Term 3 2007 Plus... Careers In Art - Zart Art

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careers in art MICHELLE APPLETON Interior designer & decorator At what age did you decide to make a career from interior design In year 12 I went to an open day at RMIT Tafe & Holmesglen Tafe for Interior decoration & design. I was so impressed with what I saw that I decided that was the career for me. My preference was for the Tafe course rather than the Degree course, as it is a lot more hands on. How long have you been in the industry and how did you get there I have been in the industry for 11 years, after completing the course at Holmesglen Tafe. Started out in a furnishing fabric showroom for 14 months, which gave me some good general office experience, as well as becoming familiar with the textile industry. I then moved into a small interior design firm, where I still work now. Are there peers in your industry that set the benchmark I guess there are, but we all have different styles & clientele. Do you come from a creative family My mum is fairly creative. She teaches home economics & textiles. What is a day in the life of Michelle Appleton like My days can vary quite a lot depending on the type of project I am working on. I can be working on several projects at any given time. Our company designs houses from the ground up. My boss designs in sketch form what the house will look like & the general floor plan. These sketches are then sent to an architectural draftsperson to draw up on Autocad. I am then given these drawings so I can design the interior spaces. All my drawings are done on Mac using a program called Vectorworks. I am responsible for selecting all finishes & fittings for the house. We have regular meetings with our clients. Once all the documentation is finished, it is usually sent out to several builders for pricing. Once a builder has been appointed, we also supervise the project until completion. At this stage, there are regular fortnightly site meetings to make sure all 8 www.zartart.com.au work is going to plan. Most clients also want our assistance with furnishings, which I organise. This sometimes involves shopping with the client - taking them to furniture & fabric showrooms. Or I select items from catalogues. So, my work is quite varied. I generally work on projects for a couple of years from the initial design concept to completion. What effect has the computer age had on your work Computers have made a huge difference to the way I work. For years all my drafting was done by hand. We then decided to update to computer drafting (about 5 years ago), which was quite frustrating to learn at first, but once I grasped it, I have never looked back! What are some of the negative aspects of your job Sometimes the clients are not easy to deal with, which makes the project very long & unenjoyable. I tend to get bored quickly and like to move from one project to the next. What is something you would love to do that you haven’t already done I would love to do more travelling to Europe, America & the UK to study the houses internally which our style is influenced by. Much more exciting than learning from books! What is it like working in a team environment and is it important Knowing how to work well as a team is crucial. It’s a great way to pull all areas of expertise together to make the project run (hopefully) smoothly. You also learn a lot from one another. Concept to completion. Explain how your team / client may change those initial ideas. How do you deal with the compromise In the interior design industry there can be a lot of compromise, depending on budget constraints. Some clients are very easy going & happy to take our advice, which results in the end product being very close to our initial concept. Others have very strong ideas, not always in symmetry with ours, so we may end up designing spaces we don’t necessarily agree with. At the end of the day, as long as the client is happy, that’s really all that matters. Besides design ability – what skills are essential for your role Being organised is probably the most important skill. Computer skills are also essential, particularly for drafting. Where do you get most of your inspiration Design books & magazines. What fellow designers have been most influential to you My boss. When you work with someone so closely for so many years, it’s hard not to be influenced by him. What’s your favourite design job to date A private residence in Portsea, which overlooks the pier. I was involved from the initial design concept of the house, right through to furnishing the finished product. It was a great experience & the clients were fantastic to deal with. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe My runners – I love walking! Who would you most like to sit next to on a flight to Europe My husband… preferably at the front end of the plane! If you were speaking to a secondary school student who was showing interest in following in your footsteps, what advice would you give them Build up your folio so you have plenty of work to show for interviews. Graphics & Art are both very useful subjects, although there are now probably other design type subjects offered at schools, which I don’t even know about. MORE! If you are looking for more careers in art interviews - visit our website! Pamela Irving ceramicist / artist Ruth Lovell gallery curator Monty Coles Photographer Cameron Brodie Industrial designer Sally Darlison Textile artist www.zartart.com.au
CAROLYN DUNNELL Furniture designer & maker careers in art At what age did you decide to make a career from furniture design From the age of 18 I worked as a performer, then when I turned 27 I decided I wanted to do something practical and to express my creativity in objects. How long have you been in the industry and how did you get there Four and half years - studied at RMIT- Furniture Design Diploma and Furniture Technology. Are there peers in your industry that set the benchmark Yes- Marc Newson (industrial designer) Australian Frank Gehry ( Architect- US) Charles and Ray Eames- (Furniture designers - US) Do you come from a creative family No! What is a day in the life of Carolyn like Currently I am working for a furniture manufacturer (in Epping). I am working there from 7 am to 3.30 pm in production. In my spare time I’m starting up my own small furniture design business. For the last three years I have designed and produced prototypes (with my business partner). We exhibit these in trade shows to gain exposure and to get feedback on our designs and potentially find a manufacturer. What effect has the computer age had on your work There are quite a lot of components (furniture pieces) that are now made on computer operated machinery and all design work is done on the computer. Also there’s more pressing buttons than using tools! What are some of the negative aspects of your job In terms of design- it’s very hard to break into the industry and make a name for yourself. That’s why I chose to work full time - to pay the bills and to finance the building of my business and brand. What is something you would love to do that you haven’t already done Design and build a house. What is it like working in a team environment and is it important Yes it is important. Personally I need the interaction… I like to bounce ideas off other people and learn from their experience. Concept to completion. With any given project, how much of the end result is your initial concept Explain how your team / client may change those initial ideas. How do you deal with the compromise We compromise on the materials used to make our prototypes - due to limited funds. You have an ‘idea’ that you want to use a certain material for – but after making the prototype we discover it’s not appropriate. This is due to my inexperience but it adds to the learning process. Besides design ability – what skills are essential to your role Because I’m starting my own business I need to publicise and promote the brand. Project management and construction techniques – trade skills are also needed. Where do you get most of your inspiration From witnessing the real world and talking to other people. What’s your favourite design job to date An upholstered chaise longe that I made in second year furniture design. The process was exhausting but exhilarating. And the final product made me very proud. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe Steel cap boots. Who would you most like to sit next to on a flight to Europe The pilot. If you were speaking to a secondary school student who was showing interest in following in your footsteps, what advice would you give them Take the medication early. Follow your heart. VIRGINIA CUPPAIDGE Painter At what age did you decide to make a career from visual arts At age 6 I knew I was an artist, and I decided that it could be a career in my late teens. Do you come from a creative family Yes I do. My mother is an artist also. What is a day in the life of Virginia Cuppaidge like As well as my painting career I teach drawing and painting part time. I work best at night. Mornings are spent dong art business. That is the hard but necessary part. I am in the zone when making paintings and don’t want to come out of that place. Teaching is demanding but it keeps me current, and I have learned a lot about myself working with students. I go to art museums and art galleries every chance I get and listen to music while I work. What is your favourite medium to work with Oil paint on canvas and gouache on paper. Oil slows me down which I need as I am impatient to get the painting done, and it has a wonderful feel to it. I love the smell of oil paint. Gouache is a wonderful medium for paper. Gouache makes me use smaller more flowing shapes. What effect has the computer age had on your work Zart Extra_Term 3 2007 9
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Term 3 2007 Plus... Careers In Art - Zart Art

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