As I look around the stunning work from my contemporaries in our final year interim exhibition, I am filled with a huge sense of pride in all that these inspiring individuals, and the group, have achieved. Vibrant, expressive paintings, emotive portraiture, thoughtful installations, social commentary, and the language of the natural world stand alongside thought-provoking sculptural pieces providing an all-encompassing experience for the viewer.
Then I consider my own installation of works, standing amidst all this wonder, and the doubts begin to dance across my mind. Does it really stand up? What am I really trying to say with this? Does it capture the imagination of the viewer? Does anyone really care or is it as forgetful as a grey day in November?
In the modern world, art is everywhere; all genres are available at the click of a button from amazingly accomplished artists all over the globe. How is it possible to avoid getting lost in such a sea and stop the erosion of self-confidence?
I remind myself that we are all painting our own reality on the canvas of our own lived experience and the joy that comes from such an act needs to be authentic to add anything to the collective. If the work continues to come from my own creative voice, and not from a need for validation, it is worthy of my own acceptance and pride as a visual narrative of self. I cannot compare. myself with other artists because I can never create from the same place that they do. Our landscapes are different.
I am reminded of a quote by George Bernard Shaw “You use a glass mirror to see your face. You use works of art to see your soul.”
