Creative Currents: Blair Hoets
A lot of us wish we were more talented with a pen, a brush, a pastel – but for those of us hopeless in our attempts, we can turn our attention to exceptional artists around us. Blair Hoets is one such talent. Yo, Vocal had a chat to him and he sheds light on what it takes to be an artist, what inspires him, and how he communicates a vision though his work. Get to know Blair through our Q&A.
What inspires your art? How do you come up with subjects?
As an artist, the subject matter of my work is primarily inspired by what makes up our natural world, with a focus on organically occurring motifs, forms, and patterns. For example, the braids that occur in rivers as water navigates its way past soil and loose rock, or the ever-changing shapes of clouds. I’ve been described as rather observant with my surroundings; it seems my eye is drawn to natural subjects that have certain innate formal attributes that I view as rhythmic or enthralling. My Droop series was inspired by a Chamaecyparis tree I walked past daily whilst completing my BA/BFA at Canterbury University. Its limbs and palms cascaded down in such an alluring way resembling waterfalls tumbling down rock faces. When finding subjects, I focus on their formal characteristics and abstract them to elevate their features.
What do you hope people to take away from your art?
I like to focus on natural surroundings, and I am concerned for the natural world itself; a concern I’m sure many others share. In my Circulations series, I am making visible the currents of our oceans that regulate our atmosphere, transporting energy and nutrients around our globe – currents that have remained unchanged and balanced, for now. By making visible what we can’t see immediately, it reconnects the audience with an element of Earth’s ecosystem. When talking about our oceans, it resonates ideas of omissions, consequences of consumerist habits, treatment of natural resources, social movements, and politics. It is my hope that my work can encourage critical engagement amongst the audience to share perspectives about current matters that involve all of us.
Where/what has been the place/piece you’ve felt the most privileged to work on?
I think the piece I’ve felt most privileged to work on is Shingle Creek. At the time of working on this charcoal drawing, New Zealand was at Alert Level 4. I felt privileged in the sense that I live in a country where politicians have been willing to acknowledge and respond to Covid-19 in a responsible way; privileged that I had a line of work that didn’t rely on human interaction or resources outside my front door, and privileged that I had a productive outlet to support me mentally and emotionally during a time of isolation. I remember happily drawing this piece listening to podcasts updating me about the US or Brazil and thinking I was living in a bubble-wrapped paradise in comparison.
What does creativity mean to you? Why is it so important?
The actualisation of creativity is without limit. Creativity can be high concept and technically skilful, or loose and playful with no story; it’s any exploration of any idea through any medium from anyone. For me to be creative in building a body of work means weeks or months of mulling over ideas, subject matters, different modes of representation; and really thinking about the use of materials, colours, scale; as well as themes and narratives and how they can allude or comment on real-world contexts. If one can use all the elements of an artwork insightfully, the work can accomplish a real effect on the viewer. It can repulse, challenge, delight, and convey ideas impactfully to have true social utility.
Where do you hope this passion leads?
Like any artist, I hope to be able to spend copious amounts of time doing what I love and am trained to do. That is progressing my practice, pushing ideas and refining my style. In creating art and building an audience, it ignites conversations and creates a relationship with like-minded people, a social aspect I love. I guess what I value most about my line of work is the ability to create a space where critical conversation can thrive, where people can share opinions and views, allowing ideas to bounce around. This is what I hope to continue and grow as more people engage with my work, and other artists’ work as well.
How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as grounded in the natural world. I focus on reducing, abstracting and repeating certain formal elements of the subject to produce a work that I deem visually pleasing and topically relevant. My work is often monochromatic and highly detail-oriented, which involves a lot of labour. I gravitate towards the medium of charcoal as I love how varied it can be in its mark making, as well as the range of tone from deep darks to exposed white paper. My style is multifaceted in the sense that it can be viewed either purely for its visual qualities, or for its social commentary as well. For example, my Circulations series focuses primarily on the direction and movement of line but also represents the entire natural mixing cycle of the world’s ocean. As ice caps melt and release fresh water into the ocean, the composition of sea water becomes unbalanced. Some scientists theorise this will slow down the current to the detriment of global weather patterns.
‘The Odds are Stacked Against Us’ by Blair Hoets.
What’s a challenge you’ve faced with art, and how does it help you overcome other challenges?
Somewhere along the process of creating a body of work, ideas can lead to dead ends, and a creative block can set in, and all momentum is halted. This is something that I’ve found quite challenging to push through. Before I came to my concept for the Circulations series, I spent months working through different ideas, experimenting with a variety of mediums and subject matters only to be met with unsuccessful works and a creative block. The due date was slowly creeping closer, and I had to refrain from panic and complete disarray for more than a few hours. I learnt that when working through periods of slow progress, being patient with the process was important; assuring myself that success often comes after numerous preliminary failures. I learnt to be persistent, grind through, resist throwing in the towel, and know when to start afresh.
Tell us about one particular piece of art you’ve created and the story behind it?
The odds are stacked against us is a piece that references time, balance, pressure, and fragility. This drawing developed into an appreciation for the long and slow processes that create strangely beautiful rock formations like Otago’s Moeraki boulders, West Coast’s Punakaiki pancake rocks, and Elephant rock in Taranaki. It alludes to geological processes that shape and move the Earth and acknowledges the compromising position our land is in. The separate rocks resting on one another refer to the changing eras recognised in Earth’s history, reinstating the magnitude of time that allowed such vibrant, diverse life, but also acknowledging the vulnerability of such ecosystems. The notion of the odds being stacked against us refers to the power structures of politics that are sometimes unwilling to prioritise environmental issues. What will be the next climatic era, and how will it weigh upon our conscious?
‘Untitled Blue Planet’ by Blair Hoets.
How can people find out more about your work?
Online, you can always visit my website, which has all of my works with descriptions for more context, or I’ve found Instagram to be a great mode of seeing what an artist is up to. It’s a very visual website, and one can keep up to date with upcoming exhibitions and developments in an artist’s practice. Also, publications much like Yo Vocal provide an ideal opportunity to read more in-depth about themes around an artist’s practice. So, thank you for this platform to convey my ideas and work to your readers.