Hotting up!

I wonder if anyone is reading this blog? It's very daunting sending out my thoughts into the unknown ether. A strangely public private exercise....Is there anybody there?

But then its a bit like that being an artist. You open yourself up. I was going to say that it can make me feel quite vulnerable to show my work, but actually I don't think that is the case. I do get nervous beforehand, and hope that people will like the work, or more specifically, I want them to have a reaction to it of SOME kind. I think I now know whether a piece has merit or not and nothing anyone else says is really going to change that, but I do find people's reactions and comments interesting, amusing, useful, and yes, sometimes, just plain flattering and ego-boosting. And whilst I won't change my mind about the quality of the execution or thought behind a piece, the comments people make might cause me to reconsider what it does have to offer. I do love listening to the interpretations that come out, and this does give me insight into what the pieces are communicating. The best reactions are the truly physical ones - even if it is shrinking away in horror - as happened with a recent piece ("Through a glass darkly") - though some people found it fascinating and theatrical others simply couldn't look at it - or squeamishness, which was the reaction of some people to an older but favourite (to me) piece that was variously seen as a stranded seal or an internal organ....Personally I had the latter in mind when I made it, but love the way an abstract form can suggest - quite strongly - many different things to different people.

Of course, if I'm completely honest, a poor reaction - eg critical, does make me feel vulnerable, but not too detrimentally. I did have an exhibition about a year ago which was very poorly received by the public - though not by fellow artists. My work was taking a new direction and I think was still in the working out stage - maybe the artists could see and relate to this, whereas the artbuyer wanted something more worked out/resolved. which is fair enough I guess. I did find it a little bit hard to take the sometimes quite hostile, and definitely very open, criticism - I was quite shocked that people felt so at liberty to be frankly, quite insulting, but my internal barometer kept me sane. And perhaps in a sense its also flattering that people should have such a strong reaction. It was good to make me think about what I was doing and what I was trying to achieve.

I say all this because Open Up is really not very far away now, and I'm clearly thinking about how my work will be received. There is plenty of old work to display which some people may already have seen, but I am hoping to spice up the display - you never know, the pieces may take on a whole new existence with a new display. And the new work is not hugely different - evolving rather than mutating into the future...

And I must get that publicity out there. It is such a shame that Yorkshire Artspace is only open for one day (26th April).[This is because of staff shortages at YAS - with one member of staff on maternity and another on sick leave they do not have the capacity for extending opening to other days]. Also, I think because of a misunderstanding about the type of entry YAS had applied for, the publicity leaflet has no details regarding Yorkshire Artspace at all. Had I entered as a solo artist I would have had my own personal entry, but for one day, and at a cost of £ 50, this didn't seem worth it. We do have an ad in the booklet, but are not, I think, on the map. Some YAS artists have paid their £50 and are showing their work elsewhere on the other days. Ho hum. I hope that people do turn up on the day!! Come one, come all! There are more artists opening up at YAS than last year.

Well, I really must get my beauty sleep, or there'll be no work done at all. Night night all.

Sarah