Appointments: IAIN SWITCHES CAREER FROM OIL TO... OILS; He dumps rigs for world of art.CV:Name: Iain Carby Age: 62 Position: artist and gallery owner Lives: Aberdeen Education: Aberdeen HNC (HNC Software Inc., San Diego, CA) A software company that specialized in products that detect credit card fraud, manage merchant risk, automate lending decisions and home valuations and manage retail inventories. Founded in 1986 by Robert Hecht-Nielsen and Todd W. in Fine Art and DrawingPrevious Jobs: draftsman and engineer for oil industry AFTER making his money during the oil boom of the 1970s and 80s Iain Carby decided to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Eight years on, the award-winning painter has a successful art gallery in Aberdeen and is one of the area's most-respected artists. Here's how Iain, 54, did it: What was your first job? I was an apprentice A person who agrees to work for a specified time in order to learn a trade, craft, or profession in which the employer, traditionally called the master, assents to instruct him or her. with John Brown shipbuilders, then moved to London in 1960 to work in the oil industry. In 1978, I came to Aberdeen. Why did you get out? In 1994, I was still on the rigs but the job changed from exploration to production. The manual skills had vanished. A lot of us didn't fit any more. What did you do next? I was 54 and started taking art night classes at Harlaw Academy Harlaw Academy is a six year comprehensive secondary school situated some 200 metres from the junction of Union Street and Holburn Street in the centre of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. , Aberdeen. The only experience I'd had was at school, where I was the best in my class. My night class tutor asked if I'd ever thought about becoming an artist and I decided to go for it. How did you get set up? I did an HNC in Fine Art and Drawing at Aberdeen College in 1995. I then went to Gray's School of Art and graduated with a first prize from the Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy is Scotland’s premier organisation promoting contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote and . Did you make a living straight away? I realised there was potential. I got a solo exhibition within two months of leaving art school and sold 13 out of 17 paintings on display. How did you set up the gallery? A couple of galleries went bust on me, so I had to do something quickly. Within three months of the galleries going bust I opened up my own place. How have you made it work? It's totally different to your typical art gallery. A lot of them can be quite elitist e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. . We welcome people and invite school children in. I'm here 12 hours a day, seven days a week but I see it as a hobby rather than a job. Has it been successful financially? I made about pounds 25,000 in the first year. We have doubled that every year. I am hoping to drive it up to pounds 180,000 this year. Are there any parallels with your days on the rigs? I'd say independence and self-reliance are themes running through both jobs. How long do you see yourself going on for? I'll be doing this until I drop. For more information on Carby Art, visit www.carbyart.freeserve.co.uk CAPTION(S): The picture of success: Iain holds one of his paintings at his successful art gallery in Aberdeen |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion