I am not sure what it is like to be real artist, I only know what it is like to be me.  It seems real artists starve and commit suicide like Van Gogh or alternatively they have their paths paved with gold like Picasso.  The world I live in is a lot less extreme but never boring. 

My life is peppered with unexpected things which are sometimes favourable and sometimes unpleasant.  My friend, John Smith has had the owners of two galleries, stocked with his work, have heart attacks and die.  I imagine similar disasters are par for the course and being an artist is like being in business.  You have to be brave, wary and adapt to circumstances.  On the one hand there is always someone who will try to con you or steal from you and on the other there are always opportunities. 

On the positive side, Stephanie Hoppen of Stephanie Hoppen gallery in London phoned and would like “represent” me.  This sounded very posh but it came out of the blue and I did not know who she was or if the gallery was a tea room in a dodgy suburb.  However, when I mentioned this to my friends, Mike and Margaret, they knew of the gallery and their response was positive and encouraging.  I also Google it and got this result: This smart gallery on Walton Street features top notch contemporary artists and photographers from around the world.  Stephanie is also the author of some books on interior decoration.  I am delighted and I am busy packing works to send to her.

In the past there seem to have been more opportunities to exhibit on big shows.  I participated in the Cape Town Triennial twice but failed to submit for the Bret Kebble shows and I am now too old for the ABSA Atelier and too established for the Sasol New Signatures.  In any case I am not motivated to make pieces for these kinds of events as I hate to feel pressurised.  Participation usually depends upon if I have something suitable at the time.  As a result I am pleased that my work Banana Boy has been selected for Kwa Zulu Natals’ most prestigious exhibition, Jabulisa.  

My premier gallery, Gallery on the Square, is also on the move.  It has migrated to the “art strip” at 140 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood. (Tel +27 11 447 0155)  The upgrade includes a change of name as it is now called Gallery 2. 

This past month I have made several small works. Seeking Penny and Push Up are made from the same kind of bone, giraffe vertebrae.  It is always difficult to think of something that will fit into the shape and suit the size of the bone.  However to make each new work, from the same kind of bone, different, is a double challenge and one I have enjoyed.

Black Bird is made from a piece of driftwood in which I have set pieces of bone from a bird’s wing for the whites of the eyes.  For me, it is a slightly ominous subject and makes me think of scenes from the play Macbeth.  By contrast the polish and grain of the wood is beautiful and the textures and shapes playful and entertaining.

Blue, Buck Jack is made from a giraffe scapula and is Picassoesque in that it simultaneously has two different views. A frontal and a profile view.  Joanna, my wife, likes the two views which she says it is like having two identities and a quality which she identifies with.  I suppose it is a bit like the girl with a curl who when she was good was very good and when she was bad was horrid.  Despite my protestations about being broke, this work is not for sale as she has decided to keep it.

One of the not so nice things is that From the navel to the nest was stolen from the Mirror Gallery in Cape Town. Then, to add insult to injury, the owners have decided to close the gallery.  Sadly, I think that the work will end up as firewood as it will not be easy to resell it.  I am upset but I am not going to starve or commit suicide.  On the contrary!  I am excited as perhaps London will bring me fame and fortune and make me a real artist.

Regards

Carl