GRIME-POP To note, I believe that,”a painter should never describe his work a painter should only paint” Art to me is a continuous search to become better at the work I devote myself to. A distraction from the hustle of everyday life. I find myself starting the day’s work by fixing the shit I did the night before. I feel the job of the ‘so so modern’ artist today is to express his or her thoughts with little regard for the illustration of the subject matter beyond him or herself, as I can’t do any image justice by merely illustrating it. When I start a painting I usually paint on the floor and begin with a very large canvas, this makes me feel part of the work without seeing the corners (the ends) of the painting. I paint freely and fast. If I take to long to decide on subject matter I’ll only end up illustrating my ideas, so I begin quickly by putting a lot down and then taking a lot away. My first idea is only a means to start the painting, the end result is unknown to me in the beginning and so I will arrive at the end when I start to feel no more marks are needed. I am my own worst critic because of this, not always the final result can withstand my interest long enough for me to call it finished, this I do feel is very important. Paintings need to be felt not just looked at and if I can’t feel it, I couldn’t expect the viewer to. An illustration of a subject is created much better with a camera than with a brush so I have no interest in conveying my ideas in that manner. I feel that if the viewer doesn’t know what he or she is looking at but is compelled to look then I’m on the right track . In today’s environment, social media has and must change the outlook of the artist on how the work is viewed. With the likes of Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr we have all become continuous picture givers with most of them truly no more important than the next one. Sometimes I dislike seeing my paintings on these sites (even tho I’m the one putting them there) as they become a 2×2 square that is no better than the photo of the chicken salad posted before it or the new shoes that come after. The artist participating in showing his work in this way must know the art – important in it’s silence – is just that, silent noise alongside salads of chicken and photos of party’s he or she wasn’t invited to. Consumption for the many? Maybe? Inspiration for the hunters of good art, inspiration for the youth of my home town – this is what is truly important to me. I used to think when I was younger that I had to become famous to be any good at all at painting. Now I’m not so sure, yes the more people who see the work the more popular it becomes which in-turn means more money and I do love money, but this isn’t what the future is about for me. I want my name alongside contemporaries I admire from Australia, where I now call home and my home of birth New Zealand, from Coiln McCahon, to Ralph Hotere, Phillip Claremont, to Brett Whiteley .. and so….PhilipJamesFrost !You don’t need to put me at the top of Google search, rather just my name on my book in library’s next to these great artists , and with that put me in galleries , low lit light, silent, still ,,,,,important. This I will wish true! Thanks for believing 😉 Now go party! Eat a salad and “buy my art ” ‘Philip James Frost’
a gallery presents 