Notes from a locked down studio
Where to start!? It seems like a longtime ago that we were locked down in response to the Coronavirus, and I have to say that at the beginning of the process I rather assumed that it would be the end of the studio as I’ve known it over the past 25 years. The strong sense of an impending recession, coming hot on the heels of austerity and Brexit, seemed to me to sound a death knell for artists working with high street galleries as their primary source of income. Inevitably I retreated to my garden to think, and to labour. The simple task of tending the garden in Spring is a fantastic tonic, and of course allows one to think and reflect at some length.
My feeling now is that the studio will survive, albeit in a different form, and I think it may even prosper. There has been time now to reflect and reconsider what the purpose of the studio really is, and how it may connect with people. For the longest time I have been consistently frustrated by the way in which the gallery system interfaces between the studio and interested people, I tend to eschew the term collector, as I don’t feel that necessarily best defines people who are simply interested in finding an occasional beautiful artwork for their home, that this isn’t ‘collecting’ as such. The print club is different of course…
So maybe it’s time to reinvent the studio in a more design led format. If the high street is going to be on the back foot, and the internet is in the ascendent, then perhaps I simply need to create a more engaging internet presence, and profile my studio more engagingly online, unmediated by the rapidly diminishing high street gallery system, and hope to find a new customer base that way. If I’ve learnt anything in the past few weeks it is that the studio has a real value to me, and moving more slowly and thoughtfully here, whilst consuming less, may in fact be a better way to live, for me at least. So perhaps a reduced turnover, with a reduced workload, may work very well for the studio over the coming decade.
When I say ‘design led’ I’m really referencing the idea that in almost every creative field other than fine art, ‘creatives’ tend to manage their own profiles, so people like Thomas Heatherwick, or Olafur Eliasson, not only create fabulous work, but also mange their own interface with the world. Fine art to date has continued to indulge in the idea that gallerists are required to mediate between the studio and the street, but I’m not sure that has been to the advantage of the artist particularly! Perhaps there can be a new way forward, in which artists take more control of that interface, and create more engaging results. We’ll see!
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Art and the garden
I’ve become increasingly fascinated by the differences and similarities between time spent in the studio and in the garden. I appreciate that this is to some extent a trope, and has been studied by many artists over the years. Giverny perhaps being the best example. Nevertheless there is something fascinating about the way in which a garden generates form and colour, new views and images, year in, year out, in ways that are always unexpected. Effectively the garden consumes the labour and design you put into it, and then throws up the most deliciously unexpected results from your best laid plans.
I’m interested to explore the idea that the studio may be able to manifest energy in a similar way, and become an incubator for more unexpected results. If materials can be laid out, with rigorous planning, but simultaneously a layer of unexpected chance and serendipity can be actioned, subconsciously, then perhaps some aspects of the work can become less controlled and more intriguing as a result. It’s something to think about, and hopefully action.
If you’re interested in gardening and photography, I’d recommend this book, it’s loaded with great images
https://aperture.org/shop/photographer-in-the-garden/
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Lockdown print club edition, #14
We’re all becoming far more familiar with the minutiae of our day to day surroundings, and having spent more time than ever in the garden this Spring, I thought it ultimately irresistible to spend a couple of days photographing both indoors and outdoors, and making some kind of new print work from the resulting images. Something that speaks of May and June, and also of being locked down. I’m going to crop and collage the images I’ve got, and see where it leads. I’m expecting to combine the images with an idea I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but never actioned, which is to make a ‘mantel piece’, a folded print work that will stand up by itself, in some kind of mildly sculptural way. I’ll send images of work in progress as it comes together.
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The next edition, #13
I’ve been testing fabric print samples and colour swatches at Citrus Rain, a Manchester based short run digital fabric print specialist, and am almost happy with the results. So the next edition should be with you shortly… images to follow.
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I hope you’re keeping well, and enjoying the Spring as much as possible!
With best regards - Chuck
