In the business spreading an artistic empire

Jun 29 2009 by Chris Knox, The Journal

THE Art Works gallery has allowed many of the region's aspiring North East artists to reach a wider public. Christopher Knox caught up with its director Matt Forster, a painter with an entrepreneurial streak.

He also has the backing of investors Chris Thompson, chief executive of Gateshead-based Express Engineering and Alan Clark, a business angel who is part of North East-based Business Investors Group, who have together invested £70,000 in the brand, a figure that has been match by the North East Equity Matching Fund, run by One North East.

The cash has allowed Forster to plan worldwide tours of his work, which include a trip to New York in February next year through UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export scheme, as well as this year’s Affordable Art Fair in London between October 22 and 25.

The funding has also helped him with his current project ÜberBritain, a series of 16 large paintings of British landscapes, from the Scottish Borders down to the South Coast.

He intends to tour the world with the paintings as well as sell smaller original versions along the way.

He said: “As far as I know, nobody has sold paintings in this way. In this sense the paintings are very much treated as products, and I’m not ashamed to treat them in this way.”

“Although it is a very creative process, it is also a business and one which has masses of potential around the world.

“The plan is that this will feed back into the Art Works back in Newcastle and provide it with more publicity around the world.

“The best piece of business advice I ever received was if you get the chance to take things to the next level, you’ve got to take it, which is exactly what I intend to do.”

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