


• The importance of art learning


• Developing a body of work


• Working towards solo shows


• Having work ready for opportunities


• Being organised and Inventory management


• Working with art dealers and galleries


• How he uses Instagram


• His mentorship programme


• The importance of community for artists


• Experimenting and overcoming fear


• The best advice he received


• His advice for artists


• His approach to rejection


• His documentary film and novel


• His recommended books for artists include How to Be an Artist by Jerry Saltz, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, Art and Fear by Ted Orland and David Bayless and Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel

Ty's two person exhibition, 'Of Warm Impermanence' with Vy Ngo, runs until 22 July 2023 in Arts Center Waco, Texas.

Show notes available in the blog. See more of Ty's work on Instagram: @tynathanclark and his website: www.tynathanclark.com.

Contact Éadaoin on Instagram: @eadaoin_glynn and her website: www.eadaoinglynn.com