Keeping It Going

‘All the long gone darlings …’
Sylvia Plath

Collecting and the consequent sorting process continues to be an integral part of my creative work and the various pieces, created as part of the Nana’s Colours series were developed purely through this process.

I’m always excited when new ideas start to emerge in this way; and adding new pieces develops the creative work even further. I’m more discerning than I used to be, but that doesn’t stop me from continuing to find and introduce new items to my collection, a collection made up of so many different pieces; from swatches of fabric, debris from the streets and beaches, magazine cuttings, family photos, small mementoes of people from my past – all manner of things that for many different reasons, have caught my eye. Any collector will identify I’m sure, with the excitement associated with finding something ‘special’ – however much that might be open to personal interpretation.

Letting go plays a key part in the sorting process – it’s as important to let go of certain objects as it is to hold onto them at times, making way for fresh ideas and inspiration, not to mention creating actual physical space to house the things you really want to hold onto.

I’ve finally got round to making space in my home to accommodate the more precious objects from my collection. These are the things that I felt unable to leave in my friend’s garage or in my new studio, following the massive move I made at the start of the year. Small, precious things, snaffled up at the last minute, wrapped in newspaper and laid carefully in boxes in order to transport them home.

Organisation is key; I like to be able to put my hand to specific objects, if and when I need them – either for a particular piece of work or simply, to reacquaint myself and derive pleasure from seeing and handling them again. Sentimental objects, especially, belonging to people I have loved – ‘all the long gone darlings’ to quote Sylvia Plath from her extraordinary poem, ‘All the Dead Dears.’

I found a bag of unused soap bars in one of my recent searches, carefully preserved in tissue paper and nestled in the corner of a vanity case which had belonged to my Nana. A recent piece of work ‘Five Summers Without You’ came out of this find, made in response to the anniversary of my Nana’s death in September 2010. I selected five soaps to represent the number of summers that have passed since my Nana died – the number of summers we have been without her and the number of summers in which we have no longer bought soap for her birthday. The scent of the soaps takes me right back to being with her, close to her – especially as a child, cuddled up right next to her – sweetly fragrant. The evocative nature of floral scents and perfumes – lily of the valley, freesias, magnolia and roses all come to mind.

There is so much more to explore through delving into the past lives of such ‘long gone darlings’ and bearing in mind that death has had such a strong presence in my life this past year, to do so will require a substantial amount of time and patience. As things stand, I’m unsure about just how much background I want to continue to divulge about the work I make. It’s the subject for a whole other blog post, but it’s a thought I keep returning to. Time will tell, I suppose how this all pans out.

In the meantime, it’s all about getting on with making the work – keeping it going, crucially.