Over Exposed!

The Altona Gallery “Artist Talk” night was amazing. Most amazing was anyone coming out to hear me speak! The curator, Odia Reimer had done a great job organising the occasion. These speaking nights are new ventures for this gallery and I applaud them for providing evenings such as this. It is one thing to see a work of art but totally another to hear, from the artist how the work came into being.

After the event, driving home, I just could not help but feel that I had somehow overexposed myself in my presentation. Talk about a shock to the system, my system! I thought the highlight would be the “unveiling” of my new piece, but apparently not. I felt like I’d somehow revealed too much of myself! That a different kind of “unveiling” had happened and I’d lifted the sheet to reveal too much of “me” and I was not used to that.

 I had brought along the remake of the piece that had exploded into hundreds of pieces in the kiln just before the show started on June 2nd. I had carefully set this new piece up at the front beside the lectern, covering it with one of my wife’s table-cloths. I thought that this would be a great “impacting” way to end the talk, dramatically lifting the cloth and revealing the new sculpture for it’s very first revelation to the public eye. And it was, it was so fun to do. But I did not know another kind of unveiling was taking place.

This was my first “Art Talk” and I know my friends in the audience will forgive me for overdoing some things and blabbering on and on. Possibly, I need to heed Christ’s advice and remember how after he performed a miracle he often made the request that they were to tell on one about what had just happened. I’m not sure anyone actually heeded that request, but none-the-less the point is that I think I need to say less and trust that the art itself will also do the talking.

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God...so let your words be few.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV)

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