Archie Sutter Watt (1915-2005)

Today's the day ......................... for a portrait of an artist

We chanced upon a fascinating exhibition yesterday at the Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries featuring a retrospective look at the work of local artist Freda Blackwood.  

It featured creative output from her student degree show to the present day, gathering together past work in stained glass, costume, sculpture, painting and printmaking.  The papier mâché head of her friend, another artist, Archie Sutter Watt really caught my eye and it was interesting to read what Freda had to say about the making of it.  
 
' ....... I took 12 reference photos while he slowly revolved and a few measurements with my inchtape.  I knew I had to embed his character and demeanour in the chickenwire 'skeleton' and it was an exciting moment when suddenly, he was actually 'there' in front of me.  Next came the slow process of building up the many layers of newspaper, until it was strong enough to support the weight of the porridgy paper pulp, with which I could create his 'flesh'.

After a couple of months, I had a grey stone-like, surprisingly convincing bust of Archie.  It was then a very difficult decision as to whether to stop there, or to continue into colour, at the real risk (as there would be no going back) of losing what I already had.  After much dithering instead of using paint, I decided to surface him in coloured tissue paper, as its transparency have a feeling of life flowing beneath the skin'.

She goes on to say that with hindsight, it was probably the wrong decision, given that it is not light-fast.  So as the years pass and her memories of him start to fade, so alas will the sculpture ...................