Artist Head — rowanbazley

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Purdey Williams, Scarlet Topley, Rowan Bazley

Taylor’s version:
One night in November the idea of Artist head came to us over a box of special K and season one of The Bear. Artist head is the intricate self-criticism painters give themselves in the studio, much like Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto’s racing thoughts set in the large bright kitchen of years gone by. In a restaurant where broken sauces cannot be served; colours cannot be wrongly mixed and brushes lazily cleaned; we think about the paintings we shouldn’t have sold, the degree in painting we shouldn't have taken. Oil paint has a propensity to become unusable once you begin to get frustrated or impatient with it. It curdles, like spoilt milk, and you must pick another metal bowl from the shelf to begin again. When we come together as artists, these criticisms fade away. We have faith in one another - the scuffles, gestures, mishaps and wonders that can emerge from the frames we sweat over, hold against our hearts and rebuff in an instant. This is a combination of emotional support and so many interruptions that one’s own self indulgent thought train is often drowned out. Artist Head aims to capture the particular conditions of being a painter in 2024. It’s one of the many solitary and introspective acts in an economy built on self assessment and goal oriented self improvement. Artists continue to be a burden in this country, no longer can young ragamuffins be seen to make mess. You must be the best painter, because there is no room for anything less than perfection.
written by Scarlet Topley, Purdey Williams and Rowan Bazley

"spoilt milk" Oil on canvas, 2024 "broken emulsion" Oil and rabbit based size on dustsheet, 2024

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