Changes Coming

Posted on | October 28, 2009 |

Even when you think a book is done, as I did, it turns out there’s something else that needs checking.  In the case of my little book, The Confident Creative, my own confidence has been shattered—at least in terms of proofreading.  It turns out that I am an absolutely dismal proofreader and the first proofs from the printer in China had a dozen mistakes hidden here and there, not to mention technical issues with a few of the images. A huge, huge, huge thank you to Thierry Bogliolo, the publisher of Findhorn Press, who bailed me out even though he was jet-lagged from long trans-Atlantic flight.  At any rate, we must know our limits and attention to detail is simply beyond mine.  But it looks like all is well now.

So changes are coming because they always do.  This site will soon change to an art site only with a link to the blog, which will return to the old Artwala Road url.  I’ve been organizing art for a slide show presentation this week and thinking about what I might say.  The presentation isn’t until February but I need to do it now because there are lots of other things happening.  I’m amazed, have to say, as I go through the art just what an enormous amount of work I managed to do as an illustrator.  Some bits more interesting than other bits but interesting to see the trajectory of one’s career and to take note of the things that are consistent throughout.  I’m not a “fine” artist and as I thought about my career I had to take note that I never intended to be.  But it has also made me reflect on what “fine” art is. I actually think that at this point in time the boundaries have blurred.  All art matters.

Some of my deepest influences as an artist are the comic books of my childhood. Kids now don’t get to read them the way we did.  New ones came out every week and cost 10 cents.  My brother and I each got 25 cents allowance so, between us, we could buy 5 comics each week and we did.  We carried them home with so much anticipation then pored over them for hours.  You could read them in a few minutes.  That was disappointing because we always wanted the story to go on and on.  But it was over almost as soon as it began.  Then came the fun part—after you’d read the comic you could study each frame and this often led to amazing reveries about these imagined worlds.  Absolutely delicious.  I loved the comics too because they portrayed life in such a real way.  Things never went right.  There was conflict and disappointment.  People and ducks messed up.  Things went missing.  But they always came right in the end even if in unexpected ways.  And no matter how cranky a duck, or a krazy kat, might be—there was still love and acceptance. Brilliant.

I think everything I’ve done in art has been an attempt to recapture that sensibility and re-imagine the world in a similar way.  That’s enough for me.  I also love the way the comics went out into the hands of millions of kids.  I loved the commercial nature of the medium and I still love the idea of visual images reaching many people.  Now I’ve left the world of illustration but, for me, it’s important to remember who I am as I invent new ways of doing the work.

I think I’ll be doing my own comic books.  Well, books with art and words.  Wait a minute—I just did my first one and am so happy that I got to use the art of lots of friends.  Yay!

So, that’s that.  Can’t really say when the site will change.  I’m chipping away at it on iWeb—a great easy web design program for Macs.  But still a lot to do.

Hope all is well in your world—and, if you need to escape for a bit, I think we adults can read comics too!

Comments