A good part of my thinking seems to be accomplished whilst driving. (I know that my Dad had the same habit. I’m not sure how safe it is, especially on a motorway.) On my way to my regular climbing session with friends this morning a thought suddenly occurred to me, and it has been on my mind throughout the rest of the day.* Is there some kind of underlying theme to my painting, regardless of its apparently diverse content?
The idea was set in motion by reflection on the series of images on which I was working until recently, to which I have given the general title Beyond.** The general idea behind this series is that it is possible to catch sight of some realm of light and quietness beyond the rough and broken context in which the viewer is actually located. The images all affirm the existence of this other realm “beyond” the here and now.
Then my mind turned to my obsessive, recurring concern with Almscliff Crag. I’ve often wondered what is going on here, but the possibility came into my mind is that this rock formation has something to do with endurance across enormous stretches of time. Almscliff survives for a future that at the present cannot be imagined, let alone perceived.
Finally, I fell to reflecting on the material on which I am working at the present, on the theme of creation and creativity. Unpreposessing and rather ordinary contexts turn out to be the locus of actions that have enormous significance. (A man dances on a beach: another forms a human figure from clay.) All of these things are tremendously positive affirmations about our world and our place in it.
A part of me for some time has wondered whether my art should be turned towards a much more stridently and openly critical outlook on our world. There is no lack of subject-matter for critical exposure in one form or another. Should I, as an artist, work to ensure that I develop a “prophetic” voice? Despite these bouts of self-questioning this has never been possible.
Now it seems to me that this course of action is probably not necessary. There is a role for positive affirmation about our future, for the celebration of our capacity for endurance in the face of a hostile world, and for a reminder of the inestimable value of the divine spark of creativity within us.
Somehow, in a way I have not yet fathomed, it is all held together by my long-standing and recurring interest in T.S. Eliot and his reflection os time.
*Awesome Walls in Sheffield on this occasion. It was raining, so we couldn’t get out on the real stuff.
**One of the “galleries” elsewhere in this website contains a part of this material , although I have not had the opportunity to upload about a hold of it, as yet.