Not Exactly a Blog
News and a collection of my (David Stephensons) thoughts along with bits from social media and other sources, concerning a contemporary artists practice.
Repartition in Action
26 Jan 2016
After a number of diversions it's back to some serious painting in 2016. It seems 2015 was all about consolidation and some random experimentation, with one such left of field project leading indirectly to the current painterly endeavour.
I've been visually exploring repartition under the broader theme of consumption for a while, with works relying heavily on spaces created using multiples of the large objects that lend their own dynamic to the imagery. In what is starting to form as the latest series, the focus shifts almost entirely to the idea of reparation itself, and the use of small visually changeable spaces.
So where did this new focus originate? Oddly and yet expectedly from the design ideas behind a separate project to house an create ZX81 clone like computer.
Setting it Down
30 Apr 2014
Work progresses on the second painting in the new series, and with this one I've really started to set down on canvas what's been in my head for a while now.
BMAN April Arts Trail
27 Apr 2014
Thank you all for your support over the April long weekends BMAN Art Trail! I met some very interesting people on throwing open the doors on Saturday Morning, right down to finale as the very the last visitors left on Sunday evening. Looking forward to the next trail, and catching up with all manner of people in between events.
Doodle on the Side
17 Feb 2014
For no apparent reason I'm keeping a Tumbler blog of doodles taken from my desktop notepads. Images are random, unassociated and have little to do with anything, they are loose scratchings on something I may or may be thinking about on any given day.
Ways of Seeing
29 January 2014
In one of those 'I can't believe I haven't seen this before moments, I took some time out to view 'Ways of Seeing, this is John Bergers seminal 1972 documentary on the 'perception of art history, certainly still worth a view.
The series leaves art at the of the end of the 19th century, with the death of traditional oil painting. Episode 4 in particular presents advertising as the chief benefactor of the western artistic tradition, pressing familiar motifs from oil painting into its service. This sets up a not so subtle reversal of the original intentions of these works, moving them from a documentation of things possessed (by the generally ruling classes), to hit list of things deserving our possession, where the assumed prestige of the original artworks is used to legitimise our envy for advertised services.
This track is interesting in and of itself, and certainly no less relevant today, particularly with the rise and rise of globalisation, mass media and even social media.
From Beginning to End
20 January 2014
Objective: Document a project from the figurative drawing board until its logical completion, mapping one artists approach to the creative process.
Street Directory
10 January 2014
A New Years present to myself, I'm enjoying 'The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti', by Rafael Schacter.
One of the interesting aspects of the book is the inclusion of Maps created by various street artists of their home towns and adopted cities. Accompanying each map is a explanation of it's significance to the creator, it's a wonderful way to explore the ideas, histories, and the themes behind the many creations in the book.
There is a fantastic interview with the author Rafael Schacter, over on LA. Taco
Show Your Work!
2 January 2014
Perhaps it's the new year, or perhaps it's a kind of synchronicity; I was thinking about a need to get works/images out to a broader audience while on the train this morning, then something comes along, actually a forth coming book, that ties in nicely with my internal travel dialogue.
Time to Hang the Trail
26 November 2013
It's busy busy busy hanging works as I'm taking part in the December edition of Blue Mountains Art Trail.
The trail is this Sunday 1st Dec from, 10am - 4pm. You can see all the artist participating on the Arts Trail Map. I'm venue 8, 48 Davies Ave Springwood. So come say 'hello', enjoy the tea or coffee and of course art.
Don't forget to see the work of all the other Art Trail participants up and down the mountains.
Artists & Arts Trails
20 November 2013
Art Fairs fairs provide a great way for galleries to sell art, unfortunately like any gallery construct they are limited ultimately by galleries themselves. If you want to see new exciting and contemporary art you may need to look elsewhere. That's where arts trails take up the slack. Arts trails provide the opportunity for the lovers of art to seek out their own hot spots of contemporary culture.
The quality work encountered on this style of pop-up event is going to vary markedly, with amateurs rubbing shoulders with professionals. Often this very fact can dissuade professional and semi-professional artists from taking part. This is a mistake, as the greater the number of artists taking part the better the mix. Lets face facts, the general public is not often aware of the distinction between amateur and professional to start with. As a professional artist all you're missing out on is opportunity to broaden your public exposure.
Professional Artists shouldn't be reluctant to take part, they should be grabbing every opportunity presented and using it to their best advantage.
