Posts Tagged ‘muse’
Allowing yourself to make "Bad" Art also allows Great Art to grow!
A conversation I had with James my Muse, led me to think more about how important it is to allow yourself to make “bad” art, he suggested that if you do not allow yourself to write, paint etc. badly you probably wont allow yourself to write, paint etc. some of the great stuff either. What is the use in always travelling the explored paths and terrains if you want to find something great you will probably have to go to an unsigned place and create your own map to find it, these journeys can sometimes bring about some initially, very strange and ugly art it could even be very bad art, but one day you can find it and laugh so much at what a funny looking, awful thing you created! Or it might be fantastic! This practice of laughing at the awful things we create and do I have some way to go yet, but I am a willing student and how nice it would be to lighten up in the studio, and not take myself so seriously!
“Don’t sully my play and living in the moment, by calling it Art!”
Water, some Rose Oil and a Hand
The moon is reflected in a distant rock pool
Caretakers of the earth not owners
All part of the same thing
Little waterfall
This morning James set me a challenge. It was to spend one hour in the bathroom with my camera. This challenge James said was to do with the fact that we as humans like to put ourselves in places and situations where we can just go on auto pilot and hence use minimum effort, this can be good and bad. So doing this challenge forced me to do things that are different from usual. It is also my idea of bliss to spend an hour on my own in the bathroom, but I would not have thought of bringing in my camera so it was even more fun! These photographs relate to earlier interventions of mine, it was really nice to play! It is wonderful to have someone to think of interesting things to do that help you feel creative. Thank you my Muse!
Personal Statement
My art practice and everyday life can blur into one another so much that it is impossible to separate them. I often use everyday materials that are already in my life but somehow call me to create something with them, such as brown paper bags turned into poppy seed heads, a broken umbrella, the biker leathers James gave me for my 34th birthday. One day I put on these leathers and my back went for no apparent reason, we both thought that I needed to make some art with these leathers, some healing needed to be done, my back recovered!
My own art journey travels to the invisible and tries to make it visible and overlooked reconsidered and repositioned. I like to combine things which are rarely seen together; relocating them, such as painted words on clothes, both clothes for humans and in the past horses. I often use text in my art practice and see words as having a lot of power, like prayer flags.
However I do not limit myself to making or recreating objects solely, I move freely from the flatter lands of painting and drawing, printing, collage and photography and into the rolling hills of solid object land, I also enter the disappearing and reappearing land of video from time to time. As well as the land, sea and sky itself with environmental and time-based works. Sometimes these all overlap.
James Slevin is both my partner in life and my muse. In the past it was usual for male artists to have a female muses. We work together, I make, but he somehow sees from a distance with more clarity where the piece is going and guides it in a very gentle and perceptive manner, not changing its destiny but helping it to fully reach it.
(This statement is to go with my resent work, which is hand made objects and instillation art, though it is connected to my painting I have a separate statement for my painting written by a great friend and art writer.)
Modern Mary
This morning, James my partner and muse discussed the direction that these motor bike leathers will take. James also known as peacerider has a great insight into my artwork and often can pull it together by combining different elements of my work and making it more complete; we work well together. This piece is very female and we intend to make it even more female so it is a kind of balancing to have some male input. Traditionally it was typical for the men to be the Artists and the women to be their muses so I like that this is balancing out too. In the days to come this piece will become something a little more….. so see what happens!
Peace to all
Is it a long way from Doolin to Dharamsala?
We are not really sure yet but we think it is quite far! Little did we know when James got his first motor bike a 125cc Yamaha Dragstar, that it was going to be his chariot for raising awareness about issues of peace and freedom for Tibet, all the way from Doolin to Dharamsala! James is my muse and is constantly inspiring me, certainly now is no exception! You will see some peaceful influence coming into my work, right about now!! I am asking myself what is peace, how do you make it, is it possible, would I like it! Yes! I can safely say I would like it, but enough to do anything about making it happen? It is close, if I am helped, supported and reminded constantly I think I would like to do lots! That is where the new peacerider.com web site by James Slevin will help us who are interested in Peace, to get inspired and maybe helped along on a smoother ride, to help create a peaceful world. I would highly recommend all to have a peak.
Peace for you, Peace for them, Peace for parents, Peace for children, Peace for individuals, Peace for animals, Peace for all sentient beings, Peace on our planet, Peace on the moon and Peace in our minds!
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