Simon's Blog

This is a thought that has been rumbling around in the back of my head for sometime and I might have set forth some thoughts on this in the past.  The reason why this has come to the fore again just now is because I went to the end of year show at the Loughborough School of the Arts.  As I walked around it became apparent to me that whatever they were producing, and I am not judging on their individual merits, they certainly aren’t really producing the art that would want to or probably could have done.   I got the distinct impression that figurative art was not something that is encouraged at Loughborough.  Now I am well aware that may well not have been the case as it was not the choice of the artists there.  Nonetheless, it was clear that what I produce is not what the young artists of the day want to make.

I have realised for sometime that tend to doodle than make considered pieces.  This may be because I am coming to this whole area at a much later age and view art as something I enjoy making, no matter what the standard might be, and that is it.   I have no ambition to exhibit my work beyond what I might show on this blog and certainly don’t want to make any money out of it.  This is where this doodle I made this afternoon comes in.  I really enjoyed making this and this is as far as I want to take it, I’m aware that should I want to take it any further I might have copyright problem, but I am happy with it.  Perhaps one day I might want to go further but I doubt it.  In truth I enjoy what I do and I have the good fortune not to need to take these things any further.  I was told a story recently of a man who thought he might make a name for himself as an artist only to find that he just hadn’t got what it takes, for whatever reason – and that is a whole other discussion, and got very disillusioned about this.  I find that very sad.  I make my art for me and as long as I’m happy with what I make I don’t have to please any one else.