Tales from the Humber

Janaury Newsletter Issue Five

The carbon-borders-voices launch last night was a very interesting Zoom call. Besides explanations of how it began and what it was about, it featured five contributors to the project, showcasing their work. They were brilliant. Compared to this I am amazed my contributions were accepted. I feel honoured to be part of this enterprise and hope when my turn comes, I won’t let myself down. There are 85 in all and five presented last night - a poet, artist, musician, a scientist, artist/scientist and another artist.

 

Back to my own work, it hasn’t gone well. I have produced no finished work at all. However, looking at my process, I usually start with a straightforward preliminary drawing from a photograph, then move away into more abstraction. This is the adventure part. There is no map, no knowing where it will go or how it will turn out.

It might not produce anything worth while at all.

At this stage I’m very slow and need to turn my thinking brain off.

Images come from somewhere deeper.

Jamie came last night and the first thing we did was rebuild the home page. This was a response to positive criticism. I had fallen in love with the Humber Bridge photograph. I was gently reminded this was not the point of my website. It happens when making artwork too. Part of a painting is good, but the rest is not working! Most of us want to save the best bit but in fact that is the very part you must paint over. It frees the image up and it can then be pulled together by working the rest. One can’t afford to be precious. So, the bridge has gone. I’m sure it will appear in other images down the line. All the newsletters, except this one, are now published and then I notice an error, no gap between 24th and January. Very annoying! I need Jamie’s help to correct it.