I have written this over the last couple of days as i have been so busy and unble to post so the first part is from the other day and the last is from today.
20th September
Frustration and other collected thoughts
Since settling down in my studio I have felt a vast expanse of fertile ground open around me metaphorically speaking and this has injected new life and vigour into what I have been doing – this is great. The influx of new ideas and directional changes have been amazing and quite unexpected. What is not is the ideas that come flowing and translate poorly onto paper, especially those that were previously thought by myself as almost a sure thing. A very naive thought I know but everyone must surely fall into this trap once in a while? Perhaps the idea is there for the taking but is in fact a slow burner in need of time, reflection and some patience and not the instant result I thought it could and should be – who knows? Perhaps this kind of idea requires a more painterly approach, or indeed a painters approach? All questions that I’d like answers to immediately please.
I shall persevere.
In other news I have sold three more drawings this week which I am ecstatically happy about, even more so as I know that each and every piece has gone to a good home. Thank you all if you are reading this.
On the subject of selling work I have come to learn that it can be a good gauge of how I feel about what I have been up to when faced with a potential sale, sometimes I feel good, sometimes not so much in the fact that I think I wish I could of done this or that…whatever the intuition is it seems to be an accurate gauge. Sometimes I wish it was other work leaving my possession – especially when I have a particular emotional attachment to whatever it is I am selling, it could be that I am particularly fond of a drawing, or have had it for a long time or one that I am very proud and then with the sale feel almost to not only lose ownership but part of myself.
Anyway moving along now onto framing, much the same as photographing drawings in poor light or out of focus a bad frame can inflict terrible damage to the desirability and online life of a drawing, and lets face it artwork nowadays needs an online presence in order to promote and sell it, perhaps more accurately like a person in a suit: if a suit is badly fitting and baggy, the wrong colour, cheap looking it can take away incredibly from whoever is wearing it and ironically make the wearer look scruffy – or at very least not their best. If however a suit is sharp, well tailored and considered it can do wonders for the person wearing it. This long winded explanation is exactly how frames work, recently I had a drawing framed and whilst it looked smart because it had been neatly sanitised in a white, glazed rectangle my immediate thought was “I wish the frame was different”. Not good. Though it was another lesson learnt in not leaving the frame as an afterthought and considering what would look best: colour, style, depth…you get my point. Something I will definitely be more aware of in the future.
Thursday 22nd September
So afterall these little drawings have grown on me a bit – still at the very early stages of experimentation but nonetheless I can see a future in them and some potential pieces. the next big project is a skateboard deck for a friend of mine on which i shall make a drawing, quite an exciting prospect. Running along side this I will begin to make some very large drawings, maybe A2 or larger, i shall see how things develop.
Thank you as always for reading.
