Happy Sunday!! My favourite day to throw up a blog post! I wanted to share with you this commission that I've been working on for the past few weeks. Sebastien and I were corresponding back and forth through email about a piece of art he was interested in for his home. I picked his brain a little about things that mean something to him. He told me he did his thesis on John Cheever, an american novelist and short story writer. He sent me a short story to read and I fell in love with it. This is where the magic called inspiration hits. A few more visuals and reference photos later, I began
The Swimmer
. 3ftx4ft acrylic on canvas.
I find I do my best work when it's in a collaborative way. I really like listening to people speak and then taking it back home with me and turning it into something powerful and personal. For those of you unfamiliar with The Swimmer, I'll attach a link to the short story
. It''s about a man who swims across his county, swimming pool by swimming pool. Visiting his neighbours and old friends. He is finding some have moved away or are gone for the season and some friends aren't very happy to see him, some reject his request for a drink, and others reference his troubles with his wife and daughters at home. His memory is foggy and he doesn't know what's going on or what they're talking about, that everything at home is fine, so he brushes it off. As he nears the end to the swimming pools he becomes freezing and exhausted and psychically and emotionally drained. He finally reaches his home and finds the doors locked and the house empty.
The story really plays on the passing of time and you start to notice how
much
time is actually passing throughout all of this. Alcoholism and the bad decisions he had made are consistent with each old friend and acquaintance he encounters. The end of the story is where it really hits you that he goes home to an empty house and no family.
Definitely recommend checking out this story as well as a few others of Cheever's work. They're really good. Reminds me of Mr. Stacey's english classes in high school. Finding deeper meaning in what you think is a light read. Hahah. I love that stuff. And also turning an idea like this into a physical art form is very satisfying.
Thought I would attach this, it may be my next purchase ...
Happy Sunday folks
xx
Allie
