Sunday, 5 July 2020

13 Postcards for 13 Songs: looking back on the challenge

Here’s a photo of them all together. In order from the top left:
Top row: Inappropriate; Pretty please; I am an iceberg; Castle in the woods; Middle row: Restart from zero; Another dream; Lobotomy; Night; Medusa; Bottom row: Not a man; Please die; Can’t breathe; Vanity fair.

I’m really glad I did this thing. I felt I was at a tangent to Warwickshire Open Studios. But that’s ok. I’ve got 5 years worth of their handbooks for the years prior to this one, and there’s nobody there who reminds me of me. So I knew. And I’ll put myself forward again next year, too. Even though I might be … inappropriate.

It’s been a project that has taught me a lot. About the power of having a creative binge like that. Feline wrote most of the songs for “Out” like that – one a day. It’s like all your senses become sharpened, and image-making grows inside you. Luckily I’m not an artist that goes in for a high degree of finish. It would drive me mad if I was.

Art is only art because it has a history, going back over the millennia. And this project also allowed me to tour my hinterland. I originally said “explore”, but “tour” is better. It’s more like one of those holidays where you roll up into a town – see the big sights – and on to the next. You know, “Today Munch is with us, and Gauguin. Hey guys!” If you’ve done the homework beforehand, you can feel them flowing through your hands.

And bones. I’ve got a book called “Anatomy for Art Students” published in 1915 that has been most helpful in understanding how skeletons fit together, how they are articulated. Didn’t always use the detail I’d gained, but its spirit is there.

I’ve come to the conclusion that we live in a much more nervous age than even my parents did. But we haven’t banished Death by not talking about him/her, or not making pictures. Having Death stalk amongst us is a counterpoint to life. Intensifies it. Makes it more beautiful.

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