Pigeonhole:
A hole or small recess for pigeons to
nest;
A small open compartment for keeping
letters or documents
A neat category which usually fails to
reflect actual complexities
Common failings of pigeonholing
schemes include:
Entities may be suited to more than
one category. Example: rhubarb is both “poisonous” and “edible”.
Entities may change over time, so they
no longer fit the category in which they have been placed. Example: certain
species of fish may change from male to female during their life.
As you all probably
know – I paint architecture and the urban environment. I started to paint twenty
years ago and, as I developed my skills and gained a following, I was painting
demolition sites, buildings, walls, doorways, graffiti and signage. I was
earning money, but not enough to support myself.
Then, ten years
ago, I needed to become self-sufficient very quickly. I considered getting a
job, an idea that lasted for a few minutes until stubbornness/pigheadedness –
call it what you will – kicked in and wouldn’t allow me to let go of this “painting
thing”. So my art had to pay my bills and keep my lights on.
Previously a couple of
paintings of San Francisco piers had sold quickly so I did some
more. They sold. I did some more. They sold too. Piers became the predominant
subject matter of my total creative output, my vendors “encouraging” me to do
more because they sold easily. At some point that encouragement turned into a resistance
to other types of work, mostly delivered with discreet hints but sometimes with
clear requests. I found that by creating a demand for pier paintings I had reduced
my vendor’s willingness to show other work. They too have bills to pay and the
desire for the easy sell is understandable. I love painting piers but I started
to feel constrained by their popularity. The creative urge to explore new
things is hard to ignore and I believe that a pigeonhole, or formula, sounds the
death knell for an artist’s development. The idea that I divide my time between piers and other work sounds sensible, but my creative process is labor-intensive and
slow, whatever the subject matter, and a large painting can take up to a month
to complete. Those lights cost money! When I did the math I thought that the only way I could afford to
do both would be if I decided to forego sleep and any kind of personal life! That
is…until I could find buyers for my “other” work.
The story has
started to improve: In the past couple of years I risked spending some time
away from money-earning piers to work on a series of architectural interiors. I
also completed a collection of paintings depicting old sinks at Alcatraz. And
there were sales! Not through the galleries or dealers who represent me but to
the San Francisco art-loving public who came to my work space during two Open Studio
events.
Heartened by
this I allowed myself total “studio playtime” during December and January to
explore the interaction between paint and collage. While many of my friends
were spending the holidays overseas I was in my studio cutting up old street
posters – and having a ball!
Now the
really good news: I submitted this new work to Artspan for their annual
Selections Gala and exhibition. I was one of the ten artists selected and two
of the three pieces accepted were the result of my holiday playtime. This has
given my creative morale an enormous boost! I now have the confidence that,
financially, I can afford to spend more of my time exploring.
In the
meantime I am working on two large pier paintings in my studio. My lights are
still on!
