STUDIO SPECIAL
EFFORT Painter Chris Griffin, another
member of the co-operative, agrees: “Anybody else thinking about doing the same thing would need somebody with that background because artists tend not to be so good at the administration side of things.” Chris joined the group eight years
ago, when one of the founding members moved abroad. “I’m the only newcomer in 12 years – that’s how valuable the studios are,” he says. “I used to work from home and it was great to make the switch to going off to work in the studio. Your whole mentality changes, you don’t stop for a cup of tea because you’re in a working environment. It’s great to have a space that you can come to at any time, evening or morning or whatever, and it’s secure and warm and exactly as you left it – it’s like a little bolthole.” Another bonus about the co-
operative set up is the opportunity to
interact with other artists. “Within the building, regardless of whether you like each other’s work or not, you always respect it and give each other encouragement,” says Chris. “We all have specialities that we can
lend to each other,” adds Anthony. “There’s lots of things we give to each other – it’s a barter system.” In addition to helping each other
with everything from feedback to framing and IT, the artists will all collaborate on exhibitions. The Oriel Canfas exhibition space is available to members of the co-operative to use throughout the year, with a 10% commission charge on any work sold that helps to pay for the upkeep of the building. Non-members can book the space for the slightly higher 30% commission rate. Another founding member, sculptor
Alun Hemming, makes regular use of the exhibition space. “Having the
TOP, FROM LEFT Co-operative members Alun Hemming, Chris Griffin and Anthony Evans in their Oriel Canfas studios
gallery is really the important factor for me,” he says. “The gallery doesn’t have to make money so it doesn’t have to show work that is sellable – which means we tend to exhibit challenging work. A lot of galleries wouldn’t have that luxury.” It took a lot of funding to get it off
the ground, but Oriel Canfas is now entirely self-supporting, with members paying rent based on the square footage of their studios. The group comes together regularly
for meetings to discuss the running of the building, and all decisions are made democratically. Looking towards the future, all of the members are keen to share their experiences with other groups of artists looking to set up similar studios. “We’ve got a model constitution
that we sell on to others for £1,” says Anthony. “We’re here to help any artists’ group that wants to set up something similar, and we hope that by appearing in Artists & Illustrators we may get to meet other co-operatives in other parts of the UK.” Visit the Oriel Canfas Gallery at 44A Glamorgan Street, Canton, Cardiff.
www.orielcanfas.co.uk
Artists & Illustrators 43
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