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Write on ... From left, Geoff Ellis, Clair Williams, Karen Bateman, Kit Fennessy, Brook Tayla, Jillian Durance and Laurie Martin
By Catherine Watson
THE expression “a picture paints a thousand words” is in praise of art, but Inverloch artist John Mutsaers has a different take.
“I regard writing as the highest art because you can put pictures into people’s heads with a few words,” he told a group of writers who gathered at Wonthaggi’s ArtSpace last month. The writers were among a group of 12 chosen to be part of unique cross-cultural project.
THE expression “a picture paints a thousand words” is in praise of art, but Inverloch artist John Mutsaers has a different take.
“I regard writing as the highest art because you can put pictures into people’s heads with a few words,” he told a group of writers who gathered at Wonthaggi’s ArtSpace last month. The writers were among a group of 12 chosen to be part of unique cross-cultural project.
Artist John Mutsaers hoped the prompts would inspirenew and unexpected ideas.
Each writer was randomly matched with one of John’s paintings, a drawing and a cue card with a single verb and asked to write a response of up to 1000 words.
Silence settled on the room as the writers wrestled with images, ideas and words.
While the paintings depict the interests of a 12-14-year-old boy of John’s home country and era – the Netherlands in the mid-1950s – the writers were free to respond with stories set in other places and different times.
John said he had hoped the randomness of the prompts would inspire new and unexpected ideas, and he was delighted with the results.
The stories are now part of his Looking Back exhibition at the new Gippsland Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon. The exhibition, which opens tonight, is the second in a series of three to be held across Gippsland this year to mark John’s first 40 years as a professional artist.
Inverloch writer Karen Bateman ran the creative writing workshop, and the writers welcomed the chance to bounce ideas off others.
Silence settled on the room as the writers wrestled with images, ideas and words.
While the paintings depict the interests of a 12-14-year-old boy of John’s home country and era – the Netherlands in the mid-1950s – the writers were free to respond with stories set in other places and different times.
John said he had hoped the randomness of the prompts would inspire new and unexpected ideas, and he was delighted with the results.
The stories are now part of his Looking Back exhibition at the new Gippsland Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon. The exhibition, which opens tonight, is the second in a series of three to be held across Gippsland this year to mark John’s first 40 years as a professional artist.
Inverloch writer Karen Bateman ran the creative writing workshop, and the writers welcomed the chance to bounce ideas off others.
| “It’s really good to be in a situation where you have to read your words aloud,” Jillian Durance said. “Everyone’s approach is so different.” There was also discussion around different writing approaches. Laurie Martin said the three components made it an intriguing exercise. “Once they come together … I’m itching to get into it.” Geoff Ellis said ideas would rattle around in his head. “I generally write around 3 or 4am.” “I know I won’t write for days,” Brook Tayla said “but I’ll have the images in my head. I’ll just let it percolate until it’s ready.” | The writers
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Unlike Kit Fennessy, who had already completed his first draft during the workshop. “It’s about 1500 words so I have to lose a lot.”
The project was run in conjunction with the Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction.
A manuscript of the writings, along with the paintings and drawings, is available online at https://www.johnmutsaers.com/looking-back. The Looking Back exhibition runs until October 15.
The project was run in conjunction with the Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction.
A manuscript of the writings, along with the paintings and drawings, is available online at https://www.johnmutsaers.com/looking-back. The Looking Back exhibition runs until October 15.
Clockwise from left, Geoff Ellis, Claire Williams and Brook Tayla