Chris Campbell Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Lately I have had a vague feeling of unease while doing my work ... a feeling that I had seen the work before or perhaps even that I was copying someone ... just a kind of deja-vu to it that I did not like. Then it hit me ... I went back to my photo files of old work ... and there it was on slides from 1997 ... I was doing the same thing then! Granted I was doing the work in Raku, not high firing colored porcelain ... using leaves instead of fish ...but still the exact same idea. Should my journey be a circle?? UGH ... NO!! The idea of repeating is not attractive to me. I know some artists spend their whole careers exploring much the same ideas, but I've always wanted to push myself to new places ... apparently, not always successfully. I will stop following this fork in the road ... I think I lapsed back into safe territory because my new ideas were proving to be very difficult to execute. Weird how the mind works sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Careful Chris, I heard the person you're copying is pretty litigious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted August 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Yes, she is so fond of lawyers and the cover your tush attitude they create .... This detour is another great reason for having a written plan, a road map. When you catch yourself wandering down these blind alleys, they show you how to get back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 I think what you are going through is normal. A lot of times I have found myself revisiting a theme, technique or process from a different direction ending up in the same spot I was years before. I think we bring more to the second or third trip than we had in the first, so things do work out. Like a dog chasing his tail, he never catches it, neither do we, we just keep chasing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Sometimes a dog does catch its tail Pres. And this is hilarious, because they don't know what to do next..... I'm not sure if this extension of your analogy still applies to your point, but it's too early for me to think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Chris, I can see the similarities, but the end product is going to be much superior to the early raku. Your technique in colored porcelain will have much more impact of color which has been your quest for the past several years of working with it. So, while you may return to some forms from the past, the growth is still very evident. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted August 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Thanks Pres for the "revisiting a theme" phrase ... So much more interesting than "copying myself". You know your art speak! : - ) Thanks Marcia for the encouragement ... I appreciate it. I love Benzine's image of having caught my own tail and not knowing what to do next! I'll fire them and see what they look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 When I finish a long complicated project I will take a break by doing some work from the past. It may be coiling or some throwing just something entirely different than the direction I have been going. It gives my mind a vacation, I have a lot more zest and some fresh ideas when I get back to my regular work. Denice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasumi_Goto Posted October 2, 2014 Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 Hello Chris, I am new here and don't know you guys yet but I just wanted to tell you that I love your work. I know how you find it discouraging to be copying yourself but I'd turn the table around and say that you should be proud! As people are famous for copying what's great Seriously, don't worry. You may change little details at first and then you'll find yourself transforming your "old" art into something totally new. I have faith you're gonna end up a massive winner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted October 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 Thanks for the kind words Kasumi .... I fired the pieces and they look totally different than the older work ... They even gave me many new ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted October 2, 2014 Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 pictures, please. they look different to me, smoother edges more (ARTSPEAK) "COHESIVE". ocean waves, eddies at the shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Bridge Pottery Posted October 2, 2014 Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 An idea is just the beginning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted October 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2014 I'm on the road and the images are on my home computer. Will post when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted October 4, 2014 Report Share Posted October 4, 2014 I am re-using some book molds for a piece on Revisionist History. We'll see how these work out. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaria Posted October 8, 2014 Report Share Posted October 8, 2014 I wouldn't consider it going in a circle. You've got experience and improvement under your belt to push that revisitation a bit further out. It's more like a spiral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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