Jeremy Deller

The relationship between an artist and a collector can take many forms. Often it is a power trip by the collector that shows when you visit his house/museum/mausoleum. For others it is an uncontrollable extension of their business life of speculation and accumulation. For some, though, it is about a love of art and the people that try to make it. Andy Stillpass is an art lover, and he is my biggest collector (I think), in so far as he has at least two of my works. This photo shows a work in progress— I am tutoring Andy in making art with the hope that he will produce his own work as well as buy other people's. They say the camera never lies, but in this photo there are a few discrepancies; contrary to appearances, neither of us is naked. Second, Andy is looking like an attentive student, which is not entirely the case. Our correspondence course is by its nature long distance; once a year we meet up, and I look at the work that he hasn't done.