Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize

Autumn, a period of reflection? Looking at art raises more questions than it answers.

After the Artists open house there is time for making art, looking at art and thinking about what art to make.

A fellow MA Drawing alumni & I decide on trawl around some central London painting galleries but hear there are series of talks on drawing as part of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize. It’s too late attend the talks but decide on a look at the drawing prize exhibition.

Niche

It’s a nice day for it. It’s also nice to take a break from “Current Affairs”.

Going about my day I am aware of being a bit weird. I do weird things, I have weird friends. I’ve spent most of my life in academic scientific research, it’s a highly conformist environment, it does not do weird.

Went I quit science I said

I’m off.

Where are you going? Oxford, Harvard, SF?

Wimbledon, to do Drawing.

D-R-A-W-I-N-G?

Yeap!

What with. . . crayons?

Yeah, I guess crayons can be involved. Do you like crayons in particular?

 

Even now, if you say to people you do drawing for a living, with the best will in the world, most people think you’re a bit weird.

Arriving at Trinity Buoy Wharf I remember how off the beaten track it is.

It feels a bit. . . niche, not weird, niche, OK?

Pitch

I’m new to this & it’s difficult to know where to pitch a blog and I really should be making art so here are some snippets of conversation, ideas, questions and photos.

Have you ever entered this competition?

Yes, 10 years ago we were working as “art handlers” on this Drawing Prize. We could submit a drawing for free.

Could we?

Yeah, I had just drawn the Brighton train.

Questions

Is there a market for this stuff

You’re looking at it the wrong way around, you need to make the market.

Yeah, Banksy said something like, the way to the top of your market is turn it upside down. It’s not that easy. When if left the MA I started out with the Diabetes Art Machine. I ploughed my own lonely furrow with it. Nobody was interested. Looking at it now it was an arrogant, stupid idea. I wouldn’t do it now, unless I had the funding upfront which obviously won’t happen.

There is an argument to make what there is market demand for – there are a lot of tick boxes to check so I reckon the market drives the product but I don’t know. . .

More questions:

The exhibition is stimulating.

At the time of writing I am pondering more questions.

Why make things? Why make things if nobody sees them?

How to sell things?

How, why and where to get involved with artists’ groups?

Why have a website? Why write a blog?

Hopefully I might figure some sort of answers.

Niche reprise

On the way home I encounter a fellow artist.

Where have you been?

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Show.

What’s that? It sounds a bit bit niche. I’ve just been to see “Now you see us”. . .

For a more informed treatise visit

trinitybuoywharfdrawingprize.drawingprojects.uk