Imagery & Arts

 

 

The following work - drawings, watercolors, pastels and photographs - are presented as samples of study.  I have no thought that they constitute "art", but rather are perhaps a trial which might lead to making "art".  

A little story, perhaps instructive. I have since I was quite young - 18 or so - been very interested in the visual arts, architecture, photography, as well as other arts - music, writing, theater. But my life for the most part was both too transient and too poor, literally, to actually follow up those interests with learning and practice, outside of filmmaking and a modest bit of photography - until my Pentax was stolen in 1963. When showing my films I was frequently asked if I were a painter, to which I could only say I was very interested in painting, the graphic arts, but that, alas, circumstances hadn't let me try. Then in 1981, much to my surprise, 4 of my films were bought by Channel Four in the UK. Though the price was low by professional standards, to me it was a lot, and I decided to reward myself by buying a box of pastels - I just thought of them as "color". And a few years later, on finishing shooting what turned out to be a failed film (PSALM) in Ronan Montana, while living in a small rented cottage, I pulled out my box of pastels, and made two or three utterly miserable little pastel drawings. At that point in my life I'd seen enough art, and appreciated its qualities enough to know that my pathetic scrawls were pure crap. I was dismayed and in a way appalled at my little effort, and in shame I closed up the box and hauled it around with me the next 15 years of so, afraid to open it.

Then, having moved to Rome when I turned fifty, I took them out again, and telling myself that for sure I would make one piece of shit after the other, and that that was a necessary process I had to go through, I commenced. And I did make one miserable thing after another until slowly some sense of the material, the scale, the nature of pastels sank in, and I began to make things that were decent. I was way too uptight in my way of working with the material, but slowly I learned to loosen up. I continued and then worked in watercolors, gouache, and a bit in oils. I still feel very much I am a beginner, just learning. If at some juncture I can make the leap, perhaps I'll make some things called "art." Most of the work here was made between 1993 and 1998. Since then life has conspired to keep me from any painting though I remain hopeful another chance will come.


If you find these of interest, high quality copies can be made from very high resolution scans. Contact me for the price (varies by size). The originals aren't for sale, or at least I don't think they are.

 

 

Lisbon 1997