18th August 2008
It’s some happy accident (or sweetly orchestrated) that when my work grids to an inevitable halt , stuck in the mud, there's have writing to turn to. The drawing has been full pelt until now, the photographs too – photographs for recording, not art pieces in themselves, the drawings are masking taped to the wall waiting for the next step, the photographs are continuing, easier now, but I am more in need of research books, art references and visual stimulus to keep the motion going. Writing is a welcome alternative activity.
The sun is up and strong this morning and I was at the studio for 8am, its 5 minutes walk from the dining hall through Johnson town. Past the wooded houses, shops and halls painted yellows, blues, whites and reds. It’s a picture postcard and friendly town with shop signposts for ‘maple leaf syrup’, ‘woolens’, and restaurants ‘Plum and Main’ and ‘Lovin Cup’…after only a couple of days I was saying hello to the locals and chatting with the lady at Marvins, my chocolate stop shop.
There are beautiful things to do here outside of the studio and as my friend knowingly said whilst we were swimming in the lake, eagerly willing a moose to come out of the woods. ‘THIS is what it’s about (i.e. not just being in the studio)’. There’re waterfalls and rivers with many swimming holes, numerous lakes and reservoirs to swim in and a vast number of walks to go on. It’s the perfect revive to white walls and the self involvement that comes with studio practice. I look forward to the next walk, swim, or yoga session with a childlike glee.
Yesterday a few of us from the Centre went to see the Bread and Puppet theatre. A world renowned puppet theatre company, they have now, intentionally, scaled down from huge popularity in the 70’s when people would come as to a festival, the last count of attendees when they were at these heights was 20, 000. The founder Peter Schumann has taken the theatre back its roots and now they perform every Sunday throughout the Summer, still drawing people in their hundreds to a small town in Vermont. The display is made moving by huge papermache masks which create instinctual responses in the audience (like theatre masks present the exact emotion unfettered by additional character attributes) and satirical, wry dialogue and absurd scenes creates a lightness of touch coupled with sharp observations on American politics. Tigers suggested to be Gitmo (Gutanamo) prisoners are made to jump ropes, springboard onto tightropes to pedal across on bike and then land in a tea cup, ‘Mr Its All Fine’ and ‘Mr Do As I Say’ are opposing candidates for office and in true Vermont style, at one point there is a placard written with ‘Make Cheese Not War’ held aloft.
