More new Witty Art that will most likely go on show in September!

Here's a selection of possible candidates to go on show during the September-October artshow at Hostel Ani & Haakien, an event organised by Rotterdam foundation Pica Pica.

The timing of this exhibit could not have been more perfect, because I have been on a major drawing spree off late, fuelled by all kinds of new inspirations and visions - of all sorts. Ranging from a world in turmoil and the bizarre behaviour of the so called human species inhabiting it to feelings of more contemplative,and introspective kind. Like, a journey into the mind of one of the persons I know both best and least: myself.

The results of this latest drawing binge consist of smaller sized artwork, none of them bigger than approximately A5, which is great because it is the perfect format for showcasing this work at Hostel Ani & Haakien: a very cosy, slightly artsy and really intimate place with a undoubtedly international vibe. I checked out the venu earlier this week and the whole atmosphere is perfect for Witty Art to both blend it and stand out at the same time. Which is just the way I like it!

So, I am looking forward to finetuning my final selection for this upcoming exhibition, which opens on Thursday, September 2016. You van find all the information on the opening (which will include not only Witty Art, but live music and food as well!) here on this blog or on the Facebook-eventpage!

Recent drawing spree resulted in a whole bunch of new Witty Art Work!

Recently, I have been on a bit of a drawing spree, and I found myself creating a lot of new Witty Art. A couple of new Series and a lot of Singles, and a couple of two and even three-pieces. It's been a while since I've been working with ink and watercolours but it felt extremely good to be able to do so again.

It turned out to be quite a good harvest. I witnessed the return of some old characters and ideas, but in new shapes and forms; as well as the birth of  new ones, some of which really surprised me, but in a good way. I can see new, previously undiscovered pathways, waiting to be explored and yes, I am eager to do so, at the same time, just a bit scared of what I might discover while doing just that. But the need to go onward and forward has the better of me!

I will post individual pictures of each work soon, for now, here is a small selection!

The first harvest of an afternoon's session of Witty Art Live!

 
Seven poets, writers and singer-songwiters on stage during the live poetry, art & food event Horen & Zien & Schranzen (loosely translated: Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Eat a LOT) I co-organised with my other creative business Studio PuRRR, last Sunday June 26th.

Well, eight, to be precise, because I took to the stage to create Witty Art Live. The challenge: to use the verbal input by the other performers and to translate that into my art. Whether that'd be narrative illustrations or more autonomous, abstract images, was entirely up to me.

The result of that live drawing session proved to be both surprising and inspiring. Surprising, because when you are drawing live on stage and you are primarly and directly responding to what is being said or sung, your mind is seriously working overtime. You are trying to take it all in while at the same time listening and grasping the images your own brain comes up with. It's literally a clash of your world and that of the artist performing up there with you. Almost like a mutual jam session.

So, it's always challenging, but definitely an inspiration because it stirs you into directions you weren't set on going, exploring sometimes familiar but mostly unfamiliar territories. I love it.  

So, the first harvest is here. And some works even spotting Dutch titles, highly unusual for those of you who know Witty Art well. Then again, all poets were Dutch, from the city of Groningen, to be exact. 

From left to right, the titles of the drawings, followed by the artist who inspired it:

'Roteenden (Lame Ducks') inpsired by a story by poet and writer Fieke Gosselaar.
'When Your Depression gets MAD at you'' thanks to a very depressively uplifting song by singer-songwriter Melvin Bonnet.
'It's Us Again... We Keep On Judging You'', thanks to Fieke Gosselaar
'When You Invite Depression In (Unwillingly)' thanks to Melvin Bonnet, again.
'I Picked Him Up.. Where?' a bizarre girlfriend-turned-bodybuilder experience by slam poet and ace performer Joost Oomen.
'Ode To The Absent Minded', inspired to quite an intimage and poignant song by singer-songwriter Lou Lou Elisabettie.

There is quite some more stuff I need to sort out and add a few finishing touches to, and then the result of that afternoon will be all finished and I will publish them all here on this Witty Art Blog!

Witty Art Wall turns out to be one big live sketchbook!

It's been just over a week since the highly succesful 'Maak Het Mee' Pop Up Expo closed down. Started originally as just a two-day weekend pop-up as part of a somewhat bigger Makers' Movement Festival taking part in Rotterdam (and partially co-organised by me) I never expected it to be such a success. In the end, the exhibition got extended not only one, but three times in a row, running for almost two months. So, the creative entrepreneur in me was and is very happy with the result.

But from a more personal, artist's perspective, it has proven to be even better, as I used this opportunity not only as a great way to showcase my work, but as a chance to develop myself further, by using the raw, somewhat worn out state of the location as an inspiration to create new Witty Art on the spot. So I came up with the concept of creating my own Witty Art Wall. 

One wall, completely filled with Witty Art Work: drawings, in all various kinds of sizes and formats, created in ink and/or pencil, some finished, some not, some created on the spot, some finished on that very spot, others taken home and finsihed at some later point. And while the exhibition got extended over the following weeks, the wall's content changed constantly, developed, while sketches and drawings started to influence, then interfere and even interact with each other. And as a serious case of GottaDraw set in, I found that my Witty Art Wall had become one big giant sketchbook in itself.

It's a concept I will definitely use more, as the presentation really suits Witty Art, it's easy to set up and its flexiblity makes it ideal for pop-ups. And, most importantly, it leaves so much room to draw and create live, to explore and to experiment.

Witty Art Wall brings back 'My Favourite Disease'

So, as explained in my previous post, I got the all-of-a-sudden opportunity to showcase my work during a pop-up exhibition, as part of a the project I was co-organising. As I was quite busy with coordinating the bigger project, I originally decided to showcase a selection of older work but somehow, that just didn't feel right. The empty store which we were allowed to use for our exhibition, is in such a run-down state, that it screamed for a more playful set up, a more experimental showcase than usual. So I came up with the idea of creating my very own Witty Art Wall: a wall filled with a selection of recently created, small-sized drawings, interacting with each other. All of the drawings being part of a bigger story, all of them together forming this one big moodboard, telling the story of my life, my art, over the past months.

Almost like a giant mural, but one continiously changing, alternating over a whole week, as I plan to play with the position of some drawings, creating new ones and adding them, perhaps taking some off and replacing them by old ones. One week-lasting work-in-progress, which will help me to determine into which direction my art, and thus my life, will go this coming year.

Because, in more than many ways, 2014 has been a turning point for me, both privately and professionally. I was faced with having to make some extremely difficult choices, having to let go of things that have proved to be nothing but false security - but still a enormous challenge to let go of. It was a year of having to face myself, and some of my biggest fears, my dearest demons and a lot of other things, people even, I'd held dear for so long. I pretty much killed some darlings last year. But I had to. I had to in order to move forward and channel all my energy and focus towards realising my life long dream: conquer the world with Witty Art. Or at least give it my all trying!

Perhaps, most telling is this. Last couple of months I have been suffering of what I call a bad case of 'GottaDraw'. GottaDraw I use as a term to describe those feverish outbursts of just having to draw, no matter what, of needing to create or you'll go mad (which sounds pretty dramatic, I know, but to me, it simply is like that). I think this case of GottaDraw resulted in over 250 new Witty Art Works in just two months, not even sure, I tried to count but I gave up. 

Anyway, one of these drawings turned out to be 'What D'Ya Mean, You Brought Back Our Favourite Disease?'. At first, I thought, 'how funny, that's based on an older drawing', and didn't give it any further tought, but I did decided to put it up on the wall. But I couldn't ignore the sensation of being reconnected with an estranged family member, as it were. And when I was looking at it, I realised this drawing was trying to tell my something. So, I brought out the original - not the actual original drawing, as I didn't have that one with me, but a printed postcard of it. I put the two up on the Witty Art Wall together.

You see, 'My Favourite Disease, I suppose', was created in 2008, shortly after a long period of creative drought (which I mentioned before in a couple of previous blogs). Actually, it was one of the first drawings I made after all those years. That simple drawing kicked off a series of events I never imagined to happen. I had given up on drawing, I had given up on creating. I had given up on my dream of sharing my art with other people. I never expected for Witty Art, my art, to be where it is now - so imagine where it can be in a couple of years' time, or even in a year's time.

That one simple drawing marked a whole new beginning for me, seven years ago. So imagine how touched I was when, seven years later, this drawing appeared on paper, a dear character reappearing, like a long lost relative. .. and the most beautiful thing of all is, that I finally figured out what ''My Favourite Disease'' really is. All that time, I never even knew myself what those words meant. But now I do. And it's a disease I never ever want to be cured of, not ever again. 

You see, I'll gladly suffer a bad case of GottaDraw. Anytime. All the time.

And that means, you have not seen the last of Witty Art yet. By far not.

'To Bring Back My Favourite Disease' | Witty Art Wall 

Pop Up Expo Josephlaan 38 
Niks Art Fart, Bima Engels, Casper.Inc, Jimmy Granti, Dolle Baas, Stephanie van Loenen, YARA, POSYX, Roland Hendrik, Quint Hartmann en Christy de Witt 

Sun & Saturday February 21 & 22: 14-17u
Wednesday February 25 - Sunday March 1: 14-17u