University of Kent

I have just finished the triptych and I am pretty pleased with it. However, a comment from a friend has left me concerned. She felt it would not look out of place in a shop! The hours that have gone into making a smooth surface, the process behind the accreted wax – all for a commercial bit of work. Is it wrong to be making work that appears to be commercial? I cannot seem to escape the dreaded C word. I forwarded the image to a friend who told me to look up Freud’s Instincts and their vissitudes. Very interesting reading and quite appropriate. He even describes instinct as lava flowing – the initial layer dictating the behaviour of subsequent layers. I have been making two large stretchers today. And while the glue has been drying I have been covering the paper in my sketch book with wax and burning it. It is interesting how paper behaves with a coating of wax. I think I will be doing some mono-prints tomorrow. Last week I visited the home of a prolific collector of 1950s abstract expressionist paintings, medieval sculpture and some beautiful bronzes. It was interesting to see how he curated his collection in his medieval farmhouse. The work was stunning and vibran, full of energy and life. On piece by Bram Bogart was so heavy it had to be hung by taking a brick from the exterior of the house and inserting steel rods into the wall. The painting (made on a steel frame and painted in concrete) took three men to lift it! His knowledge was extensive and impressive. He no longer takes advice from an expert, instead he has educated himself and is now an expert himself. I will take the ‘commercial’ work into college tomorrow and see what my fellow students have to say. Attached is the final piece for you to see. Sorry about the chintzy curtains in the background!