Worth mentioning.
The Arts Council England on the subject (pdf doc):
ICM conducted a survey of 992 arts and culture organisations to understand the impact of EU exit on their businesses. The survey offers new detail on issues including:
- 64% of organisations currently work inside the European Union, with ‘touring exhibitions’ and ‘sending UK artists abroad’ being the most popular types of activity.
- 40% need to regularly move equipment and objects between the UK and the EU.
- Nearly half believe it is important to their organisation that both EU and UK citizens can work at short notice in either jurisdiction for short periods.
- A third of organisations employ EU nationals, however this rises to over half in art forms such as Dance
The vast majority (89%) of organisations reported that artistic development was the most important reason for working across borders.
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/impact-brexit-arts-and-culture-sector-2018
So what do the artists who are not involved in CGI, orchestras, etc. think of all this? Well, it seems that we have two camps -artists ion favour or Brexit to create “true British art” and those who feel it is important to be creative in Europe. There are the Face Book pro and con groups and the rallying call to stand up to the ‘bullying of pro-Brexit/anti-Brexit factions.
Yes, those people who have nothing better to do with their lives than stencil ‘street art’ onto canvas and call it a masterpiece…or someone who is so bad at art that they cannot draw a bunch of bananas but “it IS art!” Stroke the beard Princess.
We have the “artists” taking a stand against Brexit: Artists Respond to Brexit
https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/artists-respond-to-brexit-its-important-to-make-a-stand-to-be-direct/
The pro-Brexit group seem to be people with massive egoes and little talent (well, that applies to both camps really) but who see isolation as their opportunity to become a “British iconic artist”.
Mia Frostner -Rosalie Schweiker
Mia Frostner -Rosalie Schweiker
Then you have the British Nazi Nationalist Party (BNP -who I am NOT giving a link to) supporting creative artists like the Who singer Roger Daltrey and their pro-Brexit stance. Oh yeah, you thought the comics SJW-Anti SJW foppery was over the top, silly and childish!
I do apologies but I had to go and change my trousers. The BNP taking the moral high ground… hahahaha…need to go change my trousers again now…and Roger Daltrey always was a Conservative arschloch anyway.
Anyway, for those pro Brexit:
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/artists-for-brexit/21132#.Ww_0z9QrJko
Oh, and if I wet myself over that BNP crap this made me collapse from lack of oxygen -lungs couldn’t work as I was laughing too much!
I am sorry but…”Artists FOR Brexit”…bwahahaha.. “needs a graphic designer”…bwahahahahaha. Do you not see the irony in that? Seriously?
Odeith -Upfest
Now I have absolutely no interest in the multi-millionaire music stars, TV or film actors (we all know who they are) who call for the NHS to be nationalised, break free of Europe and all the rest of the bull-shit because they ALL live in the United States or other parts of the world and only return to the UK for work and fleeting visits. Screw them. They don’t live here but they do love all the benefits when they get back here. Daltrey, Michael Caine 😛
I have read and watched and listened to all the tripe today about How “creatives in the arts” will be affected by Brexit. “Creatives in the arts” are, apparently, CGI companies who work on Hollywood movies and employ a lot of EU people, big orchestras and -this really angered the BBC- the BBC!!! Perhaps if the BBC had remained unbiased in its reporting and leaning heavily into the Pro Brexit camp (someone was obviously getting a pay-off) it would not see its “millions” under threat from having to complete lots of new paperwork, apply for licences and so on. BBC…tough tits.
There was a trendy hipster artist -I use that title out of politeness- who drew like a nursery school pupil who I think was having an orgasm while looking at his own work (no one pointed out that the hat on his head was 4 times too small but Princess moved on).
I mean, what about real artists -well the ones who are good were probably too busy working to pose around. Sculptors and Fine Artists have no idea how to draw crudely in Crayola crayons and jump up and down shouting “Look what I did! It’s a masterpiece!”
Now I did look but I could not find any really good pro Brexit art by UK artists. Plenty of good art on the subject by European artists but not British artists.
Absolutely nowhere was there even a mention of UK comic creators. 19th century US publishers were, apparently, inspired by the UK comics to produce their own -they were also heavily influenced by German creators such as Busch. Well over 100 years of British comics (until the UK industry died) but what else did UK comic creators do? Killing Joke, Watchmen…two examples there but more importantly UK creators saved the US comic scene because in the 1980s it was going down the tubes and that is a fact that can be backed up by many reference works. Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons…I mean, do I need to draw up a list?
