The Lives of the Most Excellent Artists
This mini catalgue was produced to acompany a screening of videos at Sàn Art.
December, 2023
The title ‘Lives of the Most Excellent Artists’ is derived from the book of the same name by Giorgio Vasari (1511-74). This was one of the first artists’ biographies ever written, but is also full of lies, half-truths, and hagiographical elaborations.
The root experience that gave rise to this body of work was the death of an artist friend who hung themselves in their studio. Within a year, and as a direct result of this event, I sold my studio and disengaged from art production. I went on to become an art teacher and art technician, helping other people become artists and make their art.
Now, twenty years later, I have gained sufficient distance to those events for me to be able to return to painting and art production. This work addresses the lessons I learned along the way from a range of related themes:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
December, 2023
The title ‘Lives of the Most Excellent Artists’ is derived from the book of the same name by Giorgio Vasari (1511-74). This was one of the first artists’ biographies ever written, but is also full of lies, half-truths, and hagiographical elaborations.
The root experience that gave rise to this body of work was the death of an artist friend who hung themselves in their studio. Within a year, and as a direct result of this event, I sold my studio and disengaged from art production. I went on to become an art teacher and art technician, helping other people become artists and make their art.
Now, twenty years later, I have gained sufficient distance to those events for me to be able to return to painting and art production. This work addresses the lessons I learned along the way from a range of related themes:
-
The suicided poet
-
The lost traveler
-
The dying explorer
- The spaceman
