Participation in exhibitions is often interesting for reasons which have nothing to do with selling one’s work. Very often the most useful part of the occasion can be the opportunities for conversations with colleagues. My involvement with the Thornton Art Trail over the week-end is a case in point.
One of the other exhibitors in the same venue was Judy Sale. She is a painter of American origin, although I gather that she has been resident in the UK for some time now. I was very pleased to be placed in the same venue has Judy because she is so much better-known than I am, to the extent that viewers will come along specifically to see her work.
I was interested to have the chance for conversation with her, specifically because she is, without complication, an “abstract expressionist”. This is an approach to art which has always puzzled me. Try as I might, I have never managed to get the hang of it. Way back in the day when I was being given tutorials by Graeme Willson, he attempted to get me to engage with abstraction as a possible direction in which I might develop my work. For some reason or another it simply didn’t “fit”.
Anyway, Judy talked about how she goes about initiating and developing a piece of work. Over the following night I gave some thought to how I might use her suggestions in an exploratory way, in order to give me room for flexibility in my approach. I have to confess that I remain puzzled, although I think that I am beginning to see why. Abstract expressionism seems to involve an engagement with process from the very outset. In my case, however, to engage with art has always started with observation. If a piece of work acquires any interest or significance beyond that it is an additional “layer” added to the ongoing experience of observation.
I suppose that the response to this is that the abstract expressionist is committed to observation, but in this case it is a matter of observing the work itself …. what the paint is doing. Probably I shall give it a go, if for no other reason than the lack of other projects at the moment. Watch this space!