antony clarkson - Blog

The Athole House Studio
Self-Isolation Artist Residency
30th March 2020

Over my career I have taken part in many artist residencies in various parts of the world; I have even organised and run a residency program myself. 2020 has brought new challenges to us all, I however intend to treat these challenges as opportunities. With this in mind today, the first day of my self-isolation having arrived back from my studio in the Untied States last night, I I launch my new blog which will become an integral part of this website as I redesign is over the coming weeks.

Artist Residencies give artists the space and perhaps more importantly the time to make new work; I intend to treat my time in self-isolation in the same way that I would if I were on an artist residency in another studio in another part of the world. Athole House Studio maybe one of my home studios but for me it is a work space, and lets face it, we all now have the time.

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 10TH AUGUST 2020: DAY 134

8/10/2020

'The Constant Library', Volume IV:
"The Complete Cosmicomics.", Italo Calvino.'

'The Constant Library', Volume IV: "The Complete Cosmicomics.", Italo Calvino.'

"The idea for 'The Constant Library' follows on from a recent conversation considering which books had, and continue to have, the greatest affect my life in a variety of different ways. These are the books I can't live without and whenever possible I have a copy of with me wherever I travel in the world.; my 'Constant Library."

Although I love none fiction books and novels I do think that there is a special place in my heart for collections of short stories. The stylish twists of Sherlock Holmes' cases fill a part of this craving, as do the wondrously surreal creations which sprung from the extremely fertile imagination of Italo Calvino. And there is perhaps no better showcase for this creative output than in Calvino's 'Complete Cosmicomics'.

The 'Cosmicomics' are just that; both cosmic and comic; having said that the tales often have a genuine scientific premise as their origin which Calvino weaves his imagination around. The stories, vaguely, follow the adventures of our hero 'Qfwfq', no, don't try to pronounce it, that's part of the joke. Qfwfq is as old as time, he has been everywhere and everywhen and remembers these experiences, perhaps he is even experiencing them all simultaneously. Sometimes he's a philosopher, sometimes lover or a fool, but when events happen he's always at the centre of them to observe and remember them.

The creations of this brilliant imagination make these some of the most intense and 'visual' works of the written word that I have ever come across. I am still constantly dazzled by their light and I'm often inspired into new works of creation myself by their touch.

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 9TH AUGUST 2020: DAY 133

8/9/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No:35', "Memoriam Morricone".

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 8TH AUGUST 2020: DAY 132

8/8/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No:34', "Colour".

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 7TH AUGUST 2020: DAY 131

8/7/2020

'The Constant Library', Volume III: "Sapiens", Yuval Noah Harari.'

'The Constant Library', Volume III: "Sapiens", Yuval Noah Harari.

"The idea for 'The Constant Library' follows on from a recent conversation considering which books had, and continue to have, the greatest affect my life in a variety of different ways. These are the books I can't live without and whenever possible I have a copy of with me wherever I travel in the world.; my 'Constant Library."

Today I'm adding a quite recent but important book to the Constant Library; "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari is in many ways the book that I perceive as being THE book of our time, especially during the current situation created by Covid-19. On our passage through the book Harari not only explores what it is to be 'human' in the 21st Century but also endeavors to speculate upon how we came to be where are currently are: for good or ill.

Sometimes controversial, sometimes humorous, 'Sapiens' is endlessly fascinating and thought provoking. A must read for all Sapiens everywhere.

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 6TH AUGUST 2020: DAY 130

8/6/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No:33', "Light".

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 5th AUGUST 2020: DAY 129

8/5/2020

Work in progress, 'Near Black' Landscape, first layers.

As you probably realise I'm still currently working on the paintings in the 'Near Black' series. Although these paintings are quite small they are rather time consuming, not just because of the time it takes for each layer of impasto oil painting to dry but also because the plywood blocks which serve as their supports that time to prepare. So today I have decided to include a work in progress image just give some reference as to how the project is progressing. I have always though of this series as being related to land/sky/seascapes and so I am beginning by exploring how the hues, contrasts, forms and techniques which I am applying to the project can be utilised to explore this idea.

With this in mind I have decided to post an images of the first piece exploring these possibilities in which I have proceeded by approaching the subject of landscape in a very literal way by referencing the traditional ideas of sky, land and sea. I suspect this will not on the whole be the final direction for these paintings when beginning a project of this type it always makes sense to start from a fixed position, like the established heritage of landscape painting.

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 4th AUGUST 2020: DAY 128

8/4/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No:32', "Perspective."

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 3rd AUGUST 2020: DAY 127

8/3/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No: 32',
"When life gives you lemons..."

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 2nd AUGUST 2020: DAY 126

8/2/2020

'I'm just going to leave this here...No: 31', "Recognise opportunities."

THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 1st august 2020: DAY 125

8/1/2020

'The Constant Library', Volume II:
"The Original Illustrated 'Strand' Sherlock Holmes", Conan Doyle.'

'The Constant Library', Volume II: 'The Original Illustrated 'Strand' Sherlock Holmes' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"The idea for 'The Constant Library' follows on from a recent conversation considering which books had, and continue to have, the greatest affect my life in a variety of different ways. These are the books I can't live without and whenever possible I have a copy of with me wherever I travel in the world.; my 'Constant Library."

When I was very young I wasn't a great reader and struggled to find books that made the effort of reading worthwhile. With this in mind it comes as no surprise that I was probably first drawn to the idea of Sherlock Holmes not initially through the printed editions but through the black and white movies, starring Basil Rathbone in the titular role, which were often show on TV during wet Saturday afternoons when I was a child. The whole package of the character's life and times; the mystery, intelligence and romance of the stories set against the backdrop of 'smoggy' of London fired my imagination. So much so that when the time came the first book which I actually chose and purchased for myself was a slim anthology of some of the better known SH short stories. It was that edition changed my relationship with books forever.

As you can probably tell from the picture above this particular edition of SH is my own, well thumbed copy, which has indeed traveled the world with me. I love this volume because as a facsimile of how all 60 stories, 56 short stories and 4 long, were presented to the public for the first time in the Strand magazine, with all of the original illustrations in place; makes this probably as accurate interpretation of the stories as Conan Doyle created them as you will find. Free from the effect that any self-important editors may have had in other publications.