Assignment 6 (part) - Grayson Perry

Grayson Perry is an artist that I feel relates to my practical work. I'm mainly interested in his alter ego 'Claire', with all her feminine charms, And the childhood realm that his teddy bear, Alan Measles, rules.  Grayson is best known for his evocative pottery, which is based on current events, politics, or himself.  The pots, first of all, are crafted in a traditional style, and have become technically 'better' the longer he's been making them. But what's interesting about his pots is the designs and illustrations that he layers onto them, he is truly skilled at this.

 "Many find the pots unpalatable, as undisguised attacks on the (art) establishment, the communication of macho behaviour, and the obscene sex scenes are regarded as shameless, adolescent or vulgar"

(Boot, 2002)

I have been looking at his drawing style, it's very much his own way of drawing, its halfway between realism and abstraction, It is at that stage that gives it the charm of the hand drawn. Things are a little bit wobbly, maybe a little bit a skew. But you can always tell what it was meant to be, whether its a pair of jeans, a doll, or a penis (which are some of his favourite things to include).

"His vases have a traditional shape, they are not shaped on a potter's wheel, but are built up by coiling. This simple technique is time-halloed and lives on in children's work in clay"

(Boot,2002)

I enjoy the fact that he is a professional artist, but he's making his work in the way he wants. He's decided not to use a potter's wheel, but instead is using a method that takes much longer, and is much more childlike. I find Perry's childish side as the most appealing aspect to his personality, He embraces his inner child, and he is proud to display this, mixed with a strange sense of fetishism. Alan Measles his teddy bear proves to be a key character in his work, as its well known that it is the only thing he has left of his childhood. He speaks about him in such emotive ways. I have taken inspiration from Perry and have looked through the back catalogue of his work. I am familiar with this style and will keep it in my mind as 'artistic reserve'. 

"Alan Measles was the leader, the benign dictator, of my made-up land, the glamorous, raffish, effortlessly handsome, commanding character. He was supreme. My aunty knitted me a woolly tortoise stuffed with cardboard to keep its shape, so Tortoise was appointed Alan Measles's second in command: the reliable, slightly portly deputy, like John Prescott to Tony Blair"

(Jones 2006)

Alan Measles