I could also point out that work by UK comic creators is reprinted around the globe -SE Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia -well, where ever there are comics there is work by Brits. Anyone heard of Marl Millar? Comics, TV -movies? No.
You see, the UK is a nasty little spot for anyone who really creates art -works at a drawing board or types scripts and synopses every day for hours on end in the hope of trying to make some money. Most give up and that’s okay for the media because it helps them ignore comics -unless you mention the walkiing dead Dandy and Beano because, after all, those are the only comics most of the middle class media twats have ever heard of or read. For them the ONLY comics to have ever existed in the UK.
People who do real art and people who write and draw comics are never even thought about when there is talk of “creative media artists” because we only draw comics, right? The real creative media artists have well paid jobs with orchestra, big CGI companies and so on.
I recall when the Dandy or Beano had some anniversary a few years back I was contacted by BBC Radio Bristol who were “doing a feature on comics in the UK” and they asked whether I’d like to take part? Well I did. I got to the studio and was immediately asked by the show producer (in a cramped little cupboard they called the “studio suite” where guests waited) if I could draw a comic strip quickly featuring the studio before I was in the studio “in about five minutes”. I pointed out that I had not been told I was going there for anything other than to be interviewed on comics -I had no paper or pencils and, beside, “It takes more than a few minutes to draw a studio and likenesses of the people in it”. Someone handed me a biro and an A5 notepad because, yeah, that’s what us artists all draw on, right? I never even had my glasses so I drew a picture of me looking downright miserable. They were content with that. I say no more.
Once in the studio I was introduced “Terry Hooper who runs Europe’s biggest Independent publishing house specialising in comics” I thought this could be interesting until…”So this anniversary of the Dandy. Big event, isn’t it? How is the comics industry celebrating?”
W…T…F???
I pointed out that I was told this was part of a feature on UK comics? “Yes, the Dandy anniversary”. So I looked at him and replied: “The Dandy has no real relevance or importance these days. Independent comics have higher sales and I should think that for 98% of anyone involved in comics creation the anniversary has no real significance. Independent comic creators and their comics have more relevance to people today”.
He squirmed slightly but HE was the presenter “But Lord snooty is iconic, right?” I pointed out that a strip about a titled kid who slummed it with the lower classes was not really iconic. So he continued: “We invited Kev Sutherland and (two other names I forget) to come in and chat about the anniversary today but they were busy so we contacted you—” I simply stared silently . A brief silence as he looked out at his producer. I responded: “The fact that those people were ‘too busy’ to come here shows how significant an event this is. Independent comics are –” at which point he interrupted about ‘sadly’ having to stop there but it was great looking at a big tradition like the Dandy.
He was not happy. The producer was not happy but one look at my expression prevented his venting his opinion. I pointed out that I had lost three hours of my day travelling to and from the studio and waiting for a five minute chat that had nothing to do with any “feature on UK comics”. He blathered and I walked out but turned to point out that BBC Radio Bristol was now on my black list. Local BBC TV had been black-listed before as had the BBCs Natural History Unit (less unit more “mess”) simply for misrepresenting things and time wasting and above all NOT paying me when they were supposed to (“was anything in writing?”).
If you were in, say, France, and asked to take part in a feature on French comics I doubt very much the sole comic mentioned would be Pilote!
The whole Brexit for “creatives” are just fairly well paid musicians and technicians (and the BBC of course) and how they might lose money. Oh and the hipster who got an art degree from Armpit College of Art for their two toothbrushes stuck to a piece of card (titled “Decadence” no doubt).
Why do comic creators such as Tommy Ross quit? Why is it that creators such as David Gordon or Paul Ashley Brown produce great work yet cannot make a living from it? Proper comic/graphic illustrators who work hard but are not trendy hipster princesses stroking their beards while explaining how their cutting and pasting stuff or stencil and spray painting something on a wall or even drawing like a kindergarten pupil is “cutting edge. Visceral (they love that word)”.
UK is dead for comic creatives and there are only three avenues out. One is for an overseas entrepreneur to invest in a UK comic publishing business. The second is the United States -good luck with that. The third is Europe but the problem has always been “they don’t speak English”. Creatives limiting themselves through basic ignorance is….no excuse.
But will the Media realise comics are made by artistic creatives? Yes they will -on the day Britney Spears kidnaps me to use as a sex slave.
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who paid us a visit at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this month. We hope it was as much fun for you all as it was for us. Thank you, merci !
Comic Bits 20 