Harry Pye
"When I was a child I loved to draw cartoons and make comics. Drawing was exciting and fun. My family and friends liked my style and encouraged me to do more. If I found that one of the singles from the family record collection had lost it's sleeve I would design a new one. If I read a comic I'd often try and make my own version. And I thought that Art was the best subject at primary school. We had a teacher who had a big collection of postcards she had bought from the Tate Gallery. Often we were asked to copy from postcards of Picasso and Rousseau and many other artists that still have a place in my heart. My Dad was great at drawing. The drawings of his I'd seen impressed me a lot. I asked him to draw my Star Wars figures and would be fascinated by how confident he was as he drew. It's nice to draw and show people and it's nice to draw and not show people. Drawing is just a wonderful thing. Albert Camus once said, "Literature is about trying to capture the one or two moments in your life when your heart opened up." I've never been a great reader but the artists I've mentioned that came into my life when I was six opened my heart up and showed me a path I'd like to follow. In a way you could say their influences partly shaped who I am today. Secondary Schools and Art Schools kill off a lot of enthusiasm for a lot of people. I'd say about 98% of art school tutors are a dodgy bunch. I lost faith for a few years and became rather cynical about everything. But five years ago I started to paint. I'd never really painted before and I became addicted. It became the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thing I thought of at night. If I say, "I paint because I am in love with the world" it sounds like a joke but as we all know: there's many a true word spoken in jest. Ultimately the reason I paint and make things is because I want to share the love I feel for things and the beauty I see. Of course the things I love and the things I think are beautiful aren't always going to be the same as the things you love and the things you think are beautiful. When you spend your time painting, drawing, and writing you spend a lot of times failling and messing up. Sometimes the accidents turn out to be the best bits. Sometimes you think you're lost and end up finding you've discovered a shortcut home. Other times you just get hopelessly lost and have to laugh as your dreams come apart at the seams. Each time is like the first. I don't know how else to describe how it feels. But maybe the 6 year-old Harry Pye isn't really so different from the 36 year-old Harry Pye: drawing is still something that I find fun and exciting. And my family and friends are still telling me they like my style and are encouraging me to do more. My life is good and I don't care if it sounds like a joke. I really am in love with the world."