Unfinishing Part 1: A story of creativity and commissioning

This year has been the 40th anniversary of the time Derryn and I first met.  Amazing to think how much we have shared together and to contemplate the delights yet to come in our unfinished journey together.  We thought we would  do something different during each month of the year as our way of celebrating our anniversary year; as much as possible trying new experiences along with way.

The idea for one of these experiences came up as we talked to Karen Welsh, a fine artist and friend (check her art out through this link).  In the past she is the one who challenged my relationship with creativity, and the notion of being a collector.  This time she was involved with us in challenging ourselves by taking on two roles:  commissioners of art, and artistic patrons.  I confess I had a view that being a commissioner or an artistic patron was not for people like me which says sooooo much about my occasional tendency to form opinions based on stereotypes!  In this instance I was not royalty, landed gentry or the Saatchi family so how could I be a patron of the arts??!!  Having said all this, I do remember hearing ‘if you like art but are not very good at it yourself, the next best thing is to support artists around you who are’.  While my immediate response to this phrase was something like ‘yeah, right….you mean me, a patron of the arts….you’ve got to be kidding!’ it clearly stayed with me.  The seed of the idea stayed with me, dormant yet there, waiting for the conditions to grow.

It was a surprise to both of us to find these conditions were created during a conversation with Karen sometime later, when we talked about what it was like for her to be commissioned to do a piece of work.  We discussed the interesting dynamics between painter and commissioner, including service provider and customer; payer and payee; knower and interpreter; initiator and creator.  She talked about the delight of having one’s expertise appreciated and the challenge of having to create something in the image of what is already firmly in the mind of another person, yet not necessarily shared with the painter.  There is the opportunity for freedom of style and expression with the boundaries of what the clients wants, boundaries that they might not fully understand or even know exist. 

Complicated indeed and a real challenge for painters and creators in any medium, to deal with.  Karen was by now familiar with the complexity of working to commission and to some extent acted as a commissioner to the artists who participate in her painting workshops, at least in terms of providing inspiration in a particular painting style or subject matter.  As you might expect her purpose was to inspire and to foster creativity without cramping individual style or artistic identity.  There was no commercial or transactional aspect as there would be in a ‘full’ commission.  She thought through her challenges carefully to ensure they offered new experiences which did not encourage her group to become a slave to her style.  Together we wondered what would it be like if we commissioned Karen’s group to paint something inspired by views of a landscape we loved, applying their unique creative talents in any way they chose.  There would be a commercial aspect with our intention being to buy the work we enjoyed, yet there would also be a sense of ‘safety through companionship’ provided by Karen and the fellow workshop members.

So it was that we hatched a plan to become first-time commissioners and patrons of the arts!  Karen agreed that she would provide her painters with some of our photos capturing the beauty of an area of Spain which we love.  Her painters were invited to paint them, or use them as inspiration to paint something evoked in them by our favourite views.  Style and medium were theirs to choose, as was size of the canvas.  The painters would each work on the commission independently while coming together at Karen’s group sessions to discuss and develop their work if they wanted to.  Karen was very clear that it was for the artist to price their work too, and her guidance to them was to do so with a realistic assessment of their time, rather than pricing to try and ensure a sale.  Our commitment was we would buy three paintings from the collection created by the group as a whole.

Once these ‘rules of engagement’ were shared there was a period during which the painters worked on their creation. After a couple of months Karen arranged an evening at her house for all of the paintings to be displayed, for the painters to come along to celebrate their work and have the opportunity to meet us.  With hindsight it is a time that I know we all approached with degrees of excitement and anxiety.  For us as the commissioners we had no idea what to expect and, unlike the Saatchi’s, whether we could afford to honour our promise to buy three paintings!  The sense of discomfort with being a ‘commissioner’ and ‘patron’ came to the fore as the time to meet the artists approached!  How were we to perform these ‘parts’ which we did not feel that life had rehearsed us for?!  For Karen, despite her generosity in consideration of others, she felt a burden in not being certain what the fall out of this whole experience might be for her group.  She had a sense of responsibility to ensure that the outcome of the experience were inspiring and positive and yet had no control over the commissioner/ painter dynamic, despite knowing all the individuals involved.  As for the painters, each of them had literally and/ or metaphorically, invested their DNA, emotions, and creativity in a work that was going to be exposed to a scrutiny.  Laying oneself bare to the appreciation of others is always going to increase your sense of vulnerability.

The Ruta Medieval above Castaras by Roy M Wilde CBE

Before telling you about meeting the artists and their art I’m just going pick up on that word ‘unfinishing’.  As the period for the paintings to be completed approached I became interested in what an artist’s relationship with the concept of finishing was.  Is there a powerful motivation to reach the stage of being ‘finished’, and if yes what does that look like?  Is each creation necessarily punctuated with a full stop?  Is their artistry necessarily about reaching a destination which they have a clear sense of in their mind?  How does an artist manage that conundrum of achieving the attainable state of ‘good enough’ and not being drawn forever more into an unattainable, indeed undesirable, state of perfection?

Or, is the creative process always a journey with each painting being a step along the way?  If so, what is the direction of that journey and how does it become clear if and when it needs to change?  Is there something about the creative process that allows for acceptance that any creation is always unfinished, and that this is something which can be accepted by the artist?

Finally, is the concept of ‘finished’ or ‘unfinished’ something which is only for consideration by the artist in isolation.  Does the consumer of art, the viewer, the appreciator, have a role in determining ‘finished’ or ‘unfinished’?  The phrase ‘the beholders’ share’ came back into my mind, describing the shared responsibility that the beholder has in meaning making, alongside the artist.  Does finishing in art only occur when once the art has been ‘beheld’?  Or is it true that the art itself always remains unfinished for as long as it accessible to new viewers each of whom will add their own ‘beholder’s share’?  For each of these viewers a sense of being finished might be reached while the art itself remains unfinished. 

Spanish Habitat by Simon Manners

Perhaps it is as simple as the art being finished the moment it’s purchased, an action that normally removes it from the orbit of the artist.  Even that feels unfinished to me as the knowledge of the creative process remains with the artist, influencing their future work, even if the art itself is possessed by the buyer.  I know in terms of my own creativity I like to think of it as being unfinished as I enjoy ensure a sense of freedom to change, to evolve, to emerge, in all that I do.  What about you?

All these thoughts about how artists did or did not relate to finishing were relevant as we approached the time for the open studio.  On the day Derryn and I arrived at Karen’s house a few minutes before the painters.  Even without anyone else present, the emotional impact of seeing all the paintings together caught us by surprise.  There was happiness, delight, gratitude, surprise, curiosity, love, connection all bubbling up and calling for our attention.  It was amazing to see views we loved rendered onto canvas through the lenses and imaginations of these brilliant painters.  I’ll confess there was probably relief too, as the whole project was one with uncertainty at its core for everyone involved, and we all have lived experience of uncertainty being rather difficult to cope with.

We had a few minutes to compose ourselves before everyone else arrived.  I remember turning my attention to how we should  perform the role of commissioner and patron.  Fortunately, the loudest voice in my internal dialogue was the one saying ‘just be ourselves’ rather than the one saying ‘what are we doing poncing around pretending to be a Saatchi!’  I chose to listen to this louder voice, and also quietly admitted that I needed to reflect on my bias about wealth and privilege when time allowed!

In short order everyone arrived, and we all tentatively got to know each other.  It was a lovely occasion, made so because we were all genuinely curious about each other and, without necessarily saying as much, we understood each other’s sense of vulnerability. 

The time came for us to share which pictures we had selected, and my internal dialogue set off again until the ‘be yourself’ voice just about re-established itself.  It was important to both Derryn and I to be clear that this was not a competition, with an outcome that could be measured in terms of winning or losing.  It was about our choice based on an emotional response to each of the paintings.

Each response was triggered by memories of place and of experiences we had when there.  Each response depended on what really mattered about the subject matter of the paintings for us.  What did really mattered in some instances was clear to us, while in others the reasons were more deeply buried, perhaps beyond our own awareness.  Of course, simply sharing some photos of these places with our artists could not have conveyed all of this hidden complexity.  Even if it had they would have made their own connection with what they saw.

Our choice of three paintings was informed in a minor way by subjective views about composition and technique, and the practicalities of budget played a part too.  Yet the lion share was all about our connection with how places and things we had a personal experience of had been captured in the painting.  It was based on things very difficult to share in words.  That’s what must be so difficult for artists responding to a commission.  How do they understand what really matters to their client when it is quite likely they find it difficult to describe to themselves!?

Looking Back by Jeannie Byrne

Anyway, all of the paintings created in response to our commission were fantastic and unique and we are so grateful to everyone who participated.  We really appreciated their courage in doing so, in living with the vulnerability as they did.  We learned a good deal about what mattered to us as part of the experience.

We did make our choice of three and the sharing of our decision was an emotional experience for everyone.  There were a few tears shed and most likely a few more that were held under control.  Derryn and I barely kept it together as we let go of emotions that we perhaps were not fully aware we were holding onto.  The whole experience was one we will not forget!

The three paintings you see as part of this blog are the ones that we chose because of the joy they brought us visually, because of the memories they connected with, and because of the feelings they evoked.  We are so grateful to the all of the artists who took part in our commission, all of whom are named here:  Jeannie Byrne, Anne Bush, Mark Elling, Sandi Lamb, Simon Manners, Beverley Singleton and Roy Wilde.  Huge thanks to Karen Welsh for her willingness to curate the whole activity taking care of the sensibilities and skills of all involved and for hosting the fabulous gallery evening, supported by husband Martin and daughter Jess.

I am aware of a promise in the introduction to talk about my own sense of being and ‘accomplished unfinisher’.  Despite believing in fulfilling expectations that have been set I think this story of artistic creations should stand alone.  I can continue the ‘unfinishing’ narrative another time as it is surely fitting to leave this……….unfinished!

If my narrative around be a coach and an accomplished unfinisher seems to be a valuable combination of attributes to you please do get in touch with me here.