Is Facebook supposed to be educational? 'Bored Panda' anything other than amusing procrastination?! Imagine my delight logging on to my Facebook account to find amidst the usual shower of cat photos, political garbage and relentless invitations to play candy crush saga (NOTE: I’m still not interested!) something that was actually, amazingly, inspiringly and, somewhat vainly, relevant posted on my wall! THANK YOU!!
 |
| Lee John Phillips 'Tool Shed Project' * |
 |
| Lee John Phillips 'Tool Shed Project' * |
Meanwhile,
elsewhere, “Not so talented but passionately curious” artist, Natalie Parsley
(that’s me) has also been drawing her late Grandfather’s tools estimating it
may take between four and five hours to draw the chosen few, picked seemingly
at random, but actually via a highly discerning process of aesthetic elimination (in other words I draw what I like the look of)!
Saws, hammers, clamps, bill hooks, pliers , keys, spanners and even the occasional nail
or bolt. I jest, but on a serious note there is something uncannily brilliant
about the discovery of another artist working with drawing tools in a similarly
obsessive manner to myself as I have previously done and most recently on the ‘Drawing a Day’
projects from 2013 and 2014.
It is also interesting to analyse what motivates other people to take on
these sorts of projects and how there is a reoccurring theme of cataloguing tools
of which the aesthetic is of huge appeal to me. I speculate my
love/appreciation for order, systems and archiving comes largely influenced from working in a bookshop, but I think that
psychologically there is something bordering on compulsive versus the meditative and reflectively endearing about
painstakingly ordering, sifting through the items left in Phillip’s Grandfather’s
tool shed that is both cathartic and a touching tribute.
“Phillips has been numbering each object in his
meticulous project, and has drawn nearly 4,000 at this point. He has spent so
much time drawing recently that it has taken a toll on him; “I already have to
have physio for the toll it’s taking on my body. About 5% done so far!” he
writes on his Instagram."
 |
| Experiments with Tool catalogues, labels etc. during my MA. |
 |
| Detail from 'Kaye's Tool Kaleidoscope' (2011) Natalie Parsley |
I’m in pretty good health, or at least can honestly say
that my art has never physically damaged me (mentally, more likely!) in some way other than fatigue, the
odd paper-cut and I wouldn’t yet speculate the untold damage
years of graphite, turps and varnish inhalation may have caused on my system.
Ahem, none-the-less this doesn’t pay dividend to my commitment to drawing and particularly my history of
drawing tools. In recent years the tools in my own practice have taken more of a backseat but their influence has been present in other ways either in;
drawing similar hard-edged/sculptural objects OR drawing something completely
different/opposite to tools i.e. softer/more organic things such as plants,
animals, insects. In this way, I had something of a revelation when I realised
that my ‘long time art hero’ Jim Dine has explored plants and tools as well as
plants with tools in the same image. This is an important distinction as I feel
that Dine’s intention in doing this is in order to provide a contrast and a
greater understanding of the properties and formal qualities of tools and
plants respective. For example, you cannot appreciate, or comprehend the
solidness and weightiness of a tool until you know how to capture the lightness and delicateness
of a plant. That sounding more Buddhist than it perhaps should, but I am
beginning to think that there is possibly, to my mind nothing more enlightening,
more revealing than drawing both in terms of perception and personal solace. Recently I have been drawing a lot of plants, but
then conversely almost craving to go back to drawing tools with a renewed
fascination and attention.
 |
| From the 'Drawing a Day Project 2014-2015' Natalie Parsley |
 |
| From the 'Drawing a Day Project 2014-2015' Natalie Parsley |
I will post more of my recent work soon, but want to give
it an opportunity to be first seen away from the internet before I reflect and
document it on here. Watch this space...!
Going back to Phillip’s project however, I admire the
detail in which he draws each object individually ever perhaps slightly daunted
it is part of a much bigger body of work. It has taken me years to appreciate
noticing the unique patina each tool bears, the sign or trace of the person who
wielded or possessed it. This makes Phillip’s project very much unique, in the
same way a portrait is. This project is very much a portrait/tribute to his Grandfather and gives the project more meaning than
just becoming pleasing wallpaper. Looking back on my early work, mono prints of
tools I missed the opportunity to capture some of that uniqueness that is
present in each individual tool. Rather than being an illustration or documentation
of tools, I am almost reluctant to admit in the early days my tools had always
been more about me, the tools almost a redundant shape on which to hang expressive
mark making and intensity. I say 'reluctant' because I do not see myself as an ego driven artist so it feels difficult to contextualise my work within a personal viewpoint. The last few years have been about looking more
closely and I’ve grown slightly more patient and with that has come a more
conservative and conceptual treatment of tools. There is a slickness and clarity of purposefulness to Phillip's project that I sometimes lack in giving my work a truly professional or contemporary edge. Ultimately my aim is to find a
middle ground between the early tool work and my new sense of intention and focus. In recent years my outreach to the art world and public place within it has wavered but my commitment and curiosity have remained. The fight against the darkness is truly
never ending?!
 |
| Natalie Parsley (2015) Mono print and ink on paper. |
More of Lee John Phillip's Work and further details of the 'Tool Shed Project' can be found at:
No comments:
Post a Comment