I've Been Framed

Actually, my works have been framed. Took a few good hours (DIY is a good way to save money), but I don't think they look too bad.

T12, Megan Hitchens, 2014, Sakura ink and graphite on heavy cotton paper

It's been a mad dash, and there were many instances when I wished I had a TARDIS or a time turner, or ANYTHING so I could sneak in a couple more hours. This morning I had to drop them all off at the Entrance Gallery. We were supposed to start hanging today, but the previous exhibition hadn't come down, so instead we did a whole lot of waiting around. We'll start hanging tomorrow.

Cipher, Megan Hitchens, 2014, Sakura ink and graphite on heavy cotton paper

A form for the exhibition arrived in my email this morning - you know, artist bio, description, work title, description, extra notes or instructions, that sort of thing. I'm terrible about this. I don't mind writing a short bio - who I am, where I studied, how long I have been doing this - but I WILL NOT write a description/explanation for each work. I hate that sort of thing. Drives me mad when I see it on paintings, whether in a small gallery, the AGNSW or wherever.

Either a work stands on its own or it fails as art.

I'm not talking about the need to explain a particular element that references something specific (thereby enhancing your understanding). I am talking about an emotional response. If you need an A4 sheet of waffle in order to respond to a work, if it has no meaning or resonance for you without that, then it has failed. You are responding to the written words, not the work itself. As an artist, if you need an A4 sheet of waffle to justify your work or show how "clever" you are, go do something else.

Side bonus - the form has just become quicker to fill in.