Our small grandson has been returned safely to his parents in Sheffield. The last passage of the saga of his stay with us was participation this morning in a craft/art session run for children in the village, taking place in our local church. Not surprisingly it was expected that children will be accompanied by an adult at the session and not simply dumped on the organisers. Equally unsurprising was the fact that the adults were expected to enjoy some level of participation, and not just sit around the walls. That was instructive.
It soon became apparent that if I was to gain any kind of benefit from the session I would need to free up a bit. The choice of unorthodox tools and materials didn’t present me with a problem. I’m fine painting with a toothbrush or a piece of sponge. It rapidly became apparent that I am hung up on the idea that I have to be painting something. The possibility that I might just be moving colour around and seeing what happens only occurred to me in my second attempt. It was not (of course) a problem faced by the kids.
I was reminded of the mentoring sessions I had several years ago with Graeme Willson, when he spotted that I needed to become more aware of the creative possibilities of simply mark-making. It does look as if this might be a lesson I still have to assimilate, even although I have “learned” it in theory. My second attempt was a good deal freer, and I can see the possibilities of developing the idea through the mon-prints with which I have begun to experiment. There really is a tension, however, between the classic idea that drawing lies at the centre of any artistic endeavour, and this contrasting approach in terms of the importance of engagement with the process and the medium. Perhaps “back to the drawing board” is not exactly an apposite phrase in this context.
Anyway: tonight my wife and I celebrate the conclusion of our successful child-minding project with a visit to a newly opened local restaurant. I wonder what their approach will be veto the art of cooking.