Six and a half weeks into lockdown I submitted one of my Isolation paintings to Grayson’s Art Club on Channel 4. His ethos, is that we can all be creative, there are no rules, no right and wrong, and to do it is good for our mental health. I’m totally with you on that Grayson!
The week’s theme was ‘The View from Your Window’. If you’ve read my previous Isolation Drawings blogs it may not surprise you that the stones are what I now always focus on when I look out the basement window.
The submission had to include a short bit of video about why I made the work and how I found being creative during lockdown. Video-making was a challenge in itself. I had a multitude of attempts, no video editing skills, a lot of swearing and a late realisation that I needed the phone turned 90 degrees. I finally managed to record this take. Earlier versions had birds singing and the sound of a train in the distance. Instead this one features a lot of clattering from inside but I had spent too much time and emotion on it already and the deadline was looming so I just sent it off. Not the best approach and I forgot to make it clear how it linked to the theme.
It didn’t make the cut to get on Grayson’s show but I put thoughts into words even if it was in a chaotic, haphazard manner, so here you go!