During last weekend, while I was working and finishing more work than I did for a long time, I watched and listened to some episodes of the BBC series “What do Artists Do All Day”. Among them the episodes featuring Shani Rhys James and Edmund de Waal:
Shani Rhys James says while starting work on a painting: “I never know what I will be doing. If I knew, I wouldn’t be doing it. – It would be boring.” and I immediately could connect to that. At first I thought her way of working was very different from mine. But after a while I could see my own approach in hers when I saw her looking at her painting, coming in an going out of the room, pausing, and returning…
The feature of Edmund de Waal was very different. The whole setting, the colours… But I found it very inspiring. Especially his thoughts about blurred objects. I am not done thinking about what he said and about my own opiniona bout the matter. I am very much fascinated by out of focus photography and was never able to clearly understand or even explain why. Will have to give it some more thoughts.
Edit: I actually started sketches for a small book inspired by this. Will see when I find time to actually work on this…
At some point in the interview there are noises coming in from outside. The interviewer asks: What are they doing out there, these shouty men. And Edmund de Waal answers: “They are full time shouty men. Their maleness allows them as much space as they want, mostly to shout [or through shouting?].” It doesn’t seem as funny now that I am writing it down. Well, I hope you’ll have as a good time watching these features as I had.