By: Azad Karimi
My creative output is a form of art therapy or mindfulness. I try not to get too involved in wanting to ‘make art’….I just allow things to come through.
Interview
British Painter Mark Barry Timmins
By Azad Karimi
How I missed writing an introduction to my interviews.
Of course, I announced a few months ago that I had completed my global cultural interview project but the presence of the American-Ukrainian artist, Mr. Joseph Kogan, reminded me that from time to time I should address the valuable people in the world and listen to them. Of course, I do not think somebody couldn't participate in this project because of the deadline I set.
I again declare to friends who received the interview question form but would like to send their answers promptly do it, please.
Our doors are open to you, but you must also understand that everything must be done on time to make the results more enjoyable.
Every nation has its own historical experiences. We do not have a nation that has no historical experience. The historical experience of nations is gained by the emergence of elite individuals. The elite community consists of artists, writers, inventors, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, philosophers, thinkers, intelligent people, literate people, and compassionate and wise patriots. They strive and sacrifice to raise the level of awareness and progress of their country.
After the success of their countries in the social, economic, and cultural fields, they think of improving the situation in other parts of the world. Hence, they have created great and respected foundations such as the United Nations and other great human rights organizations. Therefore, everyone who works in these organizations and international foundations must have a practical commitment to the basic foundations and goals of these organizations and not be influenced by their own political thoughts and personal historical backgrounds. Therefore, I ask the Secretary-General of Amnesty International in London, Agnès Callamard, as she pities the Palestinians and defends the rights of Hamas and its terrorists' affiliates, please pay attention to the rights of the people of Kurdistan too.
Yesterday, the Turkish government targeted eighty points in Kurdistan-Iraq and Kurdistan-Syria, killing and wounding others. We expected you to react and criticize the apartheid regime of the Turkish regime, but unfortunately, you do not seem to want to do that. You also pretend that you are unaware of the tragic events inside Iran and that you are very selective in condemning the actions of the Islamic regime of Iran.
I remind you to pay attention also to the people of Kurdistan in accordance with your duty and I recommend that if you do not have the ability, please resign so that someone better than you can serve in your place. Of course, with this behavior of yours, I do not think you are the right person for this, because the elite is someone strong, just, and intelligent.
My artist friend, Mark Barry Timmins, has presented his beautiful words and sublime thoughts in this interview. For my part, I enjoy this perception and the breadth of his thoughts and ideas about art and the world around him. He is an elite. The world is happy to have people like him.
I wish dear Mark success and happiness.
Thank you!
Østland-Norway
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1- Please present yourself (Name, education, Civil status and...)
. My name is Mark Barry Timmins and I am a UK-born artist, living in London.
2- What is your artistic specialization?
. My painting and drawing I believe you could call abstract figurative, naive, or expressionist. I personally don’t like the labels. I prefer to say that I just try to paint and draw intuitively…quite an innocent attitude I guess. Whatever others read into my imagery is none of my business really. My feelings are that I am witnessing when I create rather than trying to force a narrative.
3- When and how did you become interested in this field of art?
. I became interested in this intuitive way of working after being completely overwhelmed by an exhibition of Japanese Outsider Art around 10 years ago.
4- Who was your motivator?
. I felt so moved by the work that I saw, so unpretentious and pure in expression. The fact that these artists were institutionalized with mental health issues also impacted me. The repetitive quality and use of symbolic personal motifs in their works I felt to be almost spiritual. It was as if what they produced spoke much more eloquently than any words. This fundamentally changed my own creative process. I trained as a commercial illustrator, working for over twenty years in the greetings card industry. This was a wonderful grounding in how to visually communicate in an impactful and emotional way. However, I always tried to keep some time aside for more personal work. At some point, I realized that if I did not allow increasingly more time for my own work, then I would start to lose my creative spark.
5- What was your parent’s reaction?
.
6- When started you such as a professional painter?
. I am not very comfortable with the label of ‘professional’. I am happier thinking of myself as an outsider. I try to develop imagery without too much conscious input.
7- Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as a painter?
. I am thankful to be fortunate in being able to dedicate time to my endeavors.
8-Can you explain about painting?
. My creative output is a form of art therapy or mindfulness. I try not to get too involved in wanting to ‘make art’….I just allow things to come through. If a narrative appears, so be it. In a way the painting creates itself. You are a bystander. I enjoy the freedom of the creative process much more when I ‘allow’ things to happen or to just be. This transitional moment from needing to plan an image, to allow an image to appear intuitively as and when was an incredible moment for me personally and creatively.
9- I would like to ask you about painting in our life. Can you tell us about that?
. Art is inner child therapy. Painting and drawing are fundamental in expressing the fact that we exist. Especially when we are very young. I think that it is a primal need that has gotten lost in modern life. I think that making marks, patterns and shapes is a very human thing and perhaps it needs to be integrated more into our daily lives as a respite from technology? The communion between art medium and surface is an ancient and spiritual one. It doesn’t matter what is produced for me as much as the action. It is a prayer in pictorial form.
10- How do you see the view for art, painting, and the future of culture?
. The art world is business. I totally understand the desire for success and for attaining a degree of respect among peers and collectors. Then I remember those egoless outsider artists and my perspective changes, becomes grounded.
11-Why do some paintings become immortal?
. Success is being able to make a picture every day, to see something akin to magic when a jumble of random marks and lines form an image.
Success is being able to be six years old again…just for a moment. Success is a fleeting phenomenon. I am reminded every time I create that my ego has nothing to do with my images. Actually, they aren’t my images, they just are. There is liberation in that.
12- Can you become one part of the artistic-cultural movement for motivation in youth or new generation in your country and so than?
. I think that in the future we will all need to be artists much more. We will see the benefit of creating art and/or crafts as a way of balancing future technologies.
13- How can you help our world become a better place to live?
. We have moved so fast in such a small amount of time.
14- Have you more word to say or suggestion for our readers?
. Working with our hands in creating (anything!) may offer respite from the tap of a keyboard and become a necessary part of healthy living.
