Sculptor Des Hughes
Through my membership of Eastside Projects’ ‘Extra Special
People’ I enjoyed the opportunity yesterday to meet ‘1-2-1’ with artist
sculptor Des Hughes at the gallery about my own work. I’d applied hoping that
the common ground we seemed to share in our individual interest in transforming
the everyday and familiar in our practise might be of interest to him and
getting some valuable critical feedback on my current work.
Des Hughes, 'Do You Think Of Me Often?', 2011
I really like Des’s sculptures-they are right up my street.
I enjoy the skill and craft of the work, but also the wit and imagination and
all the different contextual and historical references that they explore, play
and converse with, both materially and conceptually. (You can see some examples through this
post).
I’m pleased to report that Des was exactly the same in person and we seemed to get on well. The conversation flowed easily for twice our allotted slot of 45 minutes and he seemed to engage seriously and have a keen sensitivity to many of the issues I am trying to explore in my own work. This was in relation to my own interest in the craft, materials and process of my work, but also pushing me to think more about the ideas behind the work, what I am trying to say, which is something I’m not as confident about. It all seems to have multiple possible meanings and associations, which is ok on one hand, but also hard to discuss coherently. We talked about my relationship with the places I’m depicting, with Des stressing that, for him, it was ‘all about the spaces’ in the paintings: the spaces that the trucks occupy and the spaces in the trucks themselves. I’m left thinking about that most keenly, and feel that my new large paintings are my attempt to explore some of those issues.
I’m pleased to report that Des was exactly the same in person and we seemed to get on well. The conversation flowed easily for twice our allotted slot of 45 minutes and he seemed to engage seriously and have a keen sensitivity to many of the issues I am trying to explore in my own work. This was in relation to my own interest in the craft, materials and process of my work, but also pushing me to think more about the ideas behind the work, what I am trying to say, which is something I’m not as confident about. It all seems to have multiple possible meanings and associations, which is ok on one hand, but also hard to discuss coherently. We talked about my relationship with the places I’m depicting, with Des stressing that, for him, it was ‘all about the spaces’ in the paintings: the spaces that the trucks occupy and the spaces in the trucks themselves. I’m left thinking about that most keenly, and feel that my new large paintings are my attempt to explore some of those issues.
Des Hughes, 'Rust Never Sleeps', 2015
I had taken three of the more modest sized paintings to discuss
as well as looking at my website, which he had viewed before our meeting. Des
was also very enthusiastic about the new black and white digital i-pad prints I
have made, which I laid out on a long bench in the gallery. I’ve now made
nearly twenty of these, and Des commented how he thought the scale of them
worked perfectly, which is what I think, but you never know how other people
will respond. I took these hoping to gauge a more objective response, as these
digital works are a new development for me, and so I was really pleased by his
enthusiasm., and we discussed how best to present them which is a dilemma I
have. I hope to exhibit some of them in the group show I am putting together
with Hugh and Andy in August.
Des and I are the same age, and completed our Foundation
Courses at Bournville College of Art in Birmingham at the same time. I
recognised in him the same passion and commitment to making work that I have.
He’s just managed to translate that into being much more successful as an
artist than I have! (I’m referring to him being able to support himself
full-time through his work).
As I ate breakfast this morning I stared at my bookshelves filled with countless art books and monographs, which I can afford now, but also the countless small catalogues I used to acquire and read and take to the studio to inspire over the many years when I had no money at all but still painted as if my life depended on it. As I get older, you do wonder what it is you are doing and why, as I know I am never going to translate any of this hard work and conviction into anything more successful, and I think that gets even harder as you get older. And also you make all this ‘stuff’ that accumulates and accumulates, and yet I can’t seem to stop. Nor do I want to.
As I ate breakfast this morning I stared at my bookshelves filled with countless art books and monographs, which I can afford now, but also the countless small catalogues I used to acquire and read and take to the studio to inspire over the many years when I had no money at all but still painted as if my life depended on it. As I get older, you do wonder what it is you are doing and why, as I know I am never going to translate any of this hard work and conviction into anything more successful, and I think that gets even harder as you get older. And also you make all this ‘stuff’ that accumulates and accumulates, and yet I can’t seem to stop. Nor do I want to.
