My Story. Guy Portelli

I am a great believer in ' time and place' and this was it.
 
My name is Guy Portelli and I am a professional sculptor. It is not an easy profession to make a living as a sculptor, as the work is very time consuming and the materials are expensive. The only way to get the best price for your work is via the galleries who have huge overheads and marketing expenses. However, I feel that this is a profession that can both accommodate and facilitate growth, and will be the art form of our time, surpass film and advertising as the most recent creative innovations. Fortunately for me, it is a profession that has come back into fashion, especially after being in the shadow of painting for so many years.
 
When I was at college in 1976 I created a cellist out of an old chair and I realised that some of the intensity of music was captured within the work. The fusion of art music, fashion and politics became my creative oeuvre, and importantly one that had been overlooked by other artists. Since embarking on this project, I have broadened the  remit, by going back to the forties with the Frank Sinatra piece, and trying to get a better balance of UK and USA  artists.  The whole project has now got a concept, and a more international foundation to build on with a  diverse cultural base.
 
 My dilemma was how to bring a project that I knew would attract the media and public attention into the public domain, and the Dragons Den was my opportunity to get the funding and publicity , and a high profile  guest list from a single source. 
 
Leading up the Dragons Den is a real learning curve, the analysis of the business plan  the strategy , and the pressure of a TV appearance, compound themselves at  a crossroads at which you know will have a profound effect on your future career , for better or worse.
 
I had selected my priorities at the outset regarding which of the Dragons I felt I could work with, and to be honest came out with my dream team.
 
Hopefully we are all enjoying this mystery tour which will culminate in a major exhibition in 2009 at the Mall Galleries in London.

Watch Guy present his collection and pitch for investment in the Den...