The past few days have found me having some difficulty in being in the studio and getting back to some sort of routine. Don't think that my trip to New Mexico brought this forward, as I think it was brewing before I left.
Lately, I've not been too satisfied with my work-I get that bad feeling that I'm repeating myself, with slight variations thrown in in order to keep things "fresh"-but the "fresh" part doesn't seem to be working for me.
I know this side of myself-the boredom that sets in, when I'm too long on any one subject. I've always wondered this-by repeating the motion, do we (I ) get anywhere closer to the bone? Does this persistance pay off or merely produce increasingly cheaper copies of what has come before? What role does repetition/security in my work have for me?
Although I want the bread I eat to be consistant as per its label (I'd replace brands or grains if I wanted a change), I don't see this as a good characteristic of an artist's output. The major contradiction to this thought is of course that the folks who want your work don't want to see it change-at least until they are done and bored with you and the thrill you offered them has gone elsewhere-to newer, shinier stars...aren't we all like that as humans-sure, we all have different "rates" at which we get bored, but eventually for all of us, it's time to change the channel.
On the other side of this coin is the idea of sticking to a subject to explore every possible nook and cranny. By today's definition, this is a passe way to go about things (given the fact that there is something new thrown at us every fraction of a second, courtesy electronic media and the current culture that the same has given rise to)-but does that make this invalid or just out of "style?" Does this form of chanting bring me to a higher state and allow more doors to open or am I giving myself excuse to churn out more "product?"
Does "turning the page" give me license to escape the hard work/persistance needed to reach a (perceived) higher plateau?
Confusing. In the past, I've always resolved this issue by heading in a new direction. An only child coming from a family that changes things only when forced to, the most unnatural path for me has always been to go onto something new thing, therefore producing a time of personal (but many times liberating) turmoil. But I don't know if this is the best path or not.
I worry that I squander the time left to me. As in painting I've done recently-ok, so it's not good by my own standards and sure, I'm learning something: but is the learning cohesive (I guess to really know that I'd be able to retrospect and analyze my whole life, i.e., dead)?
Is it necessary to make everything count? Should it all be that serious? Simply cobbling things together without any need of practical results means that you are a child, engaged in play. Should not play have some place (at least for us poor stupid artists) after childhood's end?
I know that there is value in this, but, unfortunately, it usually comes along with all the usual adult entrapments.
Lately, I've not been too satisfied with my work-I get that bad feeling that I'm repeating myself, with slight variations thrown in in order to keep things "fresh"-but the "fresh" part doesn't seem to be working for me.
I know this side of myself-the boredom that sets in, when I'm too long on any one subject. I've always wondered this-by repeating the motion, do we (I ) get anywhere closer to the bone? Does this persistance pay off or merely produce increasingly cheaper copies of what has come before? What role does repetition/security in my work have for me?
Although I want the bread I eat to be consistant as per its label (I'd replace brands or grains if I wanted a change), I don't see this as a good characteristic of an artist's output. The major contradiction to this thought is of course that the folks who want your work don't want to see it change-at least until they are done and bored with you and the thrill you offered them has gone elsewhere-to newer, shinier stars...aren't we all like that as humans-sure, we all have different "rates" at which we get bored, but eventually for all of us, it's time to change the channel.
On the other side of this coin is the idea of sticking to a subject to explore every possible nook and cranny. By today's definition, this is a passe way to go about things (given the fact that there is something new thrown at us every fraction of a second, courtesy electronic media and the current culture that the same has given rise to)-but does that make this invalid or just out of "style?" Does this form of chanting bring me to a higher state and allow more doors to open or am I giving myself excuse to churn out more "product?"
Does "turning the page" give me license to escape the hard work/persistance needed to reach a (perceived) higher plateau?
Confusing. In the past, I've always resolved this issue by heading in a new direction. An only child coming from a family that changes things only when forced to, the most unnatural path for me has always been to go onto something new thing, therefore producing a time of personal (but many times liberating) turmoil. But I don't know if this is the best path or not.
I worry that I squander the time left to me. As in painting I've done recently-ok, so it's not good by my own standards and sure, I'm learning something: but is the learning cohesive (I guess to really know that I'd be able to retrospect and analyze my whole life, i.e., dead)?
Is it necessary to make everything count? Should it all be that serious? Simply cobbling things together without any need of practical results means that you are a child, engaged in play. Should not play have some place (at least for us poor stupid artists) after childhood's end?
I know that there is value in this, but, unfortunately, it usually comes along with all the usual adult entrapments.
The photo is from NM-this is a place called "Tinkertown" (how appropriate for me) on the side of the Sandia Mountains. This is a museum/folk art construction created by one man (Ross Ward) while the "rest of you watched TV."
1 comment:
William i have just come across your blog, and your art and i am enjoying both. i am writing from the central coast of new south wales, australia and i have a website (with my business partner)and blog CCabd - Central Coast Artist Business Directory is the name.
i'll keep looking into yours, thank you for your assemblages!
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