Joe McConnell's blog
Joe Mc on cutting off his book to spite his face ...
21 July 2010
Quick sketch of Angels in William Morris Museum, Walthamstow (pencil on scrap paper) © Joe McConnell 2010
Today is the day i say farewell to Facebook. I only went on it a few weeks ago because it was a way of catching up with the humanitarian flotilla which was heading for Gaza. The BBC is so unreliable in reporting on the Middle East, that it was good to be hearing directly from people on the beleaguered boats.
But then I stayed on. Ended up with over 100 Facebook friends. And a squillion messages telling me whatt they had for dinner that day and sharing an incontinent quantity of visual data when a couple of well-chosen images apiece would probably have sufficed.
Hands up! I was as bad as the worst of them. Checking to see who was online and getting sucked into all sorts of sharing that was often good but sometimes inappropriate.
I have no right to regale you dao-dudes with ranting and raving about the surveillance society and the dangers of surrendering the world about us for the virtual dreamspace flickering at us on a screen. You will all have your own opinions about this and probably think that i'm being a bit of a fucking prat flouncing on about this. And you're probably right.
Anyway, the remit of this blog is to talk about my making art as a non-artist kind of artist. Well, since my recent Facebooking, I've noticed that the output of paintings and drawings which was flowing in the earlier months of this year was in a sharp decline. Say no more. I got art to make.
Keywords: disability art
Comments
Joe Mc
Thank you so much for this feedback Caroline - it means a lot to me. I lied yesterday. I'm still in FaceBook and won't leave until i'm sure about being able to contact those i've been connecting with there. I've actually not got anything SPECIFIC against it other that THEY (Cons, Libs, Labs and all the other dreary spawn of powerbrokers) are actively encouraging us to immerse ourselves in social networking. Just another way of slowing down the Revolution we so dearly need.
Caroline Cardus
Hi Joe.
Well, seeing as I can get my Joe-fix here it's all good. Although I do feel facebook has it's uses, it's easy to get sucked in and be on there too much. Wanting to communicate is something that comes naturally to artists, but art has to come first, so here's you continuing to make new work.
There's a beauty and fragility in your angel sketches that really appeals to me. And I find the change of colour halfway across the page particularly intriguing.
Joe Mc
Bill and Paula B - thanks for the feedback. The image wasn't pre-planned. I was visiting William Morris Museum with a friend who is also my art mentor. She is really encouraging me to take every opportunity to make sketches. The Angels were in another kind of composition. I was drawn to them because of the way their instruments resemble the accordion. "Medieval beat-box" - I like it!
Linus, as ever, thank you for your kindness and encouragement.
Linus
Joe
I echo your thoughts on Facebook. I only started using it to promote Fitzrovia News because the rampant capitalist within me told me to get into social media -- you know it makes sense.
But then I got to know about your blog through Facefook so it turned out to have it's upside, too.
I also got in touch with a former sociology student of mine and have used the chat to do some tutoring and generally have a laugh.
I'm beginning to sound like a marketing man for Facefook. But it's the same for Twitter, et al.
I spend to much time with these things. But every now and again I take a break for a couple of weeks. Leave the mobile phone at home and set myself free without the net to reign me in.
So maybe I'm a recovering net-a-holic.
Bill
Have these angels jumped out of an illuminated manuscript and found themselves encountering the modern age? Is the angel in the foreground holding a medieval beat-box? I love the fuzzy bits of writing running down the page.
Paula B
Interesting image - can you tell us more about it?
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