Sometimes an exhibition finds you, like the universe delivers it straight into your lap and its easy. This was the case with Domestic Nature and not only was getting the exhibition a surprise, the curator, Claire Todd is one of the most delightful people Ive ever met. Sometimes you meet someone who is so incredibly radiant, I mean on a human and spiritual level, that you cannot help but feel a little brighter for having met with them.
The venue itself was lovely however the community was a maybe a little way off getting the kind of work I make. A lot of people don't get my work and that's ok. Its a selfish pursuit of personal expression anyway and an ongoing act of bravery to get it into the world regardless of what others may think of it.
There is an ongoing battle and dialogue in my mind about when to leave the work, that age old question of when is a piece of artwork finished? I choose over and over to leave the work messy and unpolished. My working process is quick and the work itself can look a little incomplete- however over all these years of continuing to create in this way, I'm sticking to it, its a decision.
I notice that a lot of other artists when they develop their practice reach a place where the finish on the work is so clean and neat and tidy, its obviously professional. However my art is not a business. I do another job where I'm a professional, my art ,making is something else, and I refuse to sanitise it to make it clear that I've worked hard, like I'm going to get promoted by the bosses of art or something. In this sense my art is a rebellion and its a political move.
On that note, I'd like to share that I'm still picking up things I find in the street, the disregarded and the abandoned are still being rescued by me and I love those objects just as they are, sometimes I upcycle them slightly but I love their scuffs, dents and chipped paint.
Now I'm getting back into going to the studio again, as I took a break while Domestic Nature was running. A much needed rest time. My other professional work is hard at the moment following a promotion to a clinical lead which Im growing into and feeling those growing pains as well. I feel like some time in my studio could ease some of that, even if I end up falling asleep in my studio arm chair.
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