Samuel
Cheeseman
1.Welcome Samuel to The Influx Gallery family. Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from?
Thank you, Jack. It's great to be here. I am an experimental artist and engineer, primarily working with metal and wood. I live and work in Hayling Island, situated on the south coast of England.
2. Were your family supportive of you deciding to become an artist?
Very much so, right from the beginning, they were very encouraging towards my creativity and helped enormously when I wanted to become self-employed and work from home to further cement my career as an artist, both financially and emotionally.
3. Was there anything specific that you can remember that made you want to become an artist?
Probably being around my late father's creations, he was a hobbyist watercolour artist and cabinet maker.
4. Did your schooling or work affect your creative development in any way?
Yes, both had an effect, and both were positive. I had very encouraging art and technical drawing teachers at school and learned a lot from some very talented engineers at work, along with a wide variety of contracts and manufacturing processes.
5. When did you first discover the ability to create art?
I took a technical drawing class at school and later continued with it in college, where I also learned to work with the airbrush.
6. We love your usage of different materials that constitutes your work. Can you explain how this process evolved?
Thank you. I would attribute that to initially using my late father's woodturning lathe during my teenage years. Later in life, I worked as a metal spinner, where the job involved shaping sheet metal on a lathe using wooden moulds to create cylindrical forms. It seemed a natural progression to marry the two. It was only in the last year or two that I started experimenting further by incorporating gemstone settings to adorn my pieces. Additionally, I discovered a dense acrylic material commonly used for kitchen worktops, which I shape in a similar manner to solid metal. My passion for colour has also led me to explore airbrush painting further with custom colour mixing, techniques, and spray finishes.
7.Could you give us a little teaser as to the process that helps you create such fabulous artworks?
They usually start with a rough pencil sketch that leads to a few maquettes, then onto workshop drawings and full-size prototypes. I also allow my ideas to mature for a while to ensure I'm heading in the right direction or to let new, better ideas emerge.
8. Where do you get your inspiration and influences from?
It can come from many sources, such as mother nature, the cosmos, sacred geometry, or even from a past creative failure or process I've witnessed. It can be inspired by something as simple as the pattern on a toilet roll, the grain of the wood I’m using, or a custom colour I have mixed, or a paint experiment I've used. I also find inspiration just by being in my workshop in the garden, surrounded by machinery, the beautiful materials, and the music vibes.
9. Do you have any tips for any aspiring artist creating for the first time?
Find out what exactly it is that excites you. Never be afraid of failure; it's integral to the learning process and enjoy the journey, as it may lead to something fantastic and unknown to you right now.
10. How long does it take you to finish a piece?
It can vary depending on the complexity of the piece and the success of the various maquettes and prototypes. Wood, with its natural movement, needs to be accounted for, and sourcing materials from different countries can add time to the process.
11.Thanks a lot for your valuable time and interest. You can include any other details you want to talk about here?
Thank you, and you're welcome. It's been a great experience. I am very much looking forward to working with you and further developing new ideas and processes to create more pieces. My newest fascination with gemstones and jewellery design is leading me towards working with glass and precious metals soon, adding them to the other mediums I currently use.