Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting that swiftie is a drug user
I could also ask you to reserve judgement on what I do until you have seen it in the flesh. Have you seen that particular painting in the flesh, so to speak?
And you think all those people appreciate their work for it's functional use? I know a collector of Bernard Leach; I honestly think he would kill me if I used one of his bowls to eat soup from.
Ok, that's fine. But up until now we've been discussing Swiftie and modern art trends in general so forgive me for misunderstanding you but I thought we were still on that subject.
I can understand why you might have said that before cledry, perhaps with the benefit of hindsight some of what I said may have been antagonistic. But I think that's the same on both sides; I've said things that perhaps weren't necessary and you've called me thick among other things but I did think we were past that now. I am at a loss to understand how you can suggest what I have said today is trolling.
Hello again.
Just thought I’d return to talk to you about my painting as its being discussed.
The painting is called "Harmony, beginning, end" and it on canvas – I think its about 75x75cm.
I wasn’t stoned when I made it, nor do I use drugs of any kind, not that it matters really.
Anyway, the painting was an exercise in self-restraint with a limited pallet; harmony can’t be seen in black and white (IMO) so this is the challenge I set myself. Before I made the painting I had been reading a book about ‘The Quiet Mind’, I forget who wrote it and I didn’t read very much because I was beginning to feel quite brainwashed. This is one of the more difficult paintings I’ve made over the years purely because of the restrictions I’d set upon myself. I normally allow myself total freedom and roam wherever I please in the space with my ideas and mark making. I sat for a very long time looking at this image, considering it, and asking ‘it’ what it wanted me to do next. Of course it never answered and I realised that it was finished. I was within an inch of smacking pink paint over it before this realisation, but ironically it wasn’t until I let my mind rest and shut up that the painting allowed me to finish it.
This might sound a little hippy and spiritual but I wanted to give you an honest explanation of the journey I took with this particular piece. It’s also ironic that another definition of the word harmony is “a situation where there is agreement” and that’s the very 'happening' we are not going to find on this thread. I find it amusing that of all my works Cledry picked this one to talk about. It’s very fitting/unfitting.
also, I don't think a piece of art should be judged by the time it took to make it, in fact it should be judged at all, art should be experienced. I didn't write and tell you that yes, the painting took ages, ages of doing nothing but 'thinking' to defend that point.
However, there are other thoughts I have when I look at this painting, things to do with perfection, harmony within music, how people often see only in black and white, notions of Cornwall and its flag waving inner circle world – or maybe its remarking on 'the perfect symbol' every child draws before anything else.. Or maybe it’s talking about racism – I like to think I’m promoting free-thought as the person already mentioned above… I’d like everyone to be free in every sense of the word and I believe that my work (no matter how small) is helping us all along somehow.
As for the planning/designed question, well I can tell you that the circle is placed slightly ‘of’ centre deliberately to remind me/us that harmony can never truly be possible, and for very good reasons, as we have found out here.
I don't often talk about the work, but I figured it might be right time here.
I.L.C.I.H.T.C, you have made this thread readable again, thankyou for everything. x
Hope this helps the talk progress.
Love,
S
It might also be of interest that the image on my site called "The window you missed" was made straight after "Harmony".
I'd add the image but have no idea how to do it, would someone be so kind?
There you go. I haven't got time to answer anything fully but I apologise if it looked like I was suggesting you use drugs.
I also wasn't saying that art should be judged on the time it takes. Maybe I should give up - the concensus seems to be that as long as you can add a w*nky artist statement it automatically adds value (financially and otherwise ) to any old piece of tat. I notice more and more people doing it in textiles - maybe I should follow suit.
BTW - ILC - this is 'just a hat'
Mins is about slightly more than just keeping your head warm.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about your work Swiftie, at midnight no less!
cledry, statements are quite often a bone of contention between artists, galleries and viewers/buyers. Most artists don't enjoy writing them, some galleries have them and some don't and a lot of viewers of artwork enjoy reading them so a consensus it is not. I would guess that Swiftie would rather not have explained his work in so much detail, most conceptual/modern artists prefer the viewer to define the work. I could be wrong about that but regardless I for one certainly appreciate it.
I can see the hat in this picture is different to the hats you make and I understand that there are different types of hat. Swiftie has gone to the trouble to explain his feelings about his work so why don't you do that same about yours. If your work is more than just about clothing then tell us about it. I promise I'm not trying to mock you, if you do this I will keep an open mind.
Swiftie, how would you respond to the suggestion that a piece of work which requires that much explanation has actually failed to put across what the artist was thinking at the time s/he was creating it?
I'd respond by saying it's only "failed" to get across to the person who needs that much explaination. So has the art failed, or has the person failed?
Hello FlammNew.
That is a good question.
I'd say that piece of work didn't need that length of explanation; I was only explaining what it means to me. I wasn't bothered if the meaning was carried through to another, so as this wasn't my aim I don't consider the work to have failed. I can only (and I rarely do) suggest what a painting is about (for me).
I’m not interested in being clever or cryptic, nor am I trying to fool anyone.
My Mum often seems to get very upset with me for not explaining my work to her when she demands it from me on the spot. I ask her what she thinks it’s about and after a while she tries to ‘figure it out’, whilst doing this I find it interesting that she gets nervous about ‘getting it wrong’. I’m continually reminding her that there is no right or wrong and that it’s often best when your own mind creates a meaning. It’s not a puzzle to be completed and discarded after. Also what a painting means to you in 2006 will no doubt be different when you revisit it in 2067. I read ‘Catcher in the rye’ in 1992 and then reread it in 2000; it had a very different meaning to me the second time around because I was a different person. It will no doubt change again when I’m 70 years old. Anyway what I’m trying to say is that when I read the book in 1992 J.D Salinger hadn’t failed in his communication to me.
If Harmony was sold in an exhibition it wouldn’t come with a piece of paper explaining the work. I am not a dictator.
If a ‘non modern art’ person came into the gallery and said ‘man, I love that polo painting’ I’d be thrilled.
I have an aim to reach these non-modern art people you speak of, I want to include the ‘normal everyday people’ in the world and this is why I continue to work in my motherland. People from council estates (like me) for too long have been told (in a way) that there are not intellectual enough to understand art, when understanding is not the point. More and more ‘normal’ people are attending the Tate Modern, it’s a like a new church in a way. I’d like to see this happening more in Cornwall more. This is one of the reasons I make work in public places so that they are included in the discussion.
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