I have to admit to being quite proud of my recent body of work in addition to being some of the largest pieces I have ever created they are of a standard that surpasses anything that I have done before and cements my intention to move into the National Arena.
These artworks defy my ability to define them adequately, to say that they are merely colour abstractions of my environment which was the wording I offered at a recent interview belittles their strength of character and presence, they are what now allows me now to say those seemingly little words, 'I am an artist' for until now I have been unable to step up to the mark and claim to be anything like an artist, for sure the college acreditation was not sufficient to allow that nor for that matter any other exhibition in past or recent years.
artwork aside, I always maintain that the worst part of any exhibition is the practical admin side, ie the writing and stuff, I have been given a break; with only a few days to go before I hang the paintings at the venue my printer has decided to go on holiday, I should be panicking, with the artists biography, the name cards and the images that are not on display still to be completed and printed what can I do now but just nod my head at fate and try to sort the problem, (what ever that may be), over the next few days, if worse comes to worse I can always hand-write them.
Penny is arriving tomorrow to do the photographic work that will swell the print side of life and then there is just the hanging to do. I still have not finalised the bio, with this exhibition being such a defining point in my career I find that there are just not the words to explain adequately the concept of my latest body of work, it is just so esoteric that words can only distract from the reality leaving me now understanding why so many of the great artists are so unable to explain fully without pulling strange faces while searching for the words that just arn't there.
Today brought about a slight set back in the bigger picture in as much as a meeting with a most important art contact in February falls right within the time that I am scheduled to be in Scotland at the end of February, both are equally important to me and as I have rescheduled the scottish trip once already I have little choice other than to rebook the important meeting.
One of the artworks that go on exhibition next week have already been earmarked by a Gallery in Lancaster in the event that it does not sell at exhibition, this falls in nicely in line with my planned intention of moving beyond Cumbria into the National Arena as I continue to work toward the National Tour in 2014 of which plans are going well despite the project still being in its infancy.
More close to home, I am continuing to issue free limited edition prints of the exhibition pieces though in doing so I have recognised something quite sad in as much as there have only been around 1% of recipients who have actually written and said thankyou for the prints, not that it is so important to me to get a thankyou it is nonetheless surprising how low that percentage is. with over 200 now sent out and 800 to go I look forward to this job being completed. Tomorrow I collect the only painting that I am having framed and I so look forward to it. It is surprising that, (excepting my most recent works), I have been rarely able to see the paintings as paintings until such as time as they have been framed, until the time that they return home they are brush and pallet knife marks, perhaps it is this aspect that marks this exhibition in such a defining way in as much as they (almost) satisfy even myself.
