08 December 2005

And then my magic art powers failed me...

No pictures today. I did try to sit down to do some drawing but couldn't work out where to even begin. I tried lying in the sun and reading, but that didn't work either - just couldn't take it in. For most of the last couple of days I've been smoking lots of cigarettes and listening to Daniel Johnston, the Fall's new album, the Beatles, selections from Johnny Cash's American III and IV albums (one song in particular over and over), Bonnie Prince Billy's I see a darkness, some Bongwater I used to be into and only recently rediscovered, and lots of classic NZ music from my youth.

We've got people putting up scaffolding around the house. I find being around people difficult at the moment and might have to find somewhere else to hide tomorrow (oh right, it'll actually be later on today).

Bloody life.

11 comments:

paintergirl said...

Maybe you are affected by too much light. It can happen.
Scaffolding around the house?! I think I would have to go away too. You should go to the studio and not draw. Do the opposite.

David Cauchi said...

Too much light? Must tell you about the myth of NZ's hard light's effect on NZ art history sometime, but not now.

I was planning to head to the studio today. Last night I added some stuff to my bag of tricks that I got together during my period of 'increased activity' for just that very purpose. No pressure though.

joseluis said...

je, for me is worst,is more than 60days that i don t paint. now i hope i can get the right interior mood to do, that is what painting is about, getting the right mood inspite "real life"

David Cauchi said...

JL: Funnily enough, I was talking with some friends on this subject recently. You go through phases of activity and inactivity. The trick's to treat the actual non-painting as still work - research, making studies, getting mad at the world, playing round with ideas. Read the bit in Leonardo da Vinci's 'Trattato della Pittura' about the different things you do during winter and summer and take it from there.

joseluis said...

my cycle of painting in the last 12 years is:
-paint every day at least 3 hours for two o three months untill l reach to the point that l enjoy life.
-stop painting and begin to fall in a deep hole, when l get to the point is too dark and the air is too heavy to breath l begin to paint.
when l am not painting l refuse to look at my paintings and to draw. usally l get a bit obsesed to my work because l do not make a living with my paintings because l do not sell them.
litlle people now that l paint.
as you see is a mad processs

paintergirl said...

Hey-since I've met you guys-I've wanted to paint again. And when I paint and draw, my husband starts up too. It's great to have an artist community online, and help each other. it's very encouraging.

David Cauchi said...

JL: Heysoos, that sounds like a punishing schedule - but you got to do what you got to do. It obviously works though (in that you produce good work).

I think of our conscious selves as foam on the surface of the ocean, going this way and that according to the dictates of both surface and deep undersea currents and the external weather (now I'm sounding like a hippy).

Point is, 60 days is two months, so hopefully you're cycling back into painting again. No matter how grim the world is (and it is grim), painting is a positive act. It is belief in the future (kind of like the epilogue to '1984').

Which leads me to...

PG: Bloody brilliant, eh? I keep on saying it, but this is what the Internet's all about. Now they just need to sort that copyright bollocks out and scan all the books in and we're away laughing.

Lilly said...

David, I hope you did manage to find a place to be alone yesterday [2 days ago for you now, I guess. It's still Friday where I am].

The Fall -- good stuff ;-)

Lots of cigarettes....today it's been 4 months exactly since I last had one. It's still bloody difficult. I could do with one now actually.....bugger...

Paintergirl: I think that's wonderful news -- and I've enjoyed the result on your blog :-) You go, girl!

David Cauchi said...

Better than that. I bumped into a friend, visited his studio, and had a really good conversation. He dropped me off at my studio, and I'm glad he came in with me and stopped me spinning out (won't go into why). Then he left me to it.

Lilly said...

Glad to hear it :-D

joseluis said...

hi david,
no doubt that painting is a
positive act, l would go further and say that is a regenerative act. it surprise to me 2 quotes of matisse:
-"i paint to fight the vacuom"
-"in spite of years of painting, the wall is still there"
i also think that painting prompt you very quikly into another state of mind, but this is not forever if you do not keep on painting.
i am feeling that i will start painting in a few days. i really miss puting new painting in the blog. and last but not least, paint leads you to a sharpen emotional life.

visitors since 29 March 2004.