My son has helped me change my perspective…
A rare picture of The Family Swift
I don't know if you received one of my recent newsletters - this one in particular got some great response, so I thought I'd share the sentiments here too.
The challenge of multiples…I have always been of the mind set that the learning/creative discovery was all in the individual creation; that each piece needed to be unique and I had to discover more of my subject with every endeavour &/or drawing. Consequently I haven’t digitally printed my work or even had printed greeting cards made in recent years.
Maybe I’m getting older and more mellow; maybe I’m wising up; maybe I’m looking to keep up with my peers…I don’t know, but I have to recognise my son, Callum, when he points out that there’s an equal challenge in finding a good way to repeat imagery to develop multiples. It’s interesting…he’s an engineer, he’s looking at my work, my career, my life, my business from a different angle….a younger one for sure, but he understands the integrity within my work and his suggestions don’t ignore that or push it aside…he’s been incredibly supportive recently.
He’s been at home with us since just before the pandemic…he made electric bikes for a while and now he’s on his second house renovation. He works with his hands and builds stuff..I couldn’t be more proud
”Mum can you see it can be just as challenging to create ways and means to repeat a piece of work: to design and make a jig”
Case in point: silver spiral studs earrings my antidote to Black Friday and the shopping mele of the Christmas season. They were intially intended as a ‘quick make give away’ piece. That’s not to diminish their value and delight (and frankly they are proving to be a best seller!). They are a no stress make with significant visual impact.
Callum and I are talking about different types of jigs that might help develop a collection of spiralling forms…he’s built his own 3D printer so this has set his mind whirring with possibilities.
If nothing else transpires, I’m enjoying our current conversations, I’m revelling in the new perspective, yet continuing to pursue existing drawing ideas. It doesn’t change my work it expands it, which is always exciting…let’s see what happens!
Now let me add a Post Script...he's just booked himself a one way flight to the Phillapines, so I need to keep him busy over the next few weeks!!!