Yesterday I did something new. Together with a fellow artist Jan Tervoort I changed a sculpture into a new sculpture. It was a portrait. There are times when you are not completely sure of things anymore. That's when you have to search for new tracks, new things. Push or transform your boundaries.
I have known Jan for quite some time and I am impressed with his work. It is beautiful, profound, abundant. Sitting in his workroom we can chat for hours about art and everything allied and for a while we have been searching for a co-project, something that will belong to both of us. Because one plus one sometimes equals more than two. We are both inquiring artists and view our work with healthy suspicion. What can be improved, what on earth am I doing, when is it all right, is this all right, is this all right. Therefore the idea was born that we could create something together that neither of us would be able to achieve on our own.
Being a curious artist makes you vulnerable. When questioning many things in order to reach the best possible image you have to listen to your intuition and the different voices in your head. Listen, be quiet, try, be alert, fail and try again. When two people are inquisitive and attentive like this, you really need to completely trust each other. Otherwise you will receive nothing, naught, zero. One of you will get annoyed or angry. Well, at least all those hours we spend jabbering away did serve a purpose, apart from it being lots of fun, clarifying and creating new energy.
So there we were, with that head between us. Poking, prodding. Start again, a little bit of this? That's right. Then observing. And indeed, it seemed to become a lot more than either me or Jan could have done alone. The face is distorted, like we all transform in this world because of the things that happen to us, what takes place, what we witness. All the powers we encounter during our lifetime. You never know what will happen to you. How you start and finish.
It is funny, but this reminds me of the first time I went outside with my son, shortly after his birth. My dear little baby, so vulnerable, so infinitely easy to corrupt. I looked at all the people I passed by and imagined them as the helpless infants they had once been. If only we could be so kind to each other, it wouldn't harm anyone.
