I recently suggested a collaboration to Steve Joyce (www.stevejoyce.co.uk) who I’d met (online only) through an enquiry re. the AA2A scheme a year ago. His screen print called ‘Tracing the Everyday 2’ which I saw on his a-n blog is of a beautiful paper-cut/doily with a foetus at its centre and it immediately seemed to tie in perfectly with the series of four garments I’m producing in red and white; a series about the female cycle.
Originally I was disinclined to make any direct reference to pregnancy but his beautiful and clever image had me change my mind.
I then thought I’d incorporate it into a design I’d planned for a long dress as part of the series but as I worked toward that, the piece itself created another and I’m excited about the result. My interest in metaphorical translucency (and my past work with glass) has also had an influence as I will be displaying the piece so that light passes through its centre. In the end it had to become less a collaboration (given my timing) and more a case of my asking instead for his permission to reproduce his design – which he very kindly granted. But we have in mind future discussions and a proper collaboration, watch this space…!
So, it’s the last month of the studio space/working access part of my residency. The solo shows of the 4 Muse Gallery a.i.r’s start next month. Mine will be from the 21st Nov-8th Dec.
It’s tough to know whether you’ve interacted with any experience as fully and effectively as you might have wished to, especially when there’s no visible president available; the artists who’ve gone before me re. this position, seem largely invisible.
Certainly the few people I’ve met with in the venue (from all walks of life) I’ve striven to be as open with as feasible. As I’ve already said on here by nature I’m an artist’s garret type, a loner. I can get lost in the world of recorded stories/books which I listen too whilst drawing + the processes of my own thinking. Nevertheless of course I will want as many people as possible to see the exhibition.
Certainly I know now that after drawing imagery from inside myself at home I can then bring it in to be worked upon whilst others are around; and I don’t believe that the end result of this appears mechanical. Besides there must be mechanical aspects as regards the production of any creative work and in themselves they can be engaging and surprising as well as alienating. Sometimes something mechanical helps those who would be engaged to recognise themselves in the process, life is full of necessarily mechanical moments.
Proust described the visual artist as a visual philosopher and it’s important, I believe, that any artist’s audience gain a sense of this whenever possible. If only so that the full spectrum of art’s potential is of evident to as many people as possible. Also that art itself is not limited by outer perceptions/preconceptions of its purpose/ambition. Certainly some of the discussions I’ve had with visitors have seemed to intrigue them and have intrigued me. Now the build up begins for my solo show; hopefully the work itself will speak effectively and with confidence. Thus I begin seriously to seek to encourage interest, to consider gallery representation and to work toward sales. As well, of course, as just keeping on making work!
I am grateful to inspiration (the muse/my muse) for my progress so far. My drawings and ideas are changing/growing and running well ahead of the speed at which I can produce work, but that’s all to the good I’m sure. This drawing shows the image of an American woman poet who I read an article about in a national newspaper at the start of the year. Finally I have gotten around to imaging her beautiful face but I need to do more with this image. I can’t draw a poetess and not incorporate words somewhere in the image. The idea of visual symbolism also however, needs again to come to the fore now. I have it in mind to incorporate (in the area of the aura of her person) a pattern of sorts. Inspired in this instance by characters found in cave paintings. As I progress I’m searching out ways to effectively incorporate animals and beings found in other ancient art forms and myth. Surely the language of the (creative) spirit is indeed ancient/prehistoric and mythical. Surely the imagery of the landscape of the subconscious overlaps that of the imagination and surely universal imagery roams across and recognises no borders. I’ve looked at the symbolic imagery of the history of Western art and found not only secular references but more often than not Christian ones. These alone, are alienating to as many contemporary people as they are inclusive of them. Pre-Christian imagery, cave paintings, in comparison are universal and still haunt most people’s imaginations. I therefore have open to me a whole raft of visual references, a whole world of spiritual imagery and I mean to plunder it, better to demonstrate the light and dark of the underworld of the buried impressions which float in the ether around each and every one of us.
