This isn’t actually me in my studio, but by god, I wish it were!
My last post sometime ago now seems to me leave me on something of an artistic cliff-hanger and I’m sorry to report that dutifully following convention, when you return to the action after the (overly long) commercial break I’m still there, hanging on, scrambling around apparently no nearer a resolution or a dramatically satisfying conclusion.
I haven’t yet made the big break through I was hoping for, either at a mere technical level or in terms of style and subject matter. And, to be more specific, my new version of Luna remains a barely started monochrome. What I have decided though is that documenting the process of trying to discover what I want to paint and how I want to paint it might be of some use both to myself as a sort of combined stick and carrot routine, but also to others who may well be on a similar journey.
It seems to me that the very act of scratching around trying to find an artistic voice may be of wider interest and help to spur on others as well helping with providing motivation for myself. The unexamined life is not worth living as a wise man once said and I dare say this is doubly true of the artistic life, so today I announce the re-boot of this blog as the on-going story of one person’s attempt to examine his artistic life with a view to improving the depth and breadth of his output. Does that sound a bit grand? I don’t mean it to but I don’t apologise for thinking that art matters and that some things deserve to be taken seriously. It seems sometimes that the greatest praise that can be bestowed on someone is that he or she didn’t take himself/herself too seriously, but in this case and for this cause I shall be prepared to run that risk. Fun and frolics can be found elsewhere on the internet if what I hear is correct.
So what that means in practice is that I shall try and post something every week, almost by defintion therefore it won’t be always be of the greatest wisdom or profundity, but it will be the honest record of an artist struggling to produce good work along with a certain amount of reasoned analysis of where I have failed, or succeded to some extent perhaps, and how these two “twin imposters” may influence my future development.
In that spirit I leave you with the two works that I have managed to finish and submit to this weeks Autumn show of my local art society, the slightly mis-named, Cambridge Drawing Society. With two days to go as I write, the red dots remain firmly in the secretary’s desk draw but while there’s life there’s hope. In any event its a pretty good show as always and worth seeing.
So, I hereby publicly commit myself to pulling my finger out and getting down to some serious work and a sustained attempt to produce some art of value. Hopefully documenting the process will be of use to me and of interest to others, it would be really great if any readers felt it worth while chipping in with their two cents. or pennies, worth, the more the merrier. Thanks for reading this far, and keep in touch.
Love the reboot!!!
I look forward to reading your future blogs. Every now and then a painting touches our emotions. It doesn’t matter why – it just does. Your work has achieved this for me.
David, many thanks for this very thoughtful up-date on your work and for the images of the still-lifes with their beautifully painted reflections.
Best wishes from us both, Margaret
I always enjoy your posts so look forward to seeing more of them. I do think your work is moving in a great direction though. It’s gaining depth and subtlety at the same time.
I do know what you mean about the big breakthrough. I’m still waiting and I’m thinking ‘it’s been 6 years – surely I should be better by now…’