Lets Talk About Refinement
Thoughts and reflections from my recent critique.
During my career as an artist, refinement has always been the topic of conversation whilst conversing with tutors, or even myself sometimes. Typically more relative to my sculptural creations, refinement can be a pro or a con, depending on what the work is being critiqued. This constant battle with myself and refinement really comes down to who I am as an artist and what i want my work to visually represent. A most recent critique was on the surprising topic...you got it...REFINEMENT!! And although it was excruciating to hear, I needed to hear it.
My art practice is currently working towards finalising work for a degree show, the final chance to showcase to the art department and public that my three years of studying an art degree has been evidence of growth as an artist and not just a social opportunity.
I have somewhat shot myself in the foot by becoming really engrossed with Minimalism and the infamous Judd and Morris perfectly slick, REFINED, geometric sculptures because they've inspired my current practice. So, my sculptures cannot resemble any less. My working process is far from clean, it's an eye sore for many, yet it works for my crazy creations but I have to remember that my messiness works for the crazy creations that I call prototypes, not final pieces.
My advice for any budding artists who are afraid of criticism or critiques is, accept it. Not all the time because the comments may step over the line, and if that is the case, make sure you can form a great argument to support your work. Criticism is everywhere in the world, and not just with art. You cannot escape from it, but you can definitely learn from it.
