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Ingrid Andersen |
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Effie Pryer – Still Life with Passionate Teenager
‘Aim for the sky and you’ll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.’ (Bill Shankly) One hears similar mantras throughout childhood and teenage years, and assumes that one will never need them; skills will come easily, money will flow and fame will quickly ensue. In my work I played with the idea of exposure; literally and emotionally. An artist must expose their thoughts, experiences and abilities in their work. Young people in artistic fields, whether they are musical, literary, performing or visual, must present their inner workings for the first time to a critical public, especially when trying to gain notice. Suddenly, we are no longer simply creating for ourselves but also for a varied and analytical audience. My friend Michael has just written his first novel. Being mostly autobiographical, he is effectively baring his soul to a string of publishers, agents and eventually the scrutinising glare of the public and is beginning to realise just how difficult it can be. We share similarities; as a painter, my first exhibitions and critiques are similarly terrifying. My motivation, methodology and conception are regularly questioned. As two young artists, we must both compete with adults twice our age and experience, even our own teachers and families. Suddenly we doubt our abilities in the cold light of public scrutiny and competition. As we wish each other the best of luck, we can only hope that aiming for the sky will be enough.
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