I’ve stopped. It’s probably just a pause, and for several weeks now I’ve not picked up a paint brush, a pen, or a pencil – much less created anything artistic. I feel stuck. I have a sense I know what I want to do – but I’m not currently able to make it happen.
Back in 2017 I made a series of ‘blindfold’ drawings, and my current stuckness has reminded me of these artworks. I can’t see what’s right in front of me?
The last time my creativity got seriously stuck, someone recommended I read The War of Art by Steve Pressfield. It’s an interesting book – exploring the notion of resistance, why we resist, and how we can get going again. I enjoyed the book at the time and once I’d read it – I felt more confident to get back to working. As we know: ‘Inspiration will always find you working’ (quote adapted from Pablo Picasso), so I’m going to read The War of Art again – and I’m going to stop worrying about this current drought in my creative practice. Maybe I’ll try enjoying it instead.
I’m not currently planning any creative practice sessions – but once my work starts to flow again, I’ll organise something and let you know when it’s taking place. In the meantime – you can follow along with any emergent creative practice (assuming there is any!) on my Facebook Page and my Instagram feed.
I used to write a lot – and I’m conscious that as my artistic practice developed, my writing tailed off. Maybe it’s time to switch things around again for a while, we’ll see. While I decide what to do next, have a good summer, stay safe, and please – feel free to get in touch if there’s anything I can do for you, and if you’ve any creative stuff you want to share, please do.
The hermit and the performer, working alone and working out loud.
The title of this post is a line from the song Limelight, by Rush. The song is about life as a performer. It’s a great piece of music which tells a good story, I encourage you to have a listen.
As a visual artist I am sometimes a hermit, sometimes a performer. With Carshalton Artists Open Online Studios fast approaching – I’ll be switching between the two a lot in the coming days, as I flip between making art in my quiet studio space, running live workshops, and (weather permitting) developing a new street art project too.
Since lockdown – I’ve been focusing on drawing as my main creative practice. Drawing is accessible – endlessly adaptable, and it’s great for my wellbeing too. My Chalk And Talk sessions arose from a knee jerk response to ‘do something’ as the country ground to a halt – and here we are some 13 weeks later, having built a really interesting varied body of work using different styles and techniques, while conversation gently ebbs and flows between us. I’ll write more about these experiences another day – for now though – it’s enough to know they’re proving to be great fun and great learning. The preparation is the hermit, the live session is the performer.
Coming back to the online open studios event – and we’ve been invited to consider the theme of water for 2020. We live near The River Wandle, and some of my earliest paintings are a nod to walks by the water.
Door To The River : Close Up. The original acrylic on canvas now resides in the USA.Flash of Blue : The original of this piece was my first ever art sale on Etsy, and I released a limited edition postcard print as a free art drop for the first CAOS in 2017
I find water a tricky subject to play with – and it’s not something I’ve tackled for a while. Despite my new found interest in drawing – I felt pulled back to my more familiar world of stencil art. If I’m to tackle a tricky subject – then maybe I need to build from a tried and trusted technique. I got to work – and an idea around a fish in the river quickly formed. The hermit does his thing – and several hours later – two stencils emerge into the light.
I’ve not cut anything fiddly for a while and although I now have very sore fingers, I’m happy with these. The next step is to bring the stencil layers together and test them out.
I made four test sprays on vintage sheet music – work in progress. Having invested several hours in the preparation, I’m a little disappointed with the first results. I resolved to play with different colours and effects to try and improve the work. Often when we see the art – we’re only seeing the finished piece. For me the process is really important. I shared these rough drafts online and the variety of responses was interesting and useful for me. Some folk like them as they are – some offered hints and tweaks, and some people simply chatted with me about the process – about doing the work necessary in order to attain the goal, the thing some call a ‘Hard Won Image’.
Carole and I spoke about the stencils – the possible layers and effects, and I realised that although my intention is to see the fish in the water, rather than on top of it – the way I apply the paint means I don’t necessarily have to follow a fixed routine. For example- can control – the way I let the paint leave the can and arrive on the surface – has a profound effect on the finished piece. Having had the chance to reflect – I revisited the work.
The same, but different
Here we see the same fish, and the same river stencil – but the finished piece is quite different. I’ve abandoned the sheet music – it felt too busy with these detailed stencils. Now I’m working on slightly textured cartridge paper – with an initial splashed coat of silver paint as the base. It’s not that easy to see in the photo – but silver is a great highlight colour – it makes the image come alive as it catches the light – and adds interest to the design without dominating it. Next comes the river – lightly sprayed using a mix of blue and green paint. Two colours helps to suggest movement and once again, adds more interest. Finally – the fish – sprayed much more lightly than before. As you can see – even though the fish stencil is the top layer in the image – the fish appears to be submerged in the water.
I’m really pleased with the work – and I’m also pleased I first chose to show it in an unfinished state. For me it is important that art is seen as something accessible, and sharing the creative process is as much a part of the art as the finished piece itself.
This design is titled ‘The Fish Follows The River’ and is available to purchase during Carshalton Artists Online Open Studios. The price is £40 plus £5 P&P in the UK, or £10 P&P internationally. £5 from each sale will be donated to Sutton Counselling. As each art work is handmade they’re all unique and slightly different. Each piece will be signed by the artist prior to dispatch, and will be sent unmounted and unframed. You can send money via my PayPal link or contact me for my bank details – whichever suits you best. Thanks in advance for your support.
We came home on Monday to find Keira had made a poster and stuck it on the front of our house. Her work has inspired me to cut a version of the fist stencil from Power In The Darkness.
I’m drafting a letter to our MP asking him to speak out about racism. I showed Keira the letter, she read it and said, ‘it’s good’ before telling me she’s already been in touch with our MP.
We’re now figuring out what to do next in this household, and while we do that figuring out, we’ve shown some support to community bail funds, mutual aid funds, and racial justice organisers operating in the USA. We’ve been throwing coins in a jar for a while for some summer spending money, and Keira suggested we use some of that. She’s a kind, fierce friend – Carole and I are fortunate to have such a lovely daughter.
What Next?
Art As An Instrument of Change
While we figure out what to do to stay active in pursuit of racial justice and equality, I used the newly cut stencil to make a piece of art today – and I’m giving it away as a virtual free art drop. If you like it, all you need to do is send an email to freeartdrop@consultingartist.com and your name will go into the hat for the draw to win this signed piece of art. Entries close at midnight UK time on Wednesday 10th June and the draw will be made on Thursday 11th June.
How About You?
If you are having conversations and taking action on how to make this world a safer, fairer place, please tell us what you’re up to, I’d love to hear from you. And if you are still figuring it out – feel free to follow the link above and consider a donation in the meantime. I’m sure your help will be appreciated. Thank you.
