My name is Joel Rea and I’m a full time artist from the Gold Coast. I graduated from the Queensland College of Art and it’s been about ten years since I became a full time artist. I always drew, and through school I developed sketching and stuff like that. It wasn’t until someone made better materials available to me that I was to able to express myself through oils and paints. I didn’t really ever work out that I could make a living from my work when I was younger. I just kind of went straight from high school to university - just from the encouragement of my high school teachers to go to uni and to pursue Fine Arts. Luckily from university I found some leads to chase up by being a part of some “end of year” shows. That kind of led me into assisting at an artist-run gallery in Brisbane where i could work but also show my own work. From that exhibition I just ended up becoming a full time artist! When I first went into “business” I was pushing for more commercial work because that’s where I thought I could make enough to live but really it was the opposite, by that I mean actually working for myself, hosting galleries and collaborating with other arts for bigger shows. I soon realised that, for me, commercial dealings and “the big bucks” was the driest area of work and way to make money. I really wanted to get into painting for magazines and things like that but that was slowly becoming a thin market. I realise now, what I learnt after uni, is that I can just hang a painting on the wall and someone will say yes or no. I always avoid relevance in my painting, I think that’s important in my work. I definitely try keep it away from anything that’s going on and I think that’s what can make it universally appreciated and valued. Im always trying to outdo my last painting, and really want to keep evolving my art. My favourite things as an artist in my field are getting the opportunity to work with awesome people in their field of work. People such as Ray Meagher from Home and Away - he plays Alf Stewart - and more recently I did a portrait of Chris Hemsworth from Thor. That sort of work is something I’m really looking forward to in the future. It was cool because they will give you some time to take photos and direct them around, it’s pretty crazy, I never really thought I’d be directing around famous artists to paint these portraits. In the end my work is in my mind, still work. I think my job is like anybody else’s; I work a 9-5 style shift every day. I just walk into my backyard where my studio is, but with the mentality that if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Money is important, I think money gives you freedom (unfortunately) and at the end of the day, food and shelter gives you the safety you need to feel comfortable enough to make art. I think the best tip I can give to any aspiring artist is to be good at one thing. It’s like making a product I guess, you have to work at it until it is right enough to sell and is desirable in someone’s mind. I always tend to look at my work as someone who has just walked into a room and sees my painting for the first time, if I want to take it home I know I have done a good job.
ww.joelrea.com.au