Tuesday, 18 January 2011

2011 projects

with my own work aside I have two major projects this year, the first related to Jackson Pollock lost year and the second linked to the Royal British Legion and the draping of the Town Castle with poppies, there is no guarantee that the latter will happen this year as the amount of red tape, permissions, research and funding could take much longer, the installation that will come about in the event that my bid is successful however will be quite a marvelous and thought provoking spectacle.

Links for information related to the kendal castle

1.     Images of Kendal Castle    Images for Kendal Castle

2.     Facebook project page    Kendal Castle Remembrance Poppy Bid

The second project is a personal one related to Jackson Pollock and his final year during which he did not paint anything.

I start this project believing that the man was at the very start of an exciting future during which he would have brought much, I have much in common with Jackson Pollock notwithstanding his addictive and volatile personality, a personality I was fortunate to tear myself from though nonetheless remember vividly, his loss in 1956, the year of my conception, was a tragic loss to all both personal and professional.

Over the course of this new year I intend to make an objective study, not so much of his works as I believe he had started to tire of the style for which he became known as 'Jack the Dripper', to but of the man himself, to try and work as best I can within his mindset and to move forward in an informed manner; I am sure that, in avoidance of alcohol and the continued support and understanding of his partner, Lee (Lenore) Krasner, his artistic brothers and close associates combined of course with his own individuality, would have continued to grow and move forward both as an artist and as a person.

No one can ever be sure in which direction he might have gone in relation to his art however I do believe that an informed and in-depth knowledge of the man within will allow for a natural flow forward.

With regard to his work, my primary task is to understand the properties of paints, although the actual paints that he worked with have been modified through chemistry and time and no longer available I have to imagine that the materials that he used would have changed and taken his choice of paint away, forced by the evolution of artistic materials and therefore am fortunate to be able to use materials that for him simply would not have been available at the time, nonetheless I am obliged to become as familiar with the available paint as he was himself.

While working on this project I have found that I am able to accept Jacksons statement that the 'accident can be denied', that one can control the flow of paint with experience, to this end I have produced several drip and splash paintings that have been finished with pre-conceived expectations both validated and apparent.
For this piece (1.3 m x 1.9m) I set out to create a canvas that gave an overall hue, much in the way that the pointilists mixed points of different colours that would view as a single colour, the final piece is viewed by some as a red painting, some as a blue painting, surprising in the fact that the predominant colour is black, it works.


Detail from above

Whereas I have dedicated an information page on facebook for the Poppy Project in the search for public support work related to the Pollock project will continue to be published on this BLOG.

Thursday, 13 January 2011

2011

2011 brings me a wonderful start, while intending to continue with my work supporting several charities I shall be embarking on a new personal project toward a national exhibition with a working title of ' Pollock, the Lost Year'.
In his last year of his life,Jackson Pollock did not create, a sad event for any artist but moreso for him as it brought to an end what I believe would have been the beginnings of his greatest triumphs. 

Through research and practice I intend to explore where his work might have led to in a bid to bring the unknown into being, it is quite a strange feeling really, the more I find about Jackson Pollock the more I find out about myself, I am fortunate than Pollock to have resolved my own issues before becoming a public figure without the binds and embarrassing situations that drug and alcohol abuse brings, I have a great sadness for him as an artist, at the very time he should have been at the driving seat with a wonderful career ahead he returned to alcohol and the resulting destruction of his relationship and life, where would he have gone had this not been the case.


there is a US artist called Frankie Brown who in 1999 celebrated his 20th year of painting in the style of Pollock however he built his career on the statement, ''taking up where jackson pollock left off'', I would suggest that he did not take up where pollock left off merely continued where pollock ended, I would hope to go a step further and discover where his final and subsequent years may have taken both he and his art.
I am a progressive and visionary artist now with over 35 years experience and many more I would hope, still ahead of me. Overall I am driven to work for those who exist on the fringe of society and partner with several charities to this end including, The Royal British Legion, for whom my most recent work was an exterior installation piece covering a half mile stretch of walkway, Stonham (Home) Housing, an organisation that provides for Homeless and Vulnerable adults and Combat Stress, a charity that deals with ex servicemen and women following war related health and cognitive problems; for these charities I produce artworks, roadshows and talks, the main objectives being the raising both of profile and of funds, I also am involved with a National Mental Health Charity, MIND.



My greatest challenge this coming year is to drape a local historic building with poppies in time for Remembrance Day 2011, there are many hurdles ahead before that can happen, watch this space to be kept up to date.   Currently I have the fortune to have met with a chap who runs a national arts cooperative and, as we speak, is starting to put together a film presentation of the event which I shall post as soon as it is finished and available, till then, Happy New and productive year from me.