Vertical Art

The life of a vertical Artist is not an easy one, first we need a blank canvas on which to paint our art.

This means stripping a painting or two or clearing a complete panel of art.

First we need to get to the top of the canvas and set up our ropes and then we can work down stripping the sculptures.

How tight the bolts are dictates how trashed our elbows and wrists get from pulling on those metal brushes.

Once cleared of colour and a new canvas set, we can create our artwork, sometimes a simple drawing and other times a complicated collage of resin and features.

Always , always careful not to drop anything like an allen key or a very large jug that would bounce on the rubber floor possibly spoiling someones visit to the art gallery.

We strive for perfection in motion, fluidity of moves and gaining difficulty and trickery with height.

All this is done while dragging a heavy bag with gravity hauling at its contents and straining on us with every inch of upward progress.



Every resin art blob fitted to the canvas lightens the load but artists become more and more weary with every move tested and every bolt tightened.

Some days when im feeling particularly creative, we can set a coloured puzzle on the way up and then haul another bag, full of diferent coloured sculptures, to the top, on weakened arms and set another more devious puzzle on the way down in reverse order.

After we have created our masterpiece, we need to test the puzzle and with withering arms, we climb and decide what numbers to announce to the critical masses who decide our reputation as an artist of worth.

"Its very reachy ! Its very crimpy ! its very technical ! its very slopey ! Its just rubbish !"

Paintings and sketches for the thin and the fast, collages and sculptures for the heavy and slow, charcoals and pastels for the old and creaky,

Such variation in texture and movment is surely worthy of the Tate Modern.

Seldom do we gain acclaim or acknowledgement for the elbow and wrist pain or the sweating back and legloop abrasion to the groin areas.

Like circling vultures they wait until the netting is removed and instantly thrust themselves into the vertical painting, never even looking at the possibility's from the floor.

Obviously if you havent looked at the map you dont know where to go, blindly they try this way and then that way and usually it all ends in disaster and always its because "its a awfully long" move or "its very hard for the grade".

Seldom do the vultures ask why they stuffed up on the route, they just sneer at the craftsman and spit fire at his art.

The fire, flem and zeal sometimes about a number on a card being to expensive or to cheap is insulting to a craftsman who has gained many blisters and callouses over his years of painting experience.

The artwork was perfect the day it was drawn and now its dulled with time and skin and hard to see in poor lighting not suitable to a modern gallery,"wash the art" they scream and again we set our ropes and brushes to paint and sweat and strain.

Just once i beseech you, thank the artist personally at every gallery you visit, ask to speak to him and see how he smiles and warms to your costless remarks.

However im lucky the art critics from my local gallery are in the main very complementary about our art and painting and its so nice to be thanked or commended on your hard and tiring work.

Enjoy the art and creativity my Friends, it costs nothing but sweat and skin from the artists.

However chocolate and red bull help, and is always gladly accepted.