I have spent most of my adult life in a City, London, UK in fact, and travelling to and from cities in one country or another. I couldnt understand why even though they were havens for Chaos I felt at ease in them.
I have spent many years as a Graphic Designer too, all of these years in fact were in the same cities. Unfortunately being a Graphic Designer, unbelievably, caused me to miss this feeling, or at least miss-understand what it was. As I believe it, Graphics was all about solving other peoples briefs, or theories, over short periods of time; the nature of Graphics.
I have often looked out of the window while I was contemplating an idea and something made me feel good, enough to return to the issue with vigour. I believe this was the fact that I was staring out into a City.
Why do I find tranquillity in a chaotic City? A City cannot survive unless it is operating properly, so when I am in London, or Sydney, Singapore City or Paris, and others; I un derstand that these cities are well established, hence they must have some Order.
I was day dreaming in the studio - in my late re-introduction into Art, since just before Christmas 2005, after a 5 year break from Graphic Design, I have rented my own studio, and embarked on a fine-Art journey, this time solving my own theories - and while taking a break from a very strenuous Charcoal and pastel morning, I sat down and looked at all of the bits of Charcoal I had accumulating.
My nature provided the first pArt of my Artists journey, fast, furious, and flowing actions. When finished I am stuffed. I sat down and noticed all the bits left over from burning away at the Charcoal sticks. (I say burning as I have, many times been burnt, forgetting in my passion, that Charcoal sticks dont remain the same length!).
I picked one bit up while thinking, wouldnt it be nice to do some smaller Artworks, be a change, be cheaper too, and stArted rolling and smudging it around a pad of cArtridge paper, A2 in size.
It felt nice. I had tons of space, and a very small piece of Charcoal. I was day dreaming still and just let the paper take me where ever it wanted. Shapes appeared in the images, and still in a state of tranquillity I continued with mild direction. It was great, people love them, I feel a bit embarrassed as I am having difficulty accepting they are mine, I know I did them, but who was pushing the Charcoal?
Anyway, I did another. While doing this it gave me time to think, I used another piece of Charcoal and stArted a Drawing with vertical straight lines, then naturally I put in a horizontal line, a bit of shade and another vertical line, and so on.
Good God! I was Drawing edges of buildings, they looked familiar, it was a scene of about anywhere in London, any alley way, or terrace house rear. I was at home. I now had a theme, and caught a feeling. While Drawing I realised that from all of Londons billions of chaotica lly placed bricks, drain pipes, windows, curtains, outside toilet cisterns; like in any established City, there was Order.
A tranquillity has come from the variety of Chaos, which over the years had found its own Order. I have stArted putting them up on my website now, you can see the first four at the bottom of my projects page on my website www.alecellis.com - these are the first, as I mentioned above, but the ones I have yet to put up are more intense, and more tranquil. It shows how happy I am with my new discovery, I have already had these four mounted and framed for my wall in the studio. I am off up to Sydney next week to take allot of alley way shots, sketch some close views of bricks and drain pipes. The dirtier, uglier, and seedier the better.
I love the way the front of the house is a face, yet the alley ways, in which people are not expected to venture or observe, nor the rears of terrace housing, are given any real attention. Drain pipes, dirty walls , bins, old fencing, little side windows that still retain the fifties or even thirties original curtains, the curtains that came with the house.
A million pieces of Chaos come to Order... lovely.
Alec Ellis
Artist
http://www.m6.net For eighteen years as a Graphic Designer from London College of Printing, UK, I have never had as much fun, freedom and serious focus as I have now. I have spent many years creating solutions for clients but now I stArt on a journey, from scratch, working out my own theory or theories to solve, for the rest of my life.
My personal website is http://www.alecellis.com and I am a member of http://www.m16Artspace.com Art Gallery and studios in Canberra, Australia. Both websites are gratefully sponsored by M6.net my first choice in web hosts.
Author:: Allec Ellis
Keywords:: Art, Charcoal, City, Draw, Paint, Create, Chaos, Order, Graphic, Design, Canvas
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