The Forgetting Room

One of the first to inspire me in my pursuit of the arts and an art-filled life was Nick Bantock. Accomplished author of "The Griffin and Sabine Trilogies," "The Venetian's Wife," and "The Forgetting Room," among others, Nick Bantock also illustrates his own works. As an artist, he works with mixed-media, focusing on collage, assemblage, found-object art, photomontage and more. Putting things together in ways opposite to the typical, mixing not only materials, but ideas and styles, his works draw you in. Into the chaos. And the order. And that realm where the two coincide, each dependent upon the other for their very existence.

I have always had a strong appreciation for the things we human beings create. Art. Music. Literature. Theatre. Film. Dance. Architecture. Things born from that ancient and universal need for expression. For communication, for understanding. That hand reaching out for another. That person that sees it, feels it, lives it the way you do. And this partnership of shared experiences and the need to connect, is yet another product birthed from that secret place, somewhere deep. The 'duende' perhaps, that all artists must wrestle with. My sapling interest in the idea of mixed-media art years ago, has grown today, into a full-fledged desire to produce works that bridge any and every type of artistic human creation together. A mix-tape/painting/sculpture/book with working lights and functionality. While I have had more progress in the way of let's say "pre-production and planning," I do have a few finished pieces that will be up for viewing and critique as soon as I can harness the reigns of this devil box. In the mean time, enjoy these works by Nick Bantock from, and inspired by, "The Forgetting Room."