My son, Jack, is an unenthusiastic football player and in his first year of playing he kicked his mates more than he kicked the ball. In one particular game he was the only player near the ball and despite the frantic shouting from his parents and the team he let the ball and the game pass him by. His hands were clasped as if in prayer and he was contemplative. When players rushing by nearly knocked him off his feet he awoke and ran towards us grinning, saying “I caught a frog”.

There is something about this image, a frog in a football match, which rings true of my own life. I failed matric and should have been forced to flip hamburgers for the rest of my life. However with luck and bluff I manage to skip that career and get into Rhodes University. I went on to lecture and eventually took that leap of faith to become an artist. As an artist I have always done well and have not had to make compromises. I have not had to work in a pub as I expected nor have I been forced to take on students or any other jobs to make ends meet. I have survived by sculpting alone. Not many artists can say that but what was difficult has been aggravated by the recession. To quote an article in Art Times “the game has changed”. It has been tough for everyone in the arts. Many galleries, including three that I have used, have closed their doors. Artists, I know, have been crushed and forced to take “real jobs”.

Art is the first thing off the shopping list when things are difficult and we have felt this recession. We have had to make do, recycle, reuse and use up. We were already well into the swing of things when it came to the holidays. We had been eating up our store of baked beans and the other weevil riddled extras stored over many years in our pantry. We did not go on holiday the previous year. This year, despite a poor bank balance, my wife was determined to go on holiday and when I hesitated she became more belligerent than usual. I was forced to negotiate. The compromise we came to was to go to Kenton for a short time and on a budget. That meant no flights, no Landcruiser, no kitchen sink, and no big fishing rods. We would travel in the Yaris which is economical but it has a very, very small boot. The holiday became know as “Survivor Kenton”.

Now, I get the feeling that the recession is slowly abating. Confidence is creeping back into the market. Perhaps it is because of the rally in the stock market and the record prices reached on the art auctions held recently. It is reflected in the number of options on works that are still unfinished in my studio. This recession has also been a time that art has proved its worth as an alternative investment. Most reassuring was that the only asset of Lehman Brothers that held its value when it was auctioned off in the “fire sale” was their art collection. The recession has taught me many valuable lessons. Among these are the value of established galleries, the benefit of being diversified and the need for a reservoir of cash.

My wife, the organiser of Survivor Kenton, only allowed us to take one pair of socks, one pair of underpants, one pair of jeans and a couple of tee shirts and what we were wearing on the day. Of course, all of that does not apply to the organiser who has a separate suitcase just for her make up. All the abstemiousness suits me because I like living in my costume and an old tee shirt. The fact it smells like bait is, well, according to me, just natural. What caused anxiety was that there was no room for my big fishing rods and I began to wonder if the holiday was going to be a holiday at all.

In the end, like the fortunate frog who hopped into the caring hands of a little boy, Survivor Kenton was the right thing to do. The weather was great, my wife managed without the kitchen sink, I manage to squeeze in a tiny rod that can be disassembled and even caught a few fish. Granny bought Jack the smallest, cheapest rod and reel in the shop and that was all that he needed. Lily and Joanna were happy to play in the pools and to catch a tan. We had a great time, we got the rest and respite we required after a difficult year and there was no own goal as far as the finances were concerned. In fact when we got home I learned that I had sold several works. The saying goes that there is no gain without pain. The recession was stressful and difficult and as a result I have learnt many useful things that will serve me well in the future. By contrast the hurt I felt in Kenton was inflicted by my son and will not serve me in any way. It was as cruel as the frog in a liquidiser joke. (What is green and goes red at the flick of a switch?)

While I pranced around with my superior equipment, years of experience and finely honed skills, he and that token rod caught more and bigger fish than I. Perhaps I should console myself with the thought that sometimes, like the frog on the football field, you are just lucky.

Regards
Carl

New work

   2011  | Red Sea |  880 x  2100  x  360  |  Ebony Gallery – Franschoek, South Africa

   2011  |  Shadow Stalker |  170 x  910  x  90  |  Carl Roberts home gallery

   2011  |  Heron |  1000 x 380 x 180  |  Carl Roberts home gallery

   2011  |  Cow |  145 x 315 x 140  |  Sold