24 August 08
Woolshed in Port Adelaide
The Pile of Cars was not pre-selected for the Tattersalls Landscape Prize, but was immediately sold by Pivotal Gallery for $20,000. I admit to disappointment about the competition but I have always known that my work doesn’t stand up in competitions, particularly those prejudged from photographs. Not vigorous enough. Doesn’t catch the eye. Maybe it wasn’t a landscape!
Immediately decided that that was it as far as competitions went but had this amazing idea for the Blake Prize, entries due next June. It comes from an idea that I was going to go on with about ten years ago, but never did. Painting-by-numbers.
The wrecked buildings is going very well. Even got the sky right today. It’s got the the stage I feel excited about starting work, even if it is only 4 degrees outside.
14 August 08
The tree used for the Tattersalls entry
Back to the wrecked building again, this time with no respite until it’s finished. It’s at that blocked stage now when I have to decide that if an area’s not working, it goes, even if it’s already taken a couple of weeks to paint that bit and, sure enough, the block is going and I could almost say it’s approaching a conclusion.
I had an excellent tutor when I was 16 and fresh into art college during the 1960’s. I had already been sent to evening art classes as an alternative to the church youth club or Guides and could produce a flashy sort of approximation of a portrait of a seated model, but this tutor used to stand over me (during life drawing) and say, “Look, you’re not looking, you’re drawing what you think you see, not what’s really there. Rub it out and start again. Rub it out and start again. You must never, ever be precious about your work. Destroy it.” (I never could draw - work with painted areas, yes, lines drawn round the edge of things, no.) She was, of course, absolutely right and over and over again I’ll face a dying work, reluctant to destroy the one bit I like, but that is the bit that has to go.
The next painting is still in draft stage (manipulating images in Photoshop, can’t relate a working drawing to a painting and if I start a rough painted draft I’m compelled to go on and on and finish it. It has a gate in it.
08 August 08
A crack in the studio floor
The Tattersall’s got finished and entered. This $20,0000 competition is no longer invitation only, so the painting is currently entered for pre-selection, fortunately judged on digital images, making entry very simple. Preselection for competitions like the Sulman, Wynne, Archibald or Paddington Landscape is judged on the works themselves and the fun (and horrendously expensive) bit is getting the painting packed and back again from interstate when it’s not even going to be shown.
Fence, Truck and Joggers, which was sold for $2850 in 2001, has just been resold for $20,000.
The wrecked buildings painting is feeling a great deal more positive and I’m putting together a final idea for the next one.