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GrowlersWorld Interviews |
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INDEX
The
GrowlersWorld Interviews are an ongoing quest, bringing you closer to
successful and creative people in all walks of life.
Rawle
Austin presents...
A
conversation with Barrie Armstrong - Carving a Photographic Legacy
Barrie
Armstrong is a master of photography and sculpting.
Having
seen his work I can testify that you'll be seeing a lot more of
him in the future. I caught up with him to uncover what makes him
tick.
Rawle
Austin: Could you briefly introduce yourself to
GrowlersWorld readers?
Barrie Armstrong: I’m a 62 year-old Civil
Servant looking forward to retirement but wishing I had more money
with which to enjoy it. |
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RA:
How did you get into photography?
BA: I have been taking photographs for almost as long
as I can remember – certainly since I was at junior school - when
my parents bought me a camera similar to a Kodak Box Brownie.
(If
you don’t know what this is I suggest you go to the Science Museum
or Museum or the Moving Image (MOMI) on the South Bank in London or any
other museum that has a collection of old cameras!).
What
the Ford Model T was to cars, so the Box Brownie was to cameras.
I
used it to take holiday snaps on black and white 120 roll film.
RA:
Whose photography work most inspires you and why?
BA: As much of my photography is presently connected
with making portrait sculptures if must be the Late Lord (Patrick)
Litchfield.
I
have a book of photographs he published over 20 years ago called
“The Most Beautiful Women” and the poses and set-ups
used in many of them are still being used today. |
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He
had the ability to photograph women (and men) in a way that always showed
them at their best. It’s a pity many modern photographers never
learned the knack.
RA:
How do you prepare a typical shot?
BA: What is a typical shot? If I were photographing a
model for a sculpture, for instance, the first thing I would do is decide
on the pose(s) which I would sketch sometimes weeks before the shoot.
I
would show the sketches to the model when they were booked and discuss
the project to ensure they understood what the shoot entailed.
This
is especially important with nude or figure poses as a model may
refuse to pose if she (or he) were unaware of what they were expected
to do. Similarly with a portrait.
Discuss
the poses first with the subject and ensure they are comfortable
with them.
Whatever
the subject, before the day of the shoot, I ensure that I have packed
all the equipment I need (and checked that it worked!), batteries
are fully charged and I have sufficient memory cards and more. |
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If,
however, I were photographing an unfamiliar landscape and only had a short
time to take the shot, it could be a case of trying to find the best available
viewpoint, lighting and framing the shot.
If it were a once-off opportunity I might put the camera on automatic
and set it to take several shots with bracketed exposure settings or even
just trust the camera on fully auto (this does work most of the time!).
There may not even be much choice of where to stand or sit and hardly
time to press the shutter button.
The
short answer to this question is – if you have time, try to plan
for all eventualities.
This
is more like the way to prepare for a session rather than a shot
so I don’t know if it is the kind of answer you had in mind.
RA:
What’s your camera of choice and why?
BA: I use a Canon 10D digital single lens reflex
which is my first digital camera.
It
has now (August 2006) been superseded twice (!) but I am happy with
the results it produces and can’t afford to buy the latest
model every couple of years when there is a change!
I
have two lenses, a Canon 28-90mm zoom and a Canon 28-135mm zoom
with Image Stabiliser.
RA:
What are the main artistic differences between black and
white photos and colour ones, in your opinion? |
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BA:
Black and white photos seem to have a timeless quality about them especially
those with human subjects and landscapes.
Just
look at some classic iconic shots such as Christine Keeler on THAT chair,
Michael Caine, Twiggy, etc. and landscapes from photographers like Ansel
Adams.
RA:
Do you prefer taking pictures of people, landscapes or other subjects?
BA:
That is a tough question.
How
to choose between photographing a beautiful model, a beautiful natural
landscape and something like a once in a lifetime experience?
I
couldn’t separate them.
RA:
Could you explain further?
BA: Seriously, all can be very rewarding in different
ways. |
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Photographing
a model for a sculpture or portrait can be very tiring (believe me!) but
is always worth taking trouble over to get it right.
The
landscape can be a record of a place visited and will invoke a memory
for years to come and a once in a lifetime experience speaks for itself.
RA:
What has been your most memorable experience to date whilst taking
a photo?
BA:
That is a another difficult one but I think one of the
most memorable must be watching a space shuttle launch and photographing
the curl of smoke after it had vanished into space. Not for what
I saw but for what it represented.
RA:
Who or what would you most like to capture on camera and
why?
BA: Where are you getting these difficult questions
from?
As
with a sculpture, if I can produce an image of a woman’s offspring
that pleases the mother, I consider I have done a good job.
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I
don’t think I really answered the question but I can’t think
of a specific subject at the moment except perhaps a series based on different
ethnic groups?
RA:
What advice would you give to a budding photographer, just starting out?
BA: Take lots of pictures. Look at lots of pictures taken
by other people especially adverts etc in glossy magazines and exhibits
in galleries.
Don’t
be afraid to “borrow” subjects & poses other photographers
and artists have used in the past because that’s probably
how they got them!
Take
lots of pictures.
Read photography magazines and learn the techniques and rules they
discuss.
Also
never forget the last rule of all and probably most important -
break all the rules!
The
good magazines will list this rule too. Oh yes, take lots more pictures!
RA: You’re also a talented sculptor,
what attracts you to this form of creative expression? |
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BA:
I enjoy creating an object of beauty that brings pleasure to the beholder
(that sounds terribly pompous but I think you get my meaning!).
There can be few things that are naturally more beautiful than the “unenhanced”
human body and there comes a point in the process of making a sculpture
when it ceases to be a lump of modelling material and is suddenly recognisable
as the image of a person.
That
moment is impossible to describe to anyone who has never experienced
it.
RA:
How long have you been making sculptures?
BA: When I was a child my favourite toy was Plasticine
modelling clay.
It
meant I could add bits to other toys to “convert” them
(e.g. turn the latest Dinky toy into a gangster or police car).
I
could also make my own soldiers and have battles which usually ended
up with everything being mashed up together!
It
did solve the problem of getting bored with toys – I simply
turned them into something else.
It
also solved a lot of present problems for my parents – except
when it got trodden into the carpet! |
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In
my teens and twenties I progressed through plastic kits and then musical
theatrical character figures converted from plastic kit figures.
I
often sent these to the actor playing the role and the recipients were
so pleased I always received a nice letter and/or photograph and even
met some of them next time I went to see a production they were in.
More
recently (about 12 years ago) I started using FIMO material at the
suggestion of a colleague and was greatly surprised when I discovered
I had the ability to turn this inanimate modelling medium into a
bust that actually looked like the subject.
It
took about 18 months to learn how to use the FIMO properly mainly
by trial and error.
Getting back to your question, I suppose it must be over 50 years
but only about 12 years seriously.
RA:
How did you learn your craft, self taught or classes?
BA:
I have never attended a sculpture or modelling class in my life.
Now I’m afraid to attend classes in case I lose what ability
I have.
RA:
What materials do you mainly use to create your sculptures? |
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BA:
FIMO as I mentioned above (but there is a similar material called Sculpey).
From
figures made in this material I can make a mould with silicone rubber
and produce a finished sculpture with cold-cast resin and stone powder
or bronze metal powder.
RA:
How long does it take to produce a sculpture?
BA: The real answer is “as long as it takes”!
On average, the FIMO busts (which I should have mentioned are about 5
“ or 12cm high) usually take about 8 weeks of spare time.
The
FIMO figurines (about 12” or 30.5cm long take about 12 weeks.
Making a mould and casting a copy in resin/bronze takes several
days more.
RA:
Could you briefly describe your sculpting process, from
start to finish?
BA: I normally take lots of pictures of the subject
in the pose beforehand. I start with a roughly head and shoulder
shape (like an upside down “T”) of FIMO. |
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I
harden this in a domestic oven at a very low temperature (the gas is barely
alight) for 30 minutes. This is allowed to cool down for about 4 hours
to stop it from cracking.
It’s
then just a case of comparing it with the photographs and adding more
layers of FIMO which are hardened in turn.
After
a while I start using scalpel, wet & dry paper and dental tools to
finish the shaping.
When
people ask me how I make a sculpture I’m still at a loss to
explain the full process properly and this is about the best I can
do.
RA:
If you could choose one person to immortalise as a bust,
who would it be and why?
BA: Another tough question. |
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I
don’t know at the moment but I must pay tribute to my first professional
photographic model Natasha Himpson (who has since retired from modelling
and is now concentrating on raising a family!).
I
learnt so much from Tasha over the three years or so we worked together
and consider myself very lucky to have met her.
Natasha
has a beautiful natural figure and the ability to glance at a drawing
of a pose and reproduce it in an instant or suggest changes if the original
did not work.
She
also had a great sense of humour and the ability to relax an extremely
nervous (actually I was terrified) photographer!
I
was really delighted when I discovered that she had included one
of my photographs of her on her website portfolio.
The first sculpture I made of Natasha I gave to her to keep as a
“thank you”.
A
picture of the “Portrait of Natasha” is shown on the
website. |
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RA:
And finally, where would you like to see your sculpting and photography
take you in the near future?
BA: In the near future I would like to increase my experience
of photographic lighting setups by attending professionally run courses.
I
will also be working with some new models on a variety of photographic
projects, perhaps from different ethnic groups (I must admit to
being fascinated by oriental eyes!).
I
am of the opinion that with most things in life, you never stop
learning.
If
you think you know it all you are only fooling yourself. |
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Life
would be so boring if you did because the thirst for knowledge is what
fuels progress and gives you a reason for being.
Besides
the photograph of Natasha I have also had a photograph of a young actress
published, in fact she uses it as her CV photograph and it also appears
on her agent’s website.
This
was one of a series of photos taken in less than ten minutes (all the
time we had) using natural light and simple bounced flash - so don’t
be afraid to try new things.
Use
any mistakes you make on the way as further learning opportunities
but try not to make the same mistake twice!
Finally
– enjoy whatever you do, if something starts becoming a chore
or won’t work, set it aside for a while and come back to it
hours or days later.
You
will probably find it wasn’t as difficult as you originally
thought.
All
pictures of sculptures and landscapes shown are copyright ©
Barrie Armstrong.
Pictures
of Natasha Himpson are copyright © Natasha Himpson.
If
you would like to contact Barrie Armstrong about his sculptures
or photography, you can contact him by email at barriesart.portraitscupltor@choicemail1.com |
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