The painting has gone about as far as it (I) can go. I hope I have not bored anyone with my commentary on its progress. Anthony Boswell's comment below about the painting ‘living in two different places' was absolutely to the point. It put me in a position where I can see what is there in a different light. One of the uses of this site it seems to me is precisely that someone might point to (my) work and suggest a perspective that was not previously apparent. I have however a strong sense of insecurity and ambivalence about putting work and words on-line. I like writing the stuff, but sometimes I have to force myself to publish what I have written because it seems cowardly not to. I may be mistaken, but I feel sometimes as I read that there is an undercurrent of unease. In part it revolves around a fear of ‘intellectualising'. I think we are afraid if being accused of intellectual posturing (or perhaps it is just me). As a teacher I was aware of the damage that was done by an anti-intellectual culture amongst children. The term ‘Boffin' was one that no children wanted to be applied to them. The damage is done early and lives with us.
But words are simply another raw material. I think we should be prepared to unselfconsciously thrash around with them a bit more. Anthony in his comment noted that his intention was not ‘…to be overly clever…' He has also noted elsewhere that he might ‘worry too much' about what he writes. But if what is communicated on this site is to have value, there has to be mutual trust. Debate necessarily involves error, misunderstanding, and disagreement, and so does progress. A little bit of worry is probably a good thing in general because it focuses the mind, but if we fall on our faces occasionally so what?
Susan Francis notes that as a rural artist her biggest problem is ‘…a lack of critical input…' I don't know if she intends her blog to address this problem, but as an artist with a similar problem, I feel that there are possibilities.
It's a case of say it and see…..
