Janet Kaiser on thu 17 jan 02
First of all, let me wish everyone a healthy, happy and successful potting,
making, teaching and/or selling year. This is a belated greeting... But
somehow things have gotten out of hand here over the past couple of months.
2001 was a pretty shitty year for galleries in Wales including The Chapel
of Art, as well as many artists/makers throughout the UK. Those of us in
rural areas have been badly affected by various natural and economic
disasters, the last being the events of Sept. 11th. which reportedly
reduced visitors to the UK to below 20% of the norm.
I have been off-line for numerous reasons... PC problems following multiple
worm and/or virus bombardment plus file/programme corruption/s in
October/November, business worries (10 visitors per day max. before and
over Christmas, sales down, increase in utility costs/rates, roof that
needs serious repairs, New Year's concert cancelled, health and hospital
stays (I currently look like I just came out of a 15 round fight with
Cassius Clay, 25 stitches and am on antibiotics because everyone coming out
of hospital is apparently developing pneumonia! No, it was not a
facelift... Oral surgery, bone grafting, etc. to make good past mistakes by
highly paid professional dentists.)
Apart from all this personal malaise, I must admit a certain amount of
disappointment in a few fellow clay-arters and their entrenched attitudes
to the most trivial matters. The one which finished me off, was the
accusation that I do not have my e-mail programme set up to suit clay art
users and should change it to accommodate this list and this list alone!!
That is pretty much to expect of someone who has to project forwards, so I
will always remain contactable, even if I change ISP. Change my set-up just
to accommodate and instantly gratify the lazy on this list, when I have an
international project to continue and complete? For those who expect that,
I have one answer: "On your bike mate!" How bloody self-centred can you
get?
Anyway, many factors helped to change me into a lurker. Never thought you
would hear that, eh? But there is immense perceived power in being a
lurker, which I had not understood before. I am really beginning to enjoy
it. Perhaps this is another plain on which to move? "Yes, Grasshopper...
The wisdom of silence..."
"The wise old owl sat in the oak.
The more he heard, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
So take a lesson from that wise old bird"
Or as my Grandfather would have said: "Speech is silver, but silence is
golden". Actually, he did not say that, his great motto was: "It is one
thing being a bloody fool, but quite another to open your mouth and prove
you're one".
As I have often stated in the past, those who constantly bash galleries,
instead of regarding them as faithful friends and partners, a valid and
lucrative way of promoting one's self and one's art/craft really annoy and
hurt me most. It is foolish to think this way and it saddens me that poor
personal experience when dealing with a gallery in the past has blinded
certain individuals to the opportunities galleries and other exhibition
venues can provide. Often bad experiences are because the artist/maker has
been incredibly stupid and gullible to start with... Some of the worst
stories, would amaze anyone... You have to be street wise in this world and
if you are not savvy, there are a lot of sharks out there ready to rip you
off... A modicum of sense is essential when dealing with others... Good
grief, the art world is no different to any other these days.
Each party has to earn mutual respect and boy, does that work both ways...
The good artist/bad artist ratio is around 5:1 Are you a good artist or a
bad artist? Ever stopped to ask? Galleries possibly have a poorer ratio,
because there are many who are here today, gone tomorrow. These
fly-by-night galleries are often run by well meaning people, many of whom
are, by the way, artists or craftspeople who think that they can produce
work, teach, sell and promote themselves and others all at the same time.
They end up doing neither or anything well, which is why I am selling and
not making. I could chose to make or teach, but would definitely have to
retire from selling... It has nothing to do with multi-tasking or
single-mindedness, there just are not enough hours in the day. But my
feelings on this subject have been more than aired before. It do not want
to get side-tracked into that particular old debate...
But I must admit to being tempted out of my self-proclaimed superior
lurking state, by the thread which started: "TC @ Sheridan: A sign that the
apocalypse is upon us ;-D", continued with: "Can anyone on the List read?"
and then briskly followed: "Define elitism" With ass-covering follow-ups
from the originator, disbelieving posts from David H. & Co, a laid back
primary response from Top Cat, many others giving vent to this or that
sense of outrage or annoyance... Some fine, sensitive words by Kelly in OH
and Linda B in Ithaca, NY... There is really nothing for me to add, but you
know what folks? I have decided that poor Raphael suffers from dreadful
cyber body language or even body odour. In German we say, "Ich kann ihm
nicht riechen" = I cannot stand the smell of him). A great many seem to be
suffering from this phenomena just at the moment...
I have always been very aware of body language and this international list
has moderated how I say things (but not what I think) over the last 2-3
years. Being a white, middle-aged woman from a rural environment and
background, I am naturally intimidated by any group of afro-Caribbean
youths I bump into on the corner of a city street. Why? Because their body
language is totally outside my ken... We distrust one another simply
because our body language is different... It is mutual. The same goes for
Raphael... His choice of words is just so unfortunate and inflammatory, I
wonder he gets through life without being beaten up on a daily basis.
But that may be because he only talks this way to us here through clay
art!? Is it the face he presents to Clay Art and cyberspace alone...? Like
when everyone from Clay Art who visits The Chapel of Art for the first time
and expects a very loud, feisty woman with a tiny hen-pecked husband are
surprised I speak moderately and even quietly and Eckhard is not shut up in
a cupboard... Well, not often! :-)
What do you think? Perhaps the RM image is totally different in cyberspace
too... Could anyone say these things the way he does and remain physically
unharmed on a real live campus or discussion group or bar anywhere in the
world today? I don't think even academia would put up with this apparent
arrogance for long, so that leaves us with the thought that he must be
adopting this attitude and language for some ulterior motive. Just what
eludes me.
It is hard work thinking (let alone typing) whilst clutching an ice pack to
my face... A face which currently looks so like Walter Matthew (sp?) down
one side, it is quite fascinating! And just because I was in hospital does
not mean I was without clay!! The tile panels in the main corridor were of
parrots, made by Bronwyn Williams-Ellis. Now I know some of you met her at
NCECA last year or was it 2000? Steve Mills knows her very well indeed and
so it is another example of the clay world being small... I wonder how she
is getting on with that book on tiles? Steve? Have you heard?
Janet
P.S. Please give me time to respond to my backlog of personal e-mails
off-line... Some as long ago as November. I'll get there one day, but my
jaw is beginning to throb, so it will not be today...
Written 12.01.2002 Posted 16.01.2002
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
Marine Crescent . Criccieth LL52 0EA . GB-Wales . UK
E-MAIL: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEB: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
TEL: (++44) 01766-523570
Home of The International Potters' Path
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