Busy times at the moment with article writing, gallery supplying and bottle washing. However in between this I have managed to get some quiet relaxation by adding to the base/colours of this piece.
Around eight colours have been used together with copper foils, a few processes to get to this next stage. Hopefully you will only see a subtle difference but if you look at the previous picture and the piece as it is now, the colours I hope are more subdued and hold a different feeling of age.
Now I can progress the piece forward by adding an insert and lid together with other natural materials, , more highlights where needed and new natural materials that I have not used before. I am quite excited about trying out as it means a foraging in the local woodland which I always enjoy.
I am very undecided at the moment how I want the lid and insert to look so again it will have to wait until something pops into my mind.
5 comments:
Hi Mark,
I can see a depth of style developing that I am slowly beginning to appreciate.
The subtle differences between where the piece is at now compared to 'progressing slowly' is evident to my eye and all the more pleasing.
The piece is looking deep, rich and aged in a way that makes it look real, as if it where an ancient object from another era but still with a modern flavour and flair.
Mark, I feel that it's time you started to embrace your own desire when it comes to turning. You are at a stage where no validation is required of your work. In other words when your setting the trend yOur on your own - it's up to others to follow if they've got the balls!
I for one, along with a few very stylish and discerning individuals have bought the ticket and are waiting at the station, your the driver and we're waiting to go - ALL ABOARD!!!
You should consider developing your interest in Japanese culture and philosophy. The work you are producing that follows this path is most inspiring and I believe this is where some of your best work awaits to be discovered.
侍
Hi Lee
Thank you for your comment. I think when we make anything to be viewed that we want our work validated by others. This was certainly the case for me until recently.
Now I feel I have shed the chains of pear praise and conformity. Of course I like people to enjoy my work. But if we are not careful we make for positive comments and in such an insular world this means holding back our own creative freedom. Which just stifles and restricts us and what we do as makers.
Glad you are enjoying seeing the process and hopefully it will not be too long before it is finished. But then again it may be.!
Hi Mark, I find these comments revealing and feel there is a few points that need to be considered when creating work when there is no information provided to the viewer it needs to stand alone however the place from which it came is important and more so at the time of making and this may allow the maker to create with a clear mind but if influenced by philosophies then this will show within the work and it is this element that will speek for you in years to come and not what you specifically place with a piece today Wabi Sabi also concerns me asa maker because tomorrow the piece will be different and I for one want what I create today to be seen as I have created it tommorrow.
Hi anonymous. :-)
Thank you for your comments.
Wabi-Sabi is a very involved philosophy and much more than you have highlighted. Indeed if you study it in depth you will find that even the Japanese can not fully explain it in terms alone as it has to be lived to be understood.
This we do every day but for us in western society it passes us by without our knowledge.
Often what we find revealing is more a refection of ourselves based on our own mind set,this in turn can taint our perception of what we are trying to see.
Or sometimes we do not want to reveal our true self I notice you have posted anonymously.
Impermanence and Wabi-Sabi while connected should not be confused as the whole. Yes it gives reference to the changes that occur at a specific time but much more than this it concerns itself with that beauty comes from austerity over the superficial.
The natural beauty of age/change/materials is a constant in all life and as such this is an every changing state of being in the here and now. What we see from one day to the next holds as much value as the past. Take the changing of the seasons for an example.
You say about work standing alone now and in the future, this is only valid for me at the time of making for after this, it is handed over/let go to the owner, who with their ever changing tastes and likes/dislikes. This itself is not a constant, the changing our interior decoration scheme being an example.
What people see now will change over time and for me work without a deep basis for its making is merely superficial, as if we are trying to hold onto an identity that we may be concerned about losing. This in itself is a very western way of thinking and to not go deeper within my work means that I am only staying within my comfort zone without exploring a much more exciting subject/place.
Information is provided to the viewer through what they see; information is also given about the basic philosophy with the rest being ascertained through contemplation.
Art does not come with an in depth reference so that the viewer can be given the answers, the answers should be found through the individuals own thought process based on what they see and feel. Or we are just making items to be exchanged for money which again is a superficial western ideal.
For a piece of work to have a deep philosophical back ground such as this means that it more than stands alone. Once the purchasing of a piece has been left on the sideboard for a few years without an underlying basis, for me it just fades into the background and eventually will be changed or discarded with the tastes of the owner, either literally or emotionally. If the owner can connect with a piece at a deeper level then the there is so much more than just a tangible reference. For me without a depth items are nothing more than attractive ornaments which in time lose their interest and are discarded or changed.
This piece will not be different tomorrow than it is today; I think you may not understand the whole meaning of Wabi-Sabi. The piece is made to look aged with a lack of superficial adornment and is also heavily based/linked with the Zen philosophy of impermanence (being shown by its apparent ageing). While these are a whole they are also separates.
However being made of modern materials it will look the same in fifty years time.
As you say the ideas behind this piece are revealing as is your preference that what you make today is the same as you have created it tomorrow. Each of us should include our identity/essence in our work as this makes each piece/makers identity individual.
Here a different view point on the subject.
www.robertdfeinman.com/society/art
Sorry you will have to cut an paste.
Thanks again
If Annoymous is a 'round and brown' then the only part of the work that will be the 'same as' in the future will be the form. Wabi Sabi will take care of the colour.
If colour is being added to works then it will only hold good and be the 'same as' in the future if high quality art materials and pigments are being used. It will also need to be kept in archival conditions including being away from direct, strong light sources. Otherwise, again, Wabi Sabi impermanence comes in to play.
Nature and natural occurences will always play tricks with our aspirations and vision of our work.
Post a Comment