Coincidence in creating art

Some people wonder whether some features in a work are there by coincidence or on purpose, which could leave people thinking that the artwork is better than intended by pure luck. I can imagine that, but I have to explain how some artists, maybe all, but at least me work. Some of my work have a lot of intended features, but are not always seen. How does that work?

An idea doesn't come as a complete idea. Most ideas constitute of a lot of smaller ideas and those smaller ideas come and go. Eventually you stick with the ideas that fit the theme. So the whole process isn't about suddenly having this great idea with perfect features, but more about throwing away most ideas and leaving a small minority that work well. For the viewer it results in an artwork of which people could think: 'Huh? I can't believe the artist thought to combine all these small elements'. Well they are right. A lot of times I start a sculpture with a certain direction and change something along the way and decide after adding if that feature makes sense. If it does, I keep it otherwise not.

So for the viewer it looks like a too clever to believe process where it is actually a process of gathering all kinds of stuff, a mindless part of the process, and then throwing away a lot of things and leaving the perfect minority of smaller ideas.

Example: Mr. Clean the skeleton sculpture, started as an idea to show the problem of food marketing, but not by using the example of the tobacco industry. The cigarette lighters were just practical to make the figure, but I kept it because I saw all the links with this industry. I also considered other parts, like plastic pens or other plastic stuff, but those didn't make sense within this theme.
Eventually you adjust the sculpture a bit to show the parrallel with the tobacco industry a bit better.. and there you are!

....will keep throwing away ideas in 2013 to show you the combination of my best ideas! Have a great and healthy 2013!

Expendables free art

Yes, I am giving away some of my small simple sculptures. Only the simple ones though. And will be leaving them in the streets of probably Utrecht and Amsterdam between Christmas and New Year. Some I want to leave because I have taken enought photos of them in the streets, some I made deliberately to leave in The Netherlands. Will make photos of their leaving spot.

Leaves me to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Christmas fairs

So, the winter arts market in Liverpool is behind be and liked every bit of it! Was really good to speak to all those people and see what the think of my work. Got the impression that for a lot of people you either love my stuff or your freaked out and would never want to buy anything. I personally like that! But for the rest it was hard to define what type of people bought my Christmas characters. Young old, male, female, they all bought my work. I like the mixture!

Among the things that I have learnt is that Christmas fairs are great way to show my work, will do it next year again and will start earlier so I can make more different 'products' and not only my Christmas characters.
I have also experienced that my smaller work is just as effective as my bigger work, maybe even more and that I need to keep using humour in my work, but without stepping over de barrier by becoming disrespectful to the animal. So far, I have managed that.

I haven't got any photos of the fairs right now, but have a few characters left, like some in this batch:

The last few weeks before Christmas

So I have done the Christmas fair at The Gregson in Lancaster and it went well! Sold lots of my Christmas characters and now I have de luxury problem of making loads more in one week before I go to Liverpool. I already see I need to start making these a lot earlier next year so I can do more fairs, but this has been an interesting experience, also on checking out which characters I have made are the most appealing. Good training when I make bigger sculptures!

I have also been collecting a few complete animals in bones and still have the idea of doing something with the complete animal, but also still don't know how. This will probably become clear next year and I think the Grizedale commission will help me with that.

...logging of to get back at making Christmas characters for St. George's Hall in Liverpool this Saturday the 8th of December!