PAUL FINE
I regard myself as a representative of what I like to call a “New Aristocracy”. I am privileged to be living in the Western world, retired from paid work on a comfortable pension, with most of my faculties still mostly functioning. Before the age of professional scientists and engineers, many advances were made by aristocrats who had the time and money to explore and experiment. (Could give an example here, Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of photography). I believe Queen Elizabeth II said “You can’t help being born privileged, it’s what you do with it that matters.”
I make sculptures, but I’m not a sculptor:
– I don’t make a living from my creations
– I don’t have any qualifications, nor have I taken any courses
I design things, but I’m not a designer:
– I don’t make a living from my creations
– I don’t have any qualifications, nor have I taken any courses
If you’re looking for an artist’s CV you won’t find one. By my works you shall know me.
My not being a sculptor, nor a designer makes my work different from that of sculptors or designers
- I am more likely to depart from established materials and methods
- I put time and effort into creations that a professional would find uneconomic
- I don’t have the confidence or knowledge to risk buying expensive tools, equipment or materials
- I’m slow – you can work out all the reasons
I WAS a Chartered Engineer, through my membership of the British Computer Society. A wise old colleague told me:
“An engineer is someone who can do for a penny what any fool can do for a pound.”
CCC summarises my ethos – Collaborative Creations for the Community. (Or CCCCC – Cheap and Cheerful Collaborative Creations for the Community).
I abhor waste. My first works, the geometric sