My own little aesthetic revolution

I've been thinking about the difference between art and design, which might be function and decoration? I've also been struggling with justifying my choices in what materials, medium and styles that make up my visual style. But i've realised why I make those choices now - it's about appealing to an audience; of my own geographical and cultural locality and my own interest cultures. But it's also about not presenting a complex, art theory-based argument in my work, which could alienate the people that I want to have dialogue with: which is actually not art theorists. 

Although I find it all very interesting, I am not in a position to, nor do I have a compulsion to start adding to those theoretical discussions. I want to use the theory I learn to help me make decisions about how my work can appeal to and communicate with the wider public around me - people who don't have art education. 

I also want to invite response from those people, by using a visual language they can recognise. And actually, one of the best people to go to see exhibitions with is my mum (Mama). She has no art training, so it's her pure intuition that is guiding her response and interpretation of art. And she sees the humour and everyday situations in an artwork and it's context, whereas my peers who have studied art, do not often see this. As art graduates I feel like we might take our position a bit too seriously to be able to communicate properly. 

With Mama however, I can see how art can truly communicate an important message that is seperate from art theory and more based in real life. I wanna communicate to people like my mum; their response is more valuable to me than that of the art elite. I want my work to create an open feedback platform with a spectrum of people doing their thing and leading their different lives outside of an art education context. I can't deny that I do feel some sort of desire to impress the art world. But I think i'd get greater satisfaction from identifying other artists with similar intentions to me and starting a dialogue with them, rather than trying to fight my way into places and spaces that are respected/lauded in the art world, simply because they are respected. I would prefer to pick my own spaces and places (conceptual and physical) to show my work, that suit my message.

I wanna respond to the features in my local cultures that make beautiful things for them. I wanna find the objective in their subjective. Then it’s valid. I wanna see what makes the beauty in their beholding eye, and then trace that back to a possible common culture of ideology in lots of connected eyes. It want to appeal to commonality in peoples' subjective leanings and unite them over that: this is where my Fan Clubs project comes in. 

I wonder if the old mode of ‘the art of a skill’ such as dyeing, or painting, or carving, or colour is present in localised versions of beauty? I expect so, particularly when the skill is centred on a local material, and thus makes up a strong part of a cultures or locality’s visual language. When a practitioner gets to know a material, or a process surrounding a localised material or medium very well, then surely that must become an artistry in that material or medium?

Perhaps the culture or ‘locality’ isn’t always geographically or place based; perhaps it’s based in an ideology… for example, the culture of carbon neutrality in product or object design. This, one could argue, moves more towards a functional more than a decorative aspect of artistry, but then again, the aesthetics of this function are the decoration of that functional message. So that would make my dyes that are made from kitchen by-products a decoration : of the communication of the importance of ecologically-aware art works and design works? I am decorating my message to make it clearer and more acceptable to more people, by using the vernacular of ecological production practices.

So here is an example of my work in this manner: It's a test for some bigger pieces.

reclaimed fabric dyed with onion skins. mono printed. 

-Colours and style are influenced by the handmade batik textiles, and colours of Peckham Rye Lane.

-the method is influenced by the environmental movement.

-the image is my projection of my fantasy land that has grown out of those two situations: metropolitan city living and the desire to be close to nature.

Small with no bodies touching

I've been having a look at loads of emerging artists this weekend - every few weeks I have a good

look at other peoples stuff! - and loads of it is BIG! I suddenly felt like my work isn't big enough!?

In the past some of it has been very big - I mean big enough to fill with about 80 litres of water, or to make use of an entire lecture theatre - but now it is smaller or flatter than a lot of other artists work. I like what I make, obviously, otherwise I wouldn't make it and survive on a bare minimum wage in a quite random job with no contract to do so.
I think I used to make bigger work because I felt like I had to at uni - It felt like it wouldn't be legit if it wasn't big. I felt like I had to fill a space, because otherwise I'd be wasting my fees. They always tell you, right from when you start art classes at age 6, 'make it bigger!!!'. It's good advice, but I think i'm allowed to retreat now!
But today, for a moment, my work somehow started to seem trivial and hobbyist, simply because it mostly fits onto my big studio table, no matter whether it's 2D or 3D. Like it could fit in a Hobbycraft tray at the end of the day. (Well actually most of it isn't that small - but you get the idea!)
But then I realised....
...I don't want to make big work because I'm a bit shy. I hate being the centre of attention more than anything. If I made big work I would feel obnoxious - like I'd be trying to say something about ME. I am not saying anything about me; I'm simply using my own analysis of my own behaviours, attentions and desires to reflect on society at large; locally and globally as much as I can.
I want to work small enough to not have my body respond too much to it, the way that it does with spatial, visceral, anthropomorphic sculptural types of work. (Holly Hendry is one that pops into my head here) My physical body betrays me enough emotionally as it is (although these are troubles I am slowly learning to control) without bringing body politics into a discourse with my work.
The only bodily response to my work that I would seek, would be the feeling of being aware of the weather, the temperature, the atmosphere: of nature's brush on the body.

* And on a side note.... My work almost entirely ignores gender (the obvious body politic) because I find sexism so trivial. Yes i'm all for women's rights and LGBQT (there's officially a Q in there now for 'queer') rights, but that's obvious without me having to say simply cos I have an ambition and i'm self-sufficient as a girl.

So conclusively, I don't want to make big, body-aware types of spacey/formy work - I don't want that consideration in front of me. I think our minds are what ought to be more aware regardless of our bodies; we can adapt and change our minds much easier and faster than we can change our bodies. Our minds are our main tool. If I make any space based work it is entirely based on the research into, and desire to create more inter-cerebral activity between people: to make them think and speak together organically (preferably without digital means if you please) - Not to focus on putting their bodies next to each other. I want my work to exercise our minds, memories, imaginations and dreams.
I really want to be able to pack up a l my work into a small suitcase if needs be and run away to the desert with it. That's why I like working with fabric: it all folds down.

So - here I present you with the visual results of my weekend...

but you can't be smug and promise to be helpful, some people can't/don't wanna participate

My beautiful and growing collection of jiffy bags and packaging materials. They look like little islands :) I imagine this is why I like small work too - a full parcel means a lot!

Cannot work out what to do with this piece, which i've pulled the letters off. It's definitely a shrine or a monument (intentional or not) that is the subject of that painting. The letters situate its questions in a more socio-historical context... but how to display it?!

It does fold down nicely into some sort of ritual kit

And the agenda for next week shall be:

- more on bathtime...

- music/song structures as an accompanying pattern to the playing out of certain emotions (to fulfill the therapeutic aspect of my view on art)

- looking at other artists who I feel my work has a dialogue with and comparing and contrasting

- trying out big fabric monoprints in my dyed fabrics, as wall hangings, room divider and dress fabrics

It's so nice when work is fun and rent costs this!

I recently took on an illustration and design project that's been so much fun. It's for a friend of a friend, who is putting on her own day festival of art and music. She's doing it all herself out of the obvious excitement she has for emerging art and music talent. She's created the whole day as a festival 'in the name of human kindness' and has a gift giving project called This Must Be For You.
https://thismustbeforyou.wordpress.com
It was so great firstly to do some work for someone whose just sincerely excited about creativity and culture in London. Secondly, she gave me a hugely satisfying amount of creative control and I actually got to make something I really love.
Also - the festival is called Lion Paw, which is just a great name.
So.. I finally have some of my design work (actual work that pays my rent - as opposed to my art which currently does not!) that I want to show. I quite often get design commissions that I find quite limiting creatively. I obviously appreciate them though, as they mean using my skills and getting paid for it. But this project was both of those - with loads of fun colourful imagery and ideas thrown in - I got to design a logo which is being made into embroidered patches to sew onto sweatshirt, and also I designed some transfer tattoo sheets. So fun!
The whole cause is totally my thing, and I felt very useful :)
Some things are still going to print and will be about soon enough.

GO NATIVE

Above is a small painting I did quite a while ago but wasn't sure if i ever posted it. It's a scan - the colours are a bit more luscious and depthy in real life.

And below are general sketchbook scans...

The second and third are ones I did on my lonely Valentine's night in, when a super exciting party-time ended up not happening, and everyone was smoochin with their lovers. And Dom was havin a lads night. So i sat alone and painted by candlelight - I couldn't actually really see what I was painting properly, but I like them. I listened to amazing music and had a nice dinner at my desk, so it was ok!

Anyway, I went away skiing last week. Was good to be in the mountain, and in a French speaking place; French is such a relaxing language. The crisps and olives were delish, the weather was great!

I also had time to go through my notebook and think about what exactly i'm doing, without getting distracted by the studio or work. So here are some phrases I came up with to describe my current practice and project:

Expression of an effort towards conviction (Swaglands)

I wanna drive emotion and spirits from all the places they hide (Swaglands)

Giving the features of our vicarious lives a totemic status in order to deepen self-awareness about our desires, and to enjoy minutae. (Fan clubs / Swaglands)

A representational artwork: the solidifying of a key moment in a wider discourse or monologue

An idealism on a bedrock of principles about the virtues of certain things (I actually read this in Bruce Springsteen's biography, describing him. But he's my soul brother)

GO NATIVE

A search for a desired meaning is the aim and the methodology; one can work without the other.

Below - some planning and scheming for some paintings etc...

Some of my eco-friendly greetings cards, hand printed on card made of algae!! looking for paces to sell 'em

Some interesting marks on the table!

work in progress

some photos of bits of a painting i'm workin' on

Mama and me sheltering under a bush from the hail in Penge

Scrapbook time

This is a page in my scrapbook, of an Italianate building, with Minna Gilligan - an artist/illustrator who I like very much. This photo is her in front of some of her work, but I thought she in her robe fitted well with this building! 

Some paintings I did at the Nicoll's house - it's good being a nanny sometimes: plentiful supply of painting materials!

'Sugarpalm'

Home and Away have been on real top form with location shooting recently, and also with their cinematography. Check these out...!!! My heaven.

Ash and Brax before the murder in the cave....

And my favourite River Boy, Brax - I fear he may be about to be killed off, leaving the Bay empty & a bit too law-abiding :(