EUREKA!! AM I A “ CON. ARTIST ? ”
- Is my work is of today and therefore CON.TEMPORARY ?
- Is my work driven by ideas and therefore CON.CEPTUAL ?
I have enjoyed visits to the National Galleries, Courtaulds; Saatchi; Sainsbury; and Fitzwilliam Galleries plus other exhibitions and degree shows, but visits to the Tate Modern and the Baltic in Newcastle/Tyne have been largely uninspiring. I am convinced that the contemporary fashion of conceptualism, is one that I do not wish follow and the research and writing of my dissertation on Damien Hirst did nothing to encourage me in that direction.
My desire has always been to create work that the general public might enjoy enough to purchase and hang on their walls.
Sol Lewitt has been credited with saying that conceptual artists are intuitive mystics rather than rationalists. They are free of skill and craftsmanship and leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach and formal art is essentially rational.
I cannot change my genes and am undoubtedly a realist and a rationalist, so therefore unlikely to be accepted as a truly conceptual artist. Nevertheless my work is driven by reflective ideas and concepts of life today, so it is contemporary.
Ideas and narrative have formed my art since the 1990’s, and I choose to illustrate those concepts with paint, photographs and digital media. I do not wish to adopt a Surrealist or totally Abstract painting style, but I have been influenced by Pop Art and other Contemporary Painting and will continue to develop reflective narratives with elements of abstraction in my work.
Currently the most inspiring work to me is Christian Hook’s recently commissioned portrait of actor Alan Cumming, after winning the 2014/15 Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. Not just the finished work (shown below), but the process of collaboration, communication, empathy and involvement displayed in the project was exceptional to watch. https://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h–/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/12/30/1419966559314/Alan-Cumming-portrait-010.jpg
Brief clips showing only part of the experience are available on Utube, but please try to view the complete video and enjoy the process of the finished work. Christian Hook works spontaneously and expressively on the base layers of his paint and a true image emerges from the canvas. He refers to the sitter’s character, by the inclusion of a small selection of meaningful personal belongings. For this portrait of actor/dancer Alan Cumming, the artist included a tartan kilt, hung around the shoulders of the naked Cummings, plus a top hat and a honey pot to personalise a truly dramatic composition.
Portraiture will feature in my portfolio, but many other artists do it very well. However, I possess the ability to work in a flexible style to suit the varying concept and context of my subject and will continue to create figurative work in different formats.
I prefer to edit my own photographs as a unique basis for painting. Finished digital images are edited individually, and uniquely, and are also available as limited edition prints of the paintings.
I believe that contemporary painting, holds equal value to any other media and the YBA fashion of conceptualism is not exclusive. It is therefore wrong to take my work at face value, and dismiss it as “pretty pictures.”
LIFE EXPERIENCE and IDEAS drive my work:
- Kestrels Courting 1995, is partly photo-realist, but through a cloudy, grey sky and a fallen tree, conveys the conception of threats to the birds’ natural heathland habitat. (see Tag1).
- Orford Ness Contrast, Red Sky and Legacy 2012, three images illustrate the concepts of beauty and ugliness in this wild natural landscape, scarred by mans’ intrusion. (see Tag 2).
- Woman, Mind Body and Soul 2013, is a symbolic, conceptual representation of a trilogy of life illustrated by a mix of drawing, painting, printing and sculpture. (see Tag 4)
- Abyss 2014, is a comment on woman’s, beauty and Freud’s reference to mans’ supposed fear of her sexuality. (see Tag 5).
https://books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=0300043961
Camille Paglia – 1990 – History - The Mayor’s Portrait 2014, is a contemporary portrait driven by my conception of his larger than life character, his impending retirement, and his future. (see Tag 5). I have also created a new work of the subject called 200 hours, which will form part of my degree show.
- Aldeburgh Fog 2014/15, is presented as a collection/series of 8 paintings and digital imagery, commenting on social conflict within this quaint Suffolk seaside town. (see Tag 8).
- Broomhill Lido – Use it or lose it 2015, is presented as a collection of 7 images in mixed media and comments on the seemingly eternal struggle to re-open this once important social amenity, which has been left to deteriorate for many years. (see below).
All of this work, and almost everything I sketch/draw/paint/print/construct, is driven by my desire to tell a story.
I have completed the Broomhill Lido, collaboration images which are shown in my studio space as a display of 7 canvasses shown below. Depending on the wall space available, this may also form part of my degree show.
CATALOGUE.
A website will become part of my marketing strategy in the near future but I have chosen to create a 50 page catalogue of work, called Identity, to illustrate my 3 year journey at UCS. I believe that this shows experimentation and growth in my art and I am pleased that I am beginning to discover a style of painting that I can build upon. The first draft is shown below and this is currently being edited for final print.
