My friend Steve Rayner cam round this afternoon to photograph my “Green Man” series. He is an excellent professional photographer, and I am extremely lucky to have his services. It was good to have the sense that things are moving forward with the completion of the project, but I think that I got an even greater sense of satisfaction from the chance to have a half hour of good conversation.*
I always appreciate Steve’s visits, because as a professional photographer he has a good eye, and his comment on my work is always worth listening to. In fact, I found his observations to be very thought-provoking, and it will take some time to assimilate them. He was quite complementary about this new direction in my work, and has re-enforced a niggling question in my own mind about what I have taken for granted in the past as being the primary direction of my painting. This can be summed up succinctly: “Am I primarily a landscape painter?”
When I moved into art on a full-time basis twenty years ago I took it for granted that what I wanted to do was combine painting with climbing, and this activity provided me with the principal subject-matter of my art. As time went by I broadened the scope of my interests, and took on a wider range of themes. I always tended to regard landscape work as my central concern, and treated excursions into projects such as my T.S. Eliot series almost as artistic holidays.** Now, looking back on the work I have produced over these two decades I begin to ask myself whether these “excursions” (such as the Set Apart series, or the “Presente!” project) don’t actually constitute my best work.
I wouldn’t say that I have run out of ideas at the present moment, although there will certainly be a “stepping back in order the better to leap forward.” A period of reflection without pressure is clearly appropriate. Or, as Fagin said, in Oliver, “I think I’d better think it out again.” Where is the way ahead?
*How, you might ask, was this possible under the current restrictions? We interpreted his visit as analogous to that of the plumber yesterday, who came to service the heating system. I consider his professional services to be any least as essential to my functioning …. and I didn’t get any conversation with the plumber.
**See the “gallery” elsewhere in this website entitled Four Quartets.