Interesting debate happening on Rob Ryans page right now. If you are in the UK and into design, you might have seen his signature paper cut artwork in shops and magazines. Rob is known as a paper artist but hes a designer too. He made it big thanks to his original paper cut artwork, which he would cut himself, very intricate and beautiful. He also has a special way with words. The text on his pieces read like poetry and have a vulnerable sweetness to them. I like his work a lot. I remember walking in to the gift section at John Lewis and recognizing Robs signature style (I would pop in now and then to and plot world domination via cute tableware and imagine my products on the shelves). Robs signature blossoms had been applied to ceramic plates and mugs. They looked lovely. I was like: awesome! Robs an artist who makes handmade things in the UK. Thats what I want to do, this is proof I can do it! Feeling inspired, I picked up a plate in lovely blue packaging, but quickly realized by its low price and by where it was made, that it was a licensed product. Rob was starting to license his artwork to manufacturers to produce on a more commercial scale. Nothing wrong with that. I totally get it. His popularity was growing and he had an opportunity to expand to a wider audience, not just the art-buying audience. As a designer, Im familiar with licensing, Ive done it myself, but I didnt want to do it anymore. So it was a bit of a heart sinking moment to notice I couldnt find any British made ceramics in the gift section at John Lewis. Did this mean that what I wanted to do is impossible? Over time I learned not to compare my products to what I saw in major department stores. Its apples and oranges. The way I make things in my studio today is a world apart from how John Lewis suppliers mass-manufacture their products. Rob Ryan has a foot in both worlds. He is licensing his signature style to manufacturers to mass produce notebooks and ceramics. While his paper art is intricately cut by skilled human hands in his studio and sold at high prices. But some of his Facebook followers were under the impression those human hands were always his, it turns out he has assistants who do some of the paper cutting, while Rob draws the artwork. For some paper cutting enthusiasts (and artists), the cutting of the paper is like painting. Its where the ART happens, so if the artist is not doing the cutting himself, the piece goes down in value. However, other folks feel that the artist touching the art is unimportant, Damien Hirst didnt stick all those diamonds onto that skull himself. Its the idea that matters. What do you think?
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 23:11:33 +0000
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