The process of creativity is different for everybody. We can all experience a need and find different ways to meet that need. All kinds of issues face us in life. We bring our skills and life experiences into play to reach a solution or a satisfactory outcome.
For the artist it is no different. An idea springs to mind and the imagination kicks into play. Then the whole process of creativity begins to roll. Every artist will find their own path to produce a work or several works of art in the process. Some may be in a good place but others may be in a bad place at the time. This will influence the finished product. Quite often the artist who is in a bad place may produce a more appealing finished product.
A few years ago I was sitting in the garden drinking a mug of tea. A few birds got into a fight over some crumbs on the ground. A large crow descended scattering the smaller birds. Another crow arrived upon the scene looking even more angry than the first. A fight ensued and one of them was the victor. This incident managed to get the creative juices flowing.
I will come back to the crows in a moment. But before I do I will tell you of some other things that were spinning through my mind. I had been reading some scripture in the book of the prophet Isaiah:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
I had also been looking at some images by an artist called Thomas Hill. He is an artist who uses wire to sculpt images of birds as well as other creatures. Looking at photographs of crows I decided to make a few sketches. I could not help but notice that the crows had an expression of anger. I thought of the incident when Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas the High Priest flew into a rage.
Rachel Ducker, another artist who likes to use wire, produces human figures. Some are small and others life size. She uses a wrapping technique portraying the figures in different poses. The figures with arms stretched wide reminded me of Jesus on the cross.
This wrapping technique intrigued me. I began wondering what other materials I could use to mimic this method. I considered using discs made from cardboard, plywood or sheet metal. Then I came upon the work of artist Marilene Oliver. She produces human bodies sculpted out of perspex sheets. Medical cat scans were at the heart of her inspiration.
Returning to Thomas Hill I noticed that he created some sheep out of wire and sheet steel. This brought to mind another verse from Isaiah foretelling the crucifixion of Jesus:
… he was led like a sheep to the slaughter…
Isaiah 53:7
Now considering the sheep I decided to use some foam cushion that I cut into shape to sculpt a sheep. This was inspired by the image of the painting Agnus Dei (the Lamb of God) by Francisco de Zurbaran. Another possible material to use would be expanding foam or clay. Helen Godfrey is another artist who has influenced me. She is a sculptor and has produced life size humans and animals. One of these animals is a sheep which she created using chicken wire. In my collection of photographs I discovered some that I had taken of the Lamb of God at Knock Shrine. I also had images of the Lamb taken at the cathedral in Mullingar. I manipulated these images by changing the values thus producing new images.
Whilst cutting back a climbing rose I thought of the crown of thorns that the soldiers put on the head of Jesus. I took a few photographs and made a few drawings of the thorns. I transferred one of these drawings to a sheet of lino and cut it out to make a few prints. Using both water based ink and some oil paint I made a few prints. I was not happy with the results but other people seemed to like the images. The results were far better after manipulating the images in the computer. I also scanned the lino into the computer and the marks made from the gauges proved very satisfying.
A few points are evident in this process of creativity. It is obvious that there is an interest in Christianity. In particular the crucifixion of Jesus. Every artist will have their own interests. Pursue what is in your heart. There is evidence of the interest in the work of other artists. The investigation of other artists provides the inspiration to produce new work. An inquisitive mind can see the potential in all things. Be open minded and consider suggestions. Create something new from the mundane. Throw in a bundle of humour. Never discard disappointments or failures. These are part of the process and can lead in a new direction. The eagerness to pursue a thread of inquiry is very important and produces results. All these points boiled in the same pot together contribute to the process of creativity.
A further analysis of the Process of Creativity is to follow soon.
Brian Cahill 