Sunday, September 6, 2009

On the process of English Transformation Art

Conversation between myself and my English Transformation Art clients is itself part of the art process, in a sense. It is my task as artist to move the client, to assist, with as little assistance as possible, him in perceiving the difference between the really important things in his world from the less so, even if what is important to him is being silly. You may be silly about life, but you must also know what it is about silliness that makes you feel good, and know it at least well enough that you can see it in real terms, as a word or two.

It is my feeling that this is a process that will grow with each commission. Every client will bring a different world view to the table. It will be part of the process also to create better and better ways to record here in the blog the process, insofar as this meets with the approval of the client. This is a delicate matter. I enter the client's domain perhaps as no other artist does, making tangible his own view of his world, or some part of it, enabling him to create in his home or office a highlight exactly to his own specifications, something to share with those who visit him in home or office, and to keep hidden from those who he does not want in his home or office, if that is his design. I as artist must travel the road with him, engaging in conversation before creation of the work to decide what word or words it will say, hearing his musings and approach to the concept of this art, and his expressions of enthusiasm about it. What I say in the blog could be very much of this process, or very little, according to what the client either expressly states to me about it, or by my own judgment and taste about how I can enhance the experience for the client by setting it in the context of my own approach to the work, as the originator of the genre.

I have related here after successfully transporting the first sale to its author and buyer (the person is indeed an author!) a quote from his email acknowledging receipt of the work. This is a suitably understated approach to this groundbreaking step in the process. Better to let him express his response, in simple terms in this case, than have me begin with narrative about my impressions of his experience. I trust he will endorse this way of looking at it.