I am writing this in London, which is, apparently, now known as the cultural centre of the world. I would not disagree, as there seems to be Art, with a capital A, everywhere. All genres, all levels, bursting upon your senses from all directions. I am English, as some of you may already know, but I have lived in Malta for almost 40 years now. I am not sure which country I would call ‘home’ now, as I have put down roots in both. 
I can’t see myself ever moving back to England (but then I never say never about anything; who knows?) but I do enjoy coming back to soak up the vibrancy and inspiration of the art scene here. I often wonder what would have happened, where I would be now, if I had followed my tutors’ encouragement to apply for the Royal College of Art to further my studies. Instead, I left home to live with the current love of my life in Hull, about 200 miles north of London. 

Over 12,000 works are sent in to the Royal Academy for consideration every year, and only around 800 are eventually hung. So what happens to the work that is refused? For the last 25 years an enterprising gallery, the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in The Cut on the South Bank, has revived the traditional ‘Salon de Refuses’. Here they will only consider work that has been rejected from the Royal Academy’s rigorous selection process.  

We went along to see this exhibition, and were fascinated. The gallery is quite small and there is not room to hang even a fraction of the paintings, which are stacked everywhere. Beautiful figurative works covered the walls and we could have browsed for hours. They accepted 1,200 pieces, by 800 different artists. As paintings sell, they are replaced by new works, so the exhibition changes continually over the weeks that it is open. Many people say that the collection of works here is much more interesting and original than that of the Royal Academy.

It’s great to know that the art scene in general is alive and booming, that so much interest and support is being poured into creativity and innovation. The atmosphere is so exciting that it’s hard not to be inspired and stimulated by it.

It’s difficult to absorb so much visual stimuli in one go, and so I hope that the photos, leaflets, books and information that I gathered will continue to inspire me in my Malta studio when I unpack my holiday memories.

“An amateur gives people what they want; a professional gives them what they need.”

I really can’t remember where I heard that quote, but it always comes to mind whenever I think that I should be producing work that people might like, rather than following my own meandering impulses.

Which brings me to muse on the term ‘amateur’...... It is often used as a derogatory description for someone not considered 'good enough' to be a professional artist. Professional artists are often defined as those who derive their income solely from their art. 
Both descriptions are open to debate of course. Who judges ‘good enough’? And it’s more than difficult for most people, however ‘good’ they are, to survive entirely on producing artwork. 

Perhaps a better distinction would be to evaluate the merits of the work itself and not who produced it. But, again, who judges that? Art is notoriously subjective and the opinions of art critics are often criticised themselves. 

To be considered an amateur wasn’t always a bad thing. At the beginning of the last century an amateur could be extremely talented, but practised their art for love rather than money. Professionals relied on wealthy patrons and commissions to support themselves. London’s Royal Academy of Arts was one of the leading institutions of the time. Being accepted as an Academician brought respect and recognition, and allowed members to exhibit and teach as esteemed artists. 

Drawing and technical skills ceased to be taught in Western art colleges in the 1960’s in favour of ‘self-expression’. This led to an explosion of other genres, such as photography, film, installations and abstraction. Collectors such as Saatchi and Saatchi supported and encouraged the movement, although many viewers found the works challenging at best. Art, which had generally been an expression of beauty or at least a reflection of reality, became a sometimes shocking baring of the artists' soul. 

The distinction between amateur and professional was blurred even further, as anyone could produce anything and call it ‘art’ in the name of self-expression. Traditional techniques and approaches were frowned on as old-fashioned and unnecessary. 

Over the last decade or so there has been a strong movement back towards basic skills. Drawing is now taught in most art colleges, including the Royal Academy. Representational art, especially watercolours, is in high demand. Highly detailed work indistinguishable from photography is greatly admired. Perhaps this is the popular backlash to the wild shock factor of art using human faeces, cow-dung and dissected animals. 

This has of course made it even more difficult to differentiate between good or bad, amateur or professional. We can be guided by a critic’s opinions and value their assessments, but ultimately we have to make up our own minds. 

Classes Update

The next Friday class at VIlla Bologna will be on the 19th June; the next Tuesday class at Le Meridien in Balutta will be on the 23rd June.

Contact me for more details!

Some of us seem to be naturally gifted with an ability to see abstract space, and therefore have an advantage when it comes to drawing realistically, but we still need to work hard to hone our skills. Those without that head start often overtake us though. Maybe this is because they have had to make such an effort to see the world differently. When it ‘clicks’ for them the revelation is like a creative catapult. 

 You can venture into mixed media, abstract, colour experiments, any medium you choose. You can distort reality or make it almost photographic. Underlying your adventures will be the lessons learnt through sheer observation and study. Lessons about how things really work, how they move, how they grow and how they are affected by atmosphere, mood, and a hundred other influences. You will also have a second sense for tone, perspective, composition and all the other components of strong design, because you will have worked on them in your drawings. 

I feel sorry for art students who have not been taught to draw. The vogue for years in European and American art schools was to completely discard academic disciplines in favour of ‘self expression’ and experimentation with photography, Photoshop and installations. Those paths could be so much richer and more expressive if their creators had been first taught to see more deeply.

I know that when I was faced with a blank canvas and oils on the ‘Fine Arts’ semester of my foundation course I just floundered. The only advice from my tutors was ‘just express how you’re feeling’. It was terrifying. I wanted to draw something first, but I didn’t know how to do it well enough. Besides, I was told, that wasn’t the way to creative freedom.