08.05
AN ARTISTICALLY-INDUCED RANT.
Oh yes, like many artists – big time or on the poverty line, I live in that Romanticism bubble too. Why not? It helps me stay sane, a buffer from the relentless crap that the world dishes out to us all. Not that we in Australia (in the main) have reason to grumble. But I think you might know what I mean – we all have our little crosses to bear, and the pain is proportionally bad to each of us in our own way. Artists live in a constant dream of a world of sacred self-flagellation and martyrdom for the cause.
It is a paradox though that art, and being an artist, can also go hand-in-hand with elitism and at times, money. I find it hard to get my head around it sometimes. For example, some time ago the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery exhibited “Australian Painters Photographed” by R. Ian Lloyd. It was a great exhibition of big photos – showing the workshops of 16 famous Australian artists. I thought “wow, they have self-destroyed the struggling artist notion with these wonderful romanticised sheds and spacious artist studios.” Despite this, the spaces were all messy and painty, easels and paints, dribbles of paint over tables and canvases. You couldn’t place these items any better if you tried – all so artistic and messy, but uncontrived. Chaos always seems to do artistic composition so perfectly. But this apparently rampant “squalor” was really shown in quite opulent studio settings, complete with the artist amongst the debris of shelved canvases, squished paint tubes, brushes in jars and paint-spattered surfaces. It was essentially mimesis. An affluent Romantic representation of what “artistic squalor” is.
Then I laughed inside, thinking of my own “spacious” art studio (see below) – which is my tiny bathroom. It is not much bigger than what you see here. I imagined my own photo in the exhibition, a photo of me amongst my bathroom paraphernalia. Ha ha. Years ago, I had a tripod easel, and had to place the back leg into the bath to fit it in. My paints go on the washing machine when I am working on a piece – with a cover to keep it clean. But I have a lot of respect for my bathroom art studio. After severe eye trauma in 2008 and 2009, I thought I would never paint again. A year later (2010) on a whim I set up my easel in the bathroom and had a go. Not only could I see enough to paint, but also enjoyed the experience. I have 10% vision in each eye to this day, and still paint in my bathroom – as it has almost white walls, and even, clear light. It works for me.
Footnote: An artistic friend of mine in Brisbane once said “usually, a ‘professional artist’ is an artist whose partner goes out to work.”
BELOW: MY BATHROOM/ARTIST STUDIO AND A NEW CANVAS, READY TO GO (SORT OF). THE FIRST STEP TO PAINTING FOR THE PROCRASTINATING ARTIST: GET THE CANVAS ON THE EASEL AND LOOK AT IT AWHILE. WILL START PAINTING SOON, FINGERS CROSSED. OR WILL I START TOMORROW? YES, I KNOW – I SHOULD HAVE CLEANED THE MIRROR, BUT I WANTED THAT AUTHENTIC LOOK OF SQUALOR, AND THE STRUGGLING ARTIST. WELL, IT IS “GUY CLEAN” AT LEAST.
