the ebb and flow of practice

writing and reading about my work: i have just spent the last 2 weekends writing about my work for an interview to be published in LandEscape Art Review. it was great to be selected to feature in this publication but i didn’t anticipate how long it would take to complete the interview and am still only half way there. i did think about recording my spoken answers and transcribing them as a way of being as spontaneous and honest as possible and this also might have been a quicker approach. however, the interviewer clearly did a lot of background research into my work, mentioning other theorists and artists that they felt relates to my work so i decided to make more considered answers while all the time trying to be as honest rather than as clever as possible. it’s a strange thing reading how others relate to your work and what connections they make. not that they are especially different from any of the things that come up through my making  process, just that they frame my work rather than i frame my work. while i am impatient to get back to physical making, this writing process is proving to be very helpful in clarifying what i think my work is about and of course reminding me of what i consider essential and unifying in my work, as i go down various avenues and outcomes. although only half way through the process, i now plan to get back to making and will chip away at the questions until the deadline.

components of an art practice: while not explicitly making these last few weeks, apart from writing, other areas of my practice continue to churn away: making in my teaching  has increased due to more dedicated art teaching hours. i have often thought of my teaching as being quite separate from my practice and, in fact, this was one of the questions that the interviewer was interested in – perhaps they seem to be moving a little closer together – or maybe nothing can be separated as you really bring everything to your practice anyhow. i have also been out and about looking at work, most notably in Tate Modern last weekend in London to see the work of Eliasson. and of course taking the time to ponder different things and ideas that may or may not become relevant to my work has also been preoccupying me, including how long it takes before i feel i need to get back to making ….. all part of sustaining a practice.