'Artists can endure, abide, and survive creatively despite criticism, rejection, popular trends, war, poverty, Covid-19…even madness! Look at Van Gogh. Such resilience in the face of so many obstacles!'
The multi-talented Nick Stathopoulos has worked in many creative industries, including animation, film, book publishing and television. Based in Sydney, Nick produces hyper-real paintings, of landscapes, his toy collection and people. His portraits have received acclaim in prestigious national and international prize exhibitions.
Where is your current studio? What would be your dream studio?
I share a studio with three other artists in North Sydney. It’s currently a large temporary space on the ground floor of an office building, but there’s a small glass cubicle that is more permanent inside the atrium of the building.
Due to the temporary nature of the space, it’s not personalised other than my ever-growing tsunami of debris as I work. (Everyone else is so neat, and contained.) But it’s a work space. I treat it like a 9 to 5 job.
I’d love a permanent space where I could house all my art books and massive toy collection and have lots of room for big paintings. There would be different zones; for sculpting, for drawing, for model making, for book-browsing.
(By sheer coincidence I’m watching a live stream tour of Tony DiTerlizzi’s studio…he has an Elton John Pinball Wizard pinball machine! The space is huge and full of toys and cool stuff. I have studio envy.)
Do you prefer to work in silence or does certain music inspire you?
I’ve always worked to music. It sets up the right head-space and gets me into that alpha-state fast. I listen to movie soundtracks and lots of instrumental and ambient music:. Eno, Bowie, Jean Michel Jarre…I go through phases.
I’m listening to a lot of Philip Glass at the moment. I have a couple of ‘go-to’ scores, "Star Trek II - Wrath Of Khan"…a strange SF Vampire Western called “Priest”, “The Empire Strikes Back”, “Lawrence of Arabia”. Lots actually.
Studio life can lead to isolation, how do you address this/ keep a balance?
See answer 1: For all my working life I've worked alone…except when I worked for Hanna Barbera in the 80’s. I was a bit of a shut in. Totally isolated. It was starting to become an issue. I was becoming quite agoraphobic.
But then I moved into a shared space organised by artist Kathrin Longhurst, and it got me out of the house, and I met a whole bunch of artists, which really expanded my world.
However, considering current events, shifting back to my home studio might not be such a bad idea.
Describe a moment you had an epiphany concerning your creative life.
Yeah…after my first heart attack in 1997. I was 37. I realised how tenuous and fleeting life might be for me. I quit my job art-directing a computer game company and slowly reinvented myself as a fine artist.
I also began writing some film scripts that I always promised myself I’d write one day. Suddenly it was that day.
What is your favourite/ least favourite part of the creative process?
Favourite: When the grunt work is done, and you can assess the work and do that lovely tonal adjusting and detailing. That final moment when you put the brush down (usually because of a deadline) step back and hopefully it’s better than anything you originally conceived. That’s a great feeling.
Least: Dealing with any paperwork. There’s a period early in a painting’s life where everything looks crap…but when you realise that the entire process is an act of correction, then you accept that it’s just a matter of time and effort.
Do you have a personal mantra or quote which serves to motivate you? Not as such. But creative jealously is always good for motivation. Paying bills is another. I do say to people who ask about process, “It’s not an act of creation, it's an act of correction”.
How has your style evolved and what contributed to the changes?
I think as I get older, I'm becoming progressively more obsessive compulsive. Most artists loosen up as they age. Me, I’m getting tighter and tighter. I’m completely aware of it, and yet I can’t let go.
I do paint a lot of different subjects in various styles, which is considered a no-no by a lot of galleries.
Describe an obstacle you have faced and how did you overcome it.
Parental guilt. Meaning my parents wanted me to follow one career path, but me…I only ever had one deeply ingrained unalterable destiny. I overcame it by satisfying them first. Then I was free to follow my heart.
Nature versus nurture- do you believe you have inherited abilities from creative parents, do you have creative siblings? Can you identify environmental factors or influences which led to your choices or directions?
No. I have no creative antecedents. I’m self-taught. I was deeply influenced by the television of my childhood. From an early age I wanted to make films, work in animation, create models, and puppets, but most of all I wanted to be an artist.
I often wonder what kind of career might have had, or art I’d be producing if I had gone to art school. My sister is a drama teacher and directs plays and is a gifted singer, but that’s creative in a different way to me.
Is there something you regard as essential to your preparation or process?
I try and work it out as much as possible before I start a painting. That probably stems from the fact that I hate making corrections after I’ve painted something.
I make extensive sketches, and explore various compositions and colours in Photoshop. Then I create a comprehensive layout. It still allows for alterations as I’m working.
Detail a moment which was the highlight for you, thus far. In 1990 I won a TV award for a show I art directed and production designed. I thought that was going to be the start of a brilliant career in that line of work…but nothing eventuated. I guess there are a bunch of little things that add up to something bigger, more tangible. I’ve been hung in a number of art exhibitions…the British Portrait Prize (BP) and the Archibald particularly. My partner Adrian and I travelled over to the UK for the BP in 2015. Winning the Archibald ‘People’s Choice’ in 2016 with my portrait of Sudanese refugee lawyer Deng Adut brought me a certain amount of exposure. In 2017 I was a featured artist in a FoxtelArts series about the Archibald prize, but despite some overseas travel involving a fabulous celebrity sitter, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience. How does your work respond to social trends? Mmmm….not at all really. I know my style of work is unpopular with critics and even some artists. People look at my work and often go, “It looks like a photo…what’s the point?” Of course, superficially it might look photographic–certainly realistic–but when compared with an actual photo of the subject, it becomes clear how far removed from photography the painting really is. The current trend is for work to look unfinished…very raw. Look at the winner of the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize. Extremely under-cooked. My work is the antithesis of this trend.
What do you hope to convey through your work? Oh, this one’s easy: How abso-fucking-lutley brilliant I am! (I just puked a little bit in my mouth.) I’m having trouble taking this question seriously. You might have to delete it. You do want people to be emotionally engaged with the work. I’ve witnessed grown men weeping over my work. That’s an astonishing thing…that paint and canvas has the power to do that. I know when I see some finalist entries I want to cry. Follow Nick!
@nickstahart