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| Living on the Edge of This |
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I am currently undertaking a personal epiphany on the subject of my own art work. Since I began creating work that I have offered for sale, I have been torn between my personal validation of the work I produce and the desire to please both buyers,critics and galleries. My artistic integrity has often been found wanting in that I began to create work which was less about my interpretation of the environment I exist within and more about creating work to please, becoming more about attempting to produce the chocolate box stuff that haunts galleries throughout the breadth of Wales. I justified this action with the excuse that I was 'exploring' my art, but there was always something lacking in the
Authenticity of my work. Perhaps there is an underlying authenticity but it never felt true or real. There is also the issue of selling the work, which also creates pressures, particularly when you are attempting to make some sort of living out of art. As this has proved not to be the case I can now safely dismiss this as a credible reason for continuing down this path. I am I think finally tasting the sweet (yet dangerous?) taste of freedom.
Anyway the conclusion I have now reached is that I will begin creating work that I like, that touches the core of me..perhaps this may also touch the core of others but the most important point is in all of this is I don't care about how others perceive my work any more. It is mine and if it is liked than that is good... but no more than that.
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| Flight taken |
We saw some of your pictures in the Caffi Croesor gallery the other day. I blogged about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://dominicrivron.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cwm-croesor.html
I know what you mean about tourist vs. "genuine" art. Someone once said "no-one ever went broke underestimating the public taste." It's true in a way, but it's also true that the public who like what one really does can sniff a rat a mile off. I saw some work in a gallery the other week (not Croesor) that had me thinking just the same thing. There were fantastic pieces of sculpture (influenced perhaps by William Turnbull?) alongside stuff that looked like poundshop garden ornaments. It's a shame: if the latter sell, I can't blame the artist in a way but, as it was, I think it was the good stuff that was selling.