A weekend of brightness

 

It was incredibly hard today to tear myself away from an absolutely stunning Cornish coast. I spent lovely time on four beaches....

Lamorna Cove

St Agnes Bay

Treyarnon Bay

Trebarwith Strand

Each one different. I don't normally talk to myself (!) but today I couldn't help exclaim and laugh out loud at the beauty of it all.

The air seemed particularly clean and bright.

I can't wait to start working with these pictures. In October I have an exhibition called 'Bright Edges', a response in part to the last few days...

 

Inspiration and Integrity

Whilst away on holiday I've been reflecting a bit on what it means as a working artist to have integrity.

It's said that a stick of rock is a good picture of what integrity looks like. The words or picture inside it runs true all the way through it. My thinking is that if we are going public with our work we need to keep a check on where our inspiration is coming from, how we are processing it, if what we are creating still reflects clearly that source. Then we need to push forward looking for new and better ways of working, firstly from within ourselves and then more widely from within the field we work in. Does what we do and how we do it have integrity?

When we are being creative for our own pleasure and enjoyment, where that inspiration comes from is less important than if we are making the work public or for sale. The filter our work passes through as we create it is what gives it it's integrity. What has played a part in our journey, the time and effort put in over the years, the inspiration we have sought, working out what matters to us... It all acts as a filter through which what we are creating passes. And I think you can tell when you peer closely at a piece of art whether it has a richness to it that tells of a deeper history than if it is just an idea that has simply been taken and emulated from another artist.

To be inspired by other artists is fantastically important. Inspiration is often a springboard to great things. But if the intention is to make that work public the creative process then has to pass through 'who we are' to mark it out as our own and to give it that heritage of substance and integrity born out of a journey.

Facebook. Blog. Twitter... For me, fortunate enough to make a living through selling my glass, these virtual but real ways of being 'out there' are still unfolding their secrets! I think that they are useful ways of being known about. I know that I have enjoyed discovering the communities that thrive in them. They are like bee hives, buzzing with happenings. And it totally depends on which hive you enter as to what community you get drawn into! One of the greatest things they offer is genuine encouragement... Like oxygen to the soul.

But they can be risky too... I am aware that in such a public open space inspiring others can actually lead to undisguised simulation. I guess that is not surprising, but it is hard to swallow. I have had many conversations with artists who have experienced this. In the end, they bite the bullet and move on. So back to my original thought, does what I do and how I do it have integrity? My aim is to keep on asking myself that question. After all, without a heritage of substance and integrity, an artists work will become weak and lose its heart. In the end, integrity must win. Surely?

And so... Here are some pictures of work I've made over the years...from way back when I was 17 to last week! Kind of reminding myself of my own journey.

And I'm wondering what you are thinking about all this 'integrity' talk?

 

 

Travels in my studio

It's good to have a nose around someone's studio... I had a close look in the dusty corners of mine this morning! And it reminded me of lots of different times and places...

The apron Kelvin bought me in London a few years ago.

Numerous pebbles and shells from numerous beaches.

The first few oil paintings I did quite a few years ago.

My boys. Their friends. On the beach.

A leaf from Venice.

A mini sundress I made for fun.

Buttons I've collected, kept in a cup from a junk shop.

Some dried heather and a pheasant feather.

An older me.

I like the idea of having a 'beautiful corner'...or two.