my space
I've been thinking about space. Not outer space but immediate space or more specifically studio space. There used to be a great section in the weekend Age newspaper called My Space where artists discussed the space in which they worked. I liked it - but they axed it. Go figure.
Recently a potter friend expressed concern that the limited size of my studio may impact negatively on my work. It got me thinking...
my space within another space
My initial response was to defend my beloved space with my usual plethora of clichéd sayings.. make the best of the situation... learn to work with what you have... glass-half-full kind of person... and, as my Mum often said on camping trips, necessity is the mother of invention. (Not sure the last one applies here but I've always liked it.)
All well and good. Yet I can't help but note that over the last few years my work has become more and more streamlined and precise and my areas of interest often involve control and fine detail. These aren't bad things but do prompt me to consider just how much immediate surroundings impact on creative output.
I consciously draw inspiration for my work from the environment in which I live but it may also be true to say I am subconsciously affected by the defined space of the area in which I create.
I wonder what I would make given room to swing the proverbial cat?
one half of my space
Thankfully I enjoy exploring ideas in many different ways and I don't believe the effect of a constricted space on creation need necessarily be negative.
view from my space
But I will admit there have been moments when I have succumbed to studio envy. Think I will revel in my darker side and do a few posts on 'Studios I Like'. Surely something good will come of it!
I haven't many artist studio images as it feels intrusive bringing out the camera in someones private creative space. But I'll begin the thread and see what happens...
2 comments:
To question the genesis of your creative output with reference to space seems obvious(to me). as pottery is as much about the space created as the actual pot.
True enough in regard to a pot and the way it exists in and forms or transforms space. But when I sit to throw or turn my mind is transfixed by clay, tool and wheel; when I decorate I am consumed by colour, brush and line. My awareness of the room in which I sit is limited and more often than not my mind is elsewhere. Perhaps it is obvious to question the impact of immediate space on creative output but I am merely musing on how and to what extent.
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