This post is an expansion of The Glimmerists September newsletter, some of it is the same and some is new…
Persistence
I want to write about persistence because I think it’s such an important habit to develop for any artist – or any freelancer in any field for that matter. As a Glimmerist* at heart I find I have to replenish my sense of optimism frequently, just now the world is hardly full of good news so I think it’s vital not to get worn down by all the terrible decisions world leaders are making by concentrating on our own well being in order to stay healthy and resilient. I am not sure if my notion would suit anyone else but I find that my creative drive is not much eroded by bad news. My sense is that our innate drive to make things, to create ordinary things like a decent meal, a door that opens and shuts, a clean space – or to create special things like, birthday celebrations, a holiday or works of art is driven by something that naturally refills whenever you have sufficient energy in your body and mind.
South facing
I have spent the summer mainly working on replacing the south facing doors on my shed (aka Ovoid Studio). If pressed I think I would say I would have preferred to spend the time making art. I already had plenty to do but the new (re-cycled) doors became available so it seemed urgent to put them in place as soon as possible. I hired local builder Luke Pearson for a couple of days and working together we got the old rotten doors out and put the new ones securely in place.
Making good
Since then I have been involved doing all the tasks associated with weather-proofing – almost the whole wall was demolished during the installation process. There are a lot of tasks to do to finish everything off, and each one involves a lot of learning of new skills and reprising rusty old ones. The whole project, though rewarding and constructive (as all building is) is very distracting from making artworks which has continued in the background although at a slower pace than usual. I can never bring myself to cease thinking or acting creatively – partly because I just become miserable if I leave off my creative practice for too long, is vital to my sanity and well being.
Unexpected items
I made a series of drawings in my sketchbook based on extrusions. I was thinking about what I could make next. I was toying with head shaped ideas – made as a space frame and then I drew a basket. Sometime later I must have been buying something online and it occurred to me that online shopping basket which is usually an icon based on a supermarket mesh basket is the most common basket that we all use. I started playing with what I realised is the core motif of our age. My plan is to make one/some in ceramics using the extruder* I acquired last spring. – I started making sketches using charcoal and acrylics and I have been entering these A4 works in some local art competitions. I have now started to make small versions in clay which are kind of hefty but cute.
My version of this iconic item consists of a kind of virtual wireframe version of the shopping basket, the image below right got the title “Basket full of empty” but now I am thinking “Unexpected Item” has a much better ring to it as it’s such a common robotic phrase that no real person ever says – except as a joke.
Old credit cards
But I never know how people take my work, whether my ideas are coming through or if people think it’s perfectly ordinnary to draw shopping baskets. The images are quite lively and vibrant, possibly because that’s how acrylic paint comes out of the tube and possibly because I worked quite fast to try and catch some energy in the sketches. I painted most of the backgrounds with old credit cards, which is pretty apt for a shopping image. I also made a circular stamp from a felt stick-on thing that you stick on the bottom of vases or lamps to stop them scratching furniture.
Resist, Persist, Exist
This is a motto or statement of intent for me and it centres on persistence.
Resist is really about political resistance. Standing up to all the retrogressive nonsense that is being bandied about by right wing opportunists on both side of the atlantic. The temptation to blame others for your own struggles, is being exploited using every manipulative trick in the book. It’s all too easy and simplistic, social and personal problems are complex and hard to fix so be kind, be constructive, work at it.
Persist is what it says, keep doing what you most want and need to do, work round the obstacles, keep focussed on your goals.
Exist, look after yourself, survive, nourish yourself and grow, by maintaining and extending your own existence you are improving the world from yourself upwards and outwards. Just by being yourself you are making a difference.
NOTES
* A Glimmerist – one who perceives a barely perceptible glimmer of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation – also someone who knows about persistence from experience.
** Incidentally, I have finally attached my hand-held extruder to the studio wall in a rig that makes it quick-release which I am quite pleased with – see Instagram for evidence.