I have a solo show coming up in November and I have been thinking about what I want to show. Sooner or later I think I will want to take Colin out of the ether and make the project manifest in some sort of physical form. Maybe not yet.
Colin of Alaska was born, indirectly, to satisfy the desperate need to create something whilst I am away from my studio. I’m certainly not bored and I have plenty to occupy me, but that need became all consuming. Weird. It did diminish the longing to an extent, but maybe like an addict I was already thinking where the next fix might come from. I am happy with the project as it stands, as an ongoing thing, as an experiment, and for the other things I set out. I am also thoroughly enjoying writing this blog: it really is working as a catalyst for me.
Some people would say that as an artist I could always pick up a pencil and paper and draw. That is true, except that I don’t work like that. Drawing is fundamental to my practice, and figures heavily in my work, plus I always have my notebook at hand. I tried going out with a sketchbook to draw what I saw – a very, very long time ago – and it just seemed largely pointless.
So, another development for me is using some of the things I have found around me here, things which have inspired me. For example, over the course of several days I unearthed some sheep bones which had been buried under the stone kitchen floor. I will be using those.
Colin of Alaska’s blog is at http://colinofalaska.blogspot.com