MD: What was it like to win the DE first prize?

GC: It was absolutely thrilling because I'm 55; when you're young, you do lots of shows, you're young and emerging, you're kind of excited, the media are interested. Then there's your 30s and 40s and the copy is "Oh you're still here", the usual suspects, that sort of thing. And then to suddenly win a prize having not won a prize for nearly 30 years!

I suddenly thought and all my friends and students thought "He can still do it, he can still do it". It's other people thinking that you're good. It proves your stock. It does you no harm whatsoever and, let's face it, as an artist, yes you've got kids and mortgages and all the usual sort of stuff, but for me, selling the work means that I can buy more time to make more work and better work.

I'm like a simple one man business where I make the money and I plough it back.

MD: Is it correct you had a total of 5 or 6 works selected by a number of the selectors?

GC: Yes, 2 of the selectors wanted me. Anita Taylor was one of them and Mark Lawson. It doesn't get any better, does it? I have worked with Anita on and off in education and she's a very very rare mix. A lot of people may paint and a lot of people teach and a lot of people try to do both. But if I'm honest, from where I'm standing, Anita is one of those people who manages to actually do both very, very well. So the peer group approval, or esteem was excellent. And then what was a delight was to have Mark Lawson select me - I know who he is, but he doesn't know who I am although he might know my paintings. And I thought that that was terrific.

MD: Am I right in thinking that most of your works sold?

GC: Yes, I got one back! So I saved £20 on the lorry! A lot of people say to me "Oh Graham, I'm surprised you teach. We thought you sold thousands and thousands of pounds worth of paintings a week." Of course I don't. That's not how it is. It might be like that for one or two people in Britain or Europe, but for most of us; I have a day job. I work for the Royal College of Art, I'm a Professor of Painting and I don't think you have to be told that it's a fairly demanding and also very, very important job.

 

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