Anne Novak on tue 19 sep 00
I've become exhausted following the philosophical, tangentially =
clay-related postings lately, too many to read, even if I delete as fast =
as I can, and now here I am adding to them. A lot of different threads =
have come together in my head, and I feel compelled to add my two cents =
worth. Please forgive me.
I'm mostly a lurker, and I assume none of you know me, so I'll start by =
explaining where I come from.
When I touched clay for the first time, thirty odd years ago, clay =
touched me, and I felt like I had come home. The clay touched me, but =
the clay world made me feel like a misfit. I have a certain degree of =
technical expertise, but not nearly as much as many of you, and mostly I =
feel like an idiot savant in my work. Craftsmanship is of utmost =
importance to me and I strive for impeccable construction, but I still =
can't do some of the simplest things - never did make a successful =
pulled handle - and don't even want to. Don't glaze, have no interest in =
throwing, though I have passable skills in both. Though I admire =
functional work, and collect it whenever I can afford to, and use it =
with joy, I don't make it.
I don't appologize for this. I make what I make. Sometimes I plod, and =
sometimes, often enough to keep me grateful, the spirit moves through =
me, and my work leaves me shaken, and in awe. I recently came across a =
quote by John Cage, which I'll have to paraphrase as I didn't write it =
down. "When you go into the studio the whole art world is in there with =
you, and all your friends, and your enemies, and all your ideas, and =
judgements, and then one by one they all leave, and sometimes, if you =
are very lucky you leave too." That about says it all.That is what I =
work for.
Many people consider me an artist, but the "art world" interests me only =
slightly. I try to take note of what is going on. I try to understand. I =
try to keep a receptive and open mind. Often the issues are far removed =
from my concerns and experience. I'm mostly "self-taught", a euphemism =
for learning from everyone and everything I come into contact with. My =
education such as it is has come from living on the street in my late =
teens and early twenties (which nearly killed me), recovering in Nature =
(please don't gag, David - I don't know how else to express it in a few =
words) and spending most of the last twenty-five years in small, =
red-neck, economically depressed, resource-based towns, and villages.
I folowed the "What do you listen to?" thread with interest. It made me =
feel very lonely. I listen to blues, Motown, soul, lots of rap and hip =
hop - especially OutKast and Missy Elliot - Fred Eaglesmith and Willie =
P. Bennet when I'm in a country kind of mood, the Stones, and when I =
especially need sustenance, Lou Reed, who never fails to inspire. I find =
most "good taste" music insufferable. It grates on my nerves, it hurts =
my head, it makes me feel physically ill. I detest listening to jazz, =
and I can't abide swing. Classical music touches me not one bit. Not to =
say I don't think it has musical merit - I'm sure it does, but I have to =
leave the room. I gag when I eat eggs, too, but that doesn't make me =
less of a gourmet cook, or less appreciative of good food.
The thing is someone - the taste police - has decided that the music I =
love is not as meritous as the music they love. When an icestorm hit =
Montreal a few seasons back thousands of people were moved to emergency =
shelters. A civic minded chamber quartet took it upon themselves to =
travel from shelter to shelter delivering free concerts to brighten =
their stay. If a group of rappers had set up in the shelter, imagine the =
cries of outrage. But chamber music is culture. No matter that people =
like me would have been forced into the ice storm by their music.
I guess Picasso is culture too. Everyone sure jumped on Larry when he =
expressed his opinion of Picasso's work. I guess the Teletubbies aren't =
culture, because no one jumped on Gail for lumping them in with =
MacDonalds. (My two year old grand daughter was unable to post her =
opinion on this matter.) You all make value judgements whether you like =
to admit it or not.
My point is that your culture isn't mine. Your experiences aren't the =
same as mine. Your questions aren't the same as mine, and neither are =
your answers. You have no right to assume that a person who doesn't =
share your values is ignorant, though that is exactly what I heard in =
response to Larry's honest expression of his opinion of Picasso's work. =
People also accused Larry of arrogance, though in my opinion arrogance =
is not necessarily bad, and they were also exhibiting it in their =
knee-jerk condemnation of Larry.=20
( I've heard Picasso was pretty arrogant himself. Perhaps most artists =
are.I rather doubt Picasso worried about political correctness before =
condemning the work of artists he didn't appreciate.)
I think all this speaks directly to the issue of making your work your =
own.You have to start right where you are, and you have to be prepared =
to throw out the sacred cows. It's kind of like Mel's point about just =
getting out there and doing it. Without fear. We all carry around a lot =
of ideas about what's good and what isn't, sometimes to the point of =
being crippled by preconceptions. As you continue to work you will learn =
who and what you admire, and what you don't. And maybe your opinions =
will be different than anyone else's. That doesn't mean they're less =
valuable or worthy of respect. Apparently a lot of people have =
difficulty with this. I've been lucky to be able to work in relative =
isolation (from the art world, though not from humanity). I am fortunate =
enough to have a strength of vision, and a capacity for constructive, =
but relentless self-criticism which has allowed me to continue to grow. =
It shows in the strength and originality of my work, or so I'm told.
When I was young I was told to respect my elders, merely because they =
were older. I decided long ago to treat each person I met with respect =
for the simple fact of their humanity, but if they wanted respect beyond =
that they had to earn it. I treat art the same way.
=20
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