Tree and Leaf a few thoughts . . . Friday 11th November 1999

Some of my artist friends think that painting and drawing work like this;

But I wouldn't agree. Nature isn't a fossil fuel to stoke the fires of genius. That would be an arrogant attitude. That would be like saying nature is of no use unless it is doing some work for us.

Once of I've done my sketch of the willow the main thing that remains is the willow itself, not my interpretation of it. My work should be a celebration of the willow. The most brilliant piece of artwork would be just a shiny bauble if it didn't do something to point the viewer towards something else; the meaning of life or whatever you want to call it.

You can imagine what I mean, can't you? A painting or sculpture that is impressive, technically perfect, but which leaves you with an empty feeling. A singer who overdoes the vocal effects at the expense of the emotional impact of the song; 'I did it . . . mmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy . . . wayyyy!!'

It's like when you're pointing out of a window to show a baby a bird. The baby is fascinated by the finger and misses the bird. If the supposed 'genius' of the Artist and the awesome brilliance of the Artwork become the most important things, then you've probably lost any insight, any 'message', that they were originally intending to convey.

Meanwhile, back in the real world . . .

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@daelnet.co.uk'