Urgent 2nd Class

As I have mentioned in my reading list, Nick Bantock is one of my favorite authors/artists. I was turned onto his work by my dad who had discovered "The Egyptian Jukebox" and the first three "Griffin and Sabine" books. The art alone is what drew my dad to him at first.

At our dad's house the weekend he introduced us to Bantock, my sister and I spent a lot of time working on the puzzle in the Egyptian Jukebox. It was great fun. You can't find the Egyptian Jukebox new anymore, but sometimes you can come across it used. I bought a copy for my sister not too long ago from Powells.

I fell in love the Griffin and Sabine books because I have always been a corresponder and I loved the art, the story and the reader interaction with the story (the postcards and letters that were really there).

The thing that prompted this post was that I just finished up Urgent 2nd Class, which is another Bantock book where he explains how he finds the stuff he uses in his work and how he goes about getting it to work. As I was finishing up the last chapter about collages, I realized that I don't see the message (if there is one) in each piece. I just find the mixture of textures, color and items interesting but I am not sure if I am getting the whole picture or not.

I guess I have felt that way a lot of times when experiencing art (in all forms). For instance, in books or movies, the whole concept doesn't have to be perfectly pulled off for me to enjoy it. Sometimes the idea of the story behind it is interesting enough and sparks my brain enough for my own ideas that I still consider it good when others might think it was crap because overall it failed. I think in a lot of ways, this can be good because it means that I am able to enjoy more that is out there than someone that might only be looking for the perfect composition everytime, but at the same time, I probably miss the big picture a lot because I am not hunting for it, lost in my ideas.

Traditional art is the same way for me. There are some artists that I just enjoy because they are interesting, not because I really understand the message or idea, that overall, they might be trying to get across. I don't know if that is good or bad, but that is how it is for me. Nick Bantock is one of those artists for me. There are probably plenty of pieces that are supposed to be sarcastic or ironic and I have never noticed it, I have just enjoyed the physical aspect. I wonder if that frustrates the artist or if they are just glad you enjoy it, regardless of the aspect causing that enjoyment.