• Colour drawing of a staged theatrical scene framed by two symmetrical classical structures with niches containing gilded statues, flanked by trees. At the centre, a painted backdrop shows an island within an archipelago, with a visible settlement; in the foreground, a vessel approaches the shore. Four figures stand before the backdrop holding branches and other objects. The composition is enclosed within a thin rectangular gold border.
A person laying down in a field of grass

Making art is messy

by Simon Ellis Making art is messy. Artists make lots of decisions under less-than-ideal conditions without a clear understanding of how the work will turn out and how it will be felt and experienced by others. When we make artistic…