The Makings of “A Floral Revolution”
I love being an illustrative printmaker. But, for a long time I avoided accepting this about myself. I felt an extraordinary pressure to be a ‘real’ artist, not an illustrator. This stemmed from the fact that most of my crit sessions from university had the word “illustration” dropped into the feedback I received, and not in a nice way. I felt as if, unless I was able to break away from my illustrative tendencies, my work would never be accepted, never be successful and never be taken seriously.
Without anyone ever explicitly saying it, this is what it felt was the definition of being an Illustrator:
To illustrate, Illustration, Illustrative.
A sell-out artist.
Colloquial swearword in art world.
Artistic masturbation.
Not real art.
Nope.
Evidence of a lack of talent, skill and conceptual depth.
To make worthless pictures no one important will ever like.
A waste of time.
Rudimental escapism.
Not a worthy artistic pursuit.
Boring.
Ag, shame.
Art taboo.
Pictures to hang in your bathroom.
Over the last few years I have come to realise the power of illustration. I have also realised that there is so much space for it in the art world. There is enough space for conceptually complex art to exist alongside illustrative work, and that neither need to compete with each other.
This year, in particular, I have come to fully embrace and enjoy my illustrative tendencies. I’ve come to realise that being able to make art full time is one hell of a generous and rare career – and that I shouldn’t be wasting this precious opportunity on trying to make anything other than what I really want to: fun, playful, humourous illustrations.
So, in some ways, this artwork feels like a revolt against all those unspoken undercurrents that weave their way into the beliefs of so many talented artists. “A floral Revolution” is the absolute act of revolt against my own fear of pursuing illustration. It is a way of standing up against the voices who littered my own thinking about art, being told not to make pretty pictures of pretty things just because they’re pretty.
With 35 screenprinted layers, this “illustration” is the most complex and challenging artwork I have ever endeavoured. It is a celebration of illustration.
Here are the 35 layers:
A Floral Revolution
This piece is on display and available for purchase this month at The Printing Girls’ annual exhibition at The Art Room (Parkhurst, JHB). The show opens on the 4th of July and runs until the 31st of July.