Hello, darlings, looking fabulous as always.
Amidst the banter of an online discussion group for artists, one mod threw out an interesting little prompt (as she’s wont to do from time to time) :
Have you ever noticed how the materials we choose shape not only our work but also the way we think and the meaning of what is presented to the world? What do your material choices say about you?
I found myself without immediate answers. So here I go, setting about trying to find some. And taking you along for the ride, if you’ll come with me now.
No matter which of my two preferred mediums—comics or painting—I’m building you a world, darling. As construction begins, I’m faced with the question of the materials that will make up this entirely new place for you to visit.
Now, any work actually involves any number of materials: wood, fabric, paper, real or synthetic animal hair, staples, glue, chalk, nails. All necessary and lovely in their own right, but I see these as the supporting actors. So who are our stars? For me: ink and oil.
Of all the stars I could cast in my various dramas, why these two?
I love their sensuality. How they’re simple and complicated all at once. They both have the weight of history and connections to deep and majestic lineages. When I’m working, I desire a physical connection, a tactile experience, and the smells, spills, messes, the attendant rituals of setting up and tearing down all provide that in spades.
Even better, once made, the object, whether book in hand or framed painting on the wall, leaves a mark. They’re undeniable. Their power is in their messiness. Something easy to cleanup would mean easy to disappear. In a way, it would be like erasing me along with the mess. I want to say I was here and left this work, this world, this vision. I want a testament not to myself, but to the idea that found me, grabbed me by the balls and wouldn’t let go until I brought something into the world. Something that has the power to reach out and grab you, too, darling. By head, heart, or whatever part of your anatomy you hold most dear.
While the mess of both appeals, it’s the speed that decides which I’ll reach for.
Ink is the medium of choice for the comics. Comics are quick and light, image after image, panel after panel, page after page. It’s an experience—or illusion—that feels like the flow of time, a river rushing by, a tv show.
A painting, which I prefer to express with oil paints, is slow, steady, ponderous and weighty. It’s a structure built layer upon layer, an architecture, an edifice. I want time to stop, to arrest you and keep you trapped for at least a few seconds, maybe longer in my little maze of delights.
I think I might have arrived at some insight and I hope you enjoyed the little digression into materiality. The choice of materials is way bigger than just art making. We’re always surround by materials of different kinds, some of our choosing, some not. What does your choice of materials say about you, darlings?
Until next time, flame on! 🔥