Print: Corporate Identity / The child artist within

 

RTomens, 2024

Print made from a collage to which acrylic paint was applied....then printed over.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” 

- Picasso

Successful professional artists do seem to have grown up and remained artists. They made time for art. They went through tough periods of having no money, possibly even whilst also having a family, which might be deemed irresponsible at the time and only the right decision in retrospect.

Grow up! I've tried. I only succeed in the context of either hearing or seeing a friend do/say something stupid which evokes the 'Grow up!' response, but really, I've no right. I created my own privileged position of having time to make Art. Or...life just turned out that way. No kids, mortgage, car, career...no excuse really for not retaining that child-like joy in making Art.

We're probably all kids inside, even in old age. There's a part of us that is still...5...10...or 15. I think it's necessary in order to survive. Childhood remains visible to the inner eye...a sight assuring continuity...a place we might still feel we can be a part of...almost touch. It's better than only looking ahead into an uncertain future and old age.

I'm a child with adult eyes when I make Art. All that living and seeing what's happened in the world can't help but somehow influence the process, yet I'm not overtly a 'political' artist. I saw a quote recently which said all art must either be political, or mere decoration. Rubbish. There's plenty or room between the two.

Yes, when I make Art part of me is that child, gleefully just doing it for fun...trashing paper, splashing paint (and glue), typing away...not knowing what 'the rules' are or even believing in them. It was all inevitable from the days when I learnt to hate school therefore only did dead-end jobs therefore struggled to stay sane for decades, alleviating the misery with music, dancing, clothes and girls...typical working class.

People stop being artists for two reasons: Adult Life gets in the way, or they give up after going to Art school because they never Made It. 

Nowadays, without Work, Art keeps me sane and gives me something to do. If that means I don't lead a typical Adult Life so be it. I hope that child artist lives in me until I die.