What Did We Say Art Was?

You may (I flatter myself) have noticed that my rate of posting on this blog has dropped. Several friends asked if I was producing less art these days ... which brings me around to the old debate ...what is Art? or perhaps more importantly what isn't art, for I consider I am totally involved in art for most of my waking hours. 

Take for example the 'Gatepost' after which this blog is named. When Pat was learning to drive (in the last century!!) she drove the car through the gate - without opening it. I carved up the broken gatepost into Maka Tiki: the Polynesian god that looks after families. We called it a Gatepost Production and it became our logo  and company name when we set up as a professional Art Company in the 1980s.

Maka Tiki

If I said I had sculpted the Tiki, not many would argue that it was n't art. However it is no more, or less, art than the Four Poster and its drapes which I finished a few weeks (?) ago.

So when I'm working in wood, or cloth, I consider it all to be art. Which brings me to the real point I wanted to make ... I'm building a boat and I see it as art. 

We had this debate before when I was drawing ships in pen & ink. I called it techno-art. Do you remember how I said I was building the ship on paper: drawing up technically the view of the ship from any angle I chose. Here, for example, the beginning of  the Susan Constant:

As you can see its construction in graphite soon vanishes when the art, in ink, brings the clothes of modesty to the dear ship: 

Similarly the good ship Bellonia

So if I can convince you that building my pen & ink boats on paper is Art, albeit techno-art, then it's a short step to convince you that converting my drawing into wood ... is also art.

Welcome to the Seagull.....

She should end up looking like this (ish)

As you can see I have not retreated in the slightest from art, and if you want to keep half-an-eye open on Seagull's progress over the winter you can track the build here    BUILDING SEAGULL