Artist of the Month-October-Ben Tiede

1. Name, Birthplace, Age
Ben Tiede, Connecticut, USA, 28

2. How does where you were raised affect your work?
I was raised in Kyoto, Japan where I had exposure to many Japanese artists and ceramicists. Growing up in Japan I learned to appreciate art. My parents encouraged me to create art from an early age. I would watch my Mother make pottery at her local ceramics studio. This encouragement helped me build and develop an important creative foundation.

3. Where did you train?
I first began painting as a toddler using the dinner table, wall and carpet as my canvas. Later, I took calligraphy and painting lessons in elementary and junior high school in Japan and began sketching and painting, mostly with watercolors. I took studio art courses at Wesleyan University and Macalester College.

4. What is your favorite style of (painting)? Why?
My favorite style of painting is that of Paul Klee. Although I enjoy many artists and their work from different periods Paul Klee combines colors and patterns that I connect with at a deep level and his work has influenced my growth as an artist.

5. What was the best show you EVER saw?
This is difficult to answer because I have seen so many art exhibits. I think the venue would have to be MoMA in NYC. The masterpieces on display there always inspire me to create. I don't have any specific show in mind, just the venue, which I love and visit often.

6. What was the best show in HK you EVER saw? (You cannot say your own.)
I was very fortunate to meet Susan Reingold who owns the Reingold Gallery in Tinhao. Her gallery displays outstanding art by modern Japanese printmakers. She introduced me to some of my favorite works by artists like Clifton Karhu, Toko Shinoda and Yuji Hiratsuka

7.What piece of work are you the most proud of? (please include photo, if possible)
Please see photo attached (Art1). I am very proud of a 6 layer hand-carved woodblock print of a Hong Kong street scene in Sham Shui Po. I just completed an artist proof and will be printing an edition of 55 prints from my wood blocks.

8. What is your process like?
When creating a woodblock print, I first start by sketching and painting the composition I will turn into a print. After this is finished, I decide how many layers of color I will use to add depth to the print. Then I sketch the outlines of each layer onto woodblocks. Once that is completed the carving begins. I individually carve all of my blocks by hand. Once the carving is completed, I transfer the appropriate ink color on each block and start printing. Aligning the paper is one of the most important parts of the process, since it determines the alignment of the image.

9. What is your dream project?
I have so many! The one I have at the moment on a massive scale would involve hundreds-even thousands of participants with blue, yellow, red and purple colored umbrellas crowding the main streets in TST/along the harbor holding their umbrellas up at the right moment so that a film-maker/photographer can document them from above. We can synchronize everyone-assuming that you can synchronize all these people-perhaps through an MP3 downloaded ahead of time. A more realistic dream project, I suppose, is making a large woodblock print of a street in Hong Kong with many old buildings and intricate architectural details, which would also interest me!

10. If you could change one thing about the art scene in HK, what would it be?
I've found many supportive and welcoming artists here and I'm very thankful for that. I would like for people outside the immediate art community here to be more supportive of artists. Not just famous superstar artists, but emerging artists. Embrace the local talent! There's too much of an emphasis on brands, fame and wealth in Hong Kong, and as a result people often neglect talent that's sitting right next to them. I've met many talented artists here who cannot pursue their creative impulses because there is not enough support for them. More art competitions and community based projects might encourage more dormant artists to get out to ART!

You can find out more about Ben's art at his facebook page.

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