Today the weather has changed, and a storm has set in. Not a violent storm, but a lot of rain. This means I’m stuck indoors, which probably is a good thing, and forces me to concentrate on what Im supposed to be doing here! I did this quick sketch before, using felt pens on recycled paper. What was my intention? I want to draw the world around me, and in turn try to stimulate my ideas. I think by making work, it will help me do more work, there’s a sort of inertia going on, and I am so easily distracted.
Ideas
At the moment I’m think of making a “grid comic” – which is how I describe the grid layout drawings I used to make last year. I made many many of these. I’d like to make a big one of these, as I often considered, and is something I haven’t tried yet. I assume they will work big, but maybe not? Small drawings are easier – can away with a lot more!
Grid Comics – what are they?
They are basically snapshots of the world around me and within me at a particular moment in time. They are a way of assembling my thoughts, feelings, concerns, opinions, news, politics, learning, stories, invented characters, writing … into one place. They are a sort of release or catharsis.
They look like a comic – squares and drawings and often text, but are usually one panel subjects – they lack a sequential narrative. They are usually very small, often A5 size, split into a grid with 20 panels, which was a format that generally worked.
So – in terms of making work for the “Clutter show” (the AltMFA Clutter exhibition at the Hypha gallery in March) I’m thinking this format is appropriate for the theme, as all this stuff in my head is effectively “clutter” and making artwork is my way of cleaning it out … a brain dump.
And instead of the tiny grids, I can make big ones, maybe with each panel at A5 size, and again 20-25 grids, eg 5 X 4. Each panel could all be pasted on a board and hung on the wall. The combined artwork could be A0 size? The format needs thinking through … I dont think a frame would work?
Pasting each individual A5 sheets onto a large board? How will this look? Or would it work better if I painted – in one go perhaps – on a big sheet?
And I could make 2 of these? Displayed side by side, and they could be connected or related somehow … ? How?
Maybe they are the opposites of each other? Or reactions to each other? A conversation?
Or a slightly different time slot?
To work well, I think the grids need to be produced quickly and be of a particular moment in time. So that they reflect that moment. I think it’s more precise that way.
Process?
I could make small grids, then work on making bigger versions.. and maybe experiment with colour palettes.
Make lists of what goes in each grid …
I want to play with the experimental story side of this too. In some way the grids and the stories contained within are interconnected.
