Revamping the website and some of the decisions taken there for the new collections. The website as you have noticed has had quite an overhaul. I have taken help and advice on this from Ali Flind who gave me a tremendous amount of technical support and explained things as we went along.
As an artist I am willing to accept that my administration skills are not strong as they perhaps ought to be. However in this digital age it seems almost essential to have an online presence as well as social media platforms. Besides artists are bombarded by adverts and spam offering digital help which is always charged at vast prices.
The website I have created, needed to reflect and explain my working philosophy, demonstrate my practices and will begin to go someways to explaining my key influences (more on this in the next blog) and my work. I should have done it ages ago but kept putting it off.
My over arching philosophy within my work is to use my senses. I have established this practice in my work about five years ago and continue to develop it. The method involves the traditional “external senses” (sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch) and my more primordial senses to explore the subject matter. The extension of the senses in this way, to include the excitement and exhilaration of the wind, the pain as rush stem rips through the skin on my finger or balancing on something to view the landscape.
Steamboat off a Harbours Mouth. J.M.W.Turner. 1842
This is perhaps what Turner was suggesting when he claimed to have been tied to the mast of a ship, he was clearly very capable of conveying atmosphere, what ever Sir George Beaumont may have said of Turner’s work!
(Image of gesso on canvas and stitching)
As I pushed the needle through the canvas the sounds were rhythmic and entrancing, lost in thought I let my mind wander. It is this example of process and not a focus on an end result, enjoying the moment, the journey.
There is a similar mesmeric state created in the field, surrounded by Nature exposed to the elements, with a desire to convey a sense of the seasons as a witnessed atmosphere.
(Above; examples of use of found materials on site drawing)
This practice connects me more closely with a place in time, silently baring witness to elements of the seasons. A silent dialogue shared with nature, that is both personal and emotional.
The manner of creating through the use of site specific pigments and tools engages the viewer and myself together in a place and moment as a shared experience.
(Above Left; The Wind Blew and Right; Where Syrinx Fled)
I am drawn to the seasons and take time to observe how they manifest in constantly changing ways. Considering how other artists have expressed the seasons through the years helps learn more, taking in different perspectives, growing a deeper understanding.
Our climate and human action and interaction with Mother Nature have been interpreted through so many art forms for centuries. That we can source these works, learning from them and from each other is key to making collective steps for a future.
I have enjoyed reflecting on the seasons through practicing still life drawing. Using new mediums and techniques for drawing I found refreshing and so I have kept it going.
(The conference pears)
So with cards to write and a tree to bring in from the cold there is much to do. The architect will be making models for the studio to be modernised so I shall be going in to the new year with plans for planting the garden and for the studio.
Stay warm and thank you for reading.
