"The creative process has a life of its own," says Elspeth Duncan. And through being open to that process in her new initiative Firehorse Fridays, she hopes to inspire others and make interesting art.Firehorse Fridays is a series of interactive creative sessions meant to culminate in a multimedia exhibition called Firehorse. There have been two so far, with two more planned, on January 24 and 31.She says, "Firehorse Fridays invites people/anyone to come and be a part of and contribute to whatever creative activity I have devised for that particular Friday.Duncan is no stranger to creativity. At forty-something years old she is an accomplished author, filmmaker, restaurateur, yoga instructor, musician, photographer and columnist (her new Tobago Peeps appears in the T&T Guardian every Monday). A playwright, her piece The Perfect Place was staged twice last year by the Trinidad Theatre Workshop.
Through all her expressions, she is known for offering fresh angles that make her audiences think about the world in new ways.Firehouse Fridays is no exception. The project invites the public to work with her as she creates a series of works, mainly paintings, which will eventually be part of the exhibition."I like to provide opportunities for the public/random people to interact with me and be involved in some way in my creative process," she says.The collaborative creative process is focused on letting the works evolve and become what they will, without imposing direction on them.The project is based at Healing With Horses Love and Magic Centre, on the grounds of Shore Things Caf� in Lambeau, Tobago. Duncan is a member of Healing with Horses (healing-with-horses.com), which provides therapeutic riding lessons for children with special needs, including disabilities or psychological difficulties.
Firehorse Fridays "gives me something extra to do while I am on shift there," says Duncan. "And I thought it would also draw more people to the centre."This is her first foray into painting. It all started when she attended a workshop with visiting artist Omesh Cain, who in September last year introduced her to the layering and scraping technique she is using for the project.
And as with much of her work, there's a spiritual aspect to the project."I am a Firehorse, born in that year according to Chinese astrology. Last year, I did a painting that involved the technique of applying layers of paint and textures, then scraping away to reveal images. What emerged to me was a horse-like, fire-breathing creature. I realised it was a Firehorse and that I had painted myself. It is somewhat of a self-portrait."The next few paintings I did using that technique also revealed horses. I was not planning on painting horses; they were just there waiting to be revealed."
She has completed seven paintings so far. The works are on wood, ranging in size from about one foot square to four by three feet.
Duncan describes what took place at the first session, on January 10: "I started (one painting) in black and white layers and textures. Those who came each added random paint marks, swirls–whatever they felt moved to apply to the wooden canvas."She said each person "approached differently: some softly, some boldly, some dropping swirls of paint, some making straight lines, some using leaves, some laughing, some serious, some pensive."Afterwards, she took home the "communal canvas" and began to work on it."I found myself adding blue, then greens and other colours. It is totally different now, but the offerings of others are still there because it created textures that I still see and feel under what I applied after.She stresses that for participants, "No experience in creativity is needed. Everyone is creative in their own way and every contribution gives something to the painting."She says the collaborative aspect "gives me more random textures and shapes to work with and increases the element of surrender to what is, rather than what I may want something to become."Every Friday, I use a different medium," she says. "The first one involved paint. The second one will involve audio or voice. And so on."
The schedule for showing the works is changeable, too. "My initial plan was to have the exhibition in late March or early April, but I am open to the possibility of it being later, if that is what appears to be best," she says. "It may be a tiered experience, possibly even happening in different times/places."It really is 'a gradually unfolding exhibition,' so there is a lot that is yet to be evealed to me–including venue of exhibit, exact format, etc. I guess it is just like the painting process itself: scraping at layers to reveal, rather than deciding what will be."So, although she definitely plans to show the work, she says, "It feels more like the exhibition has a plan for me!"
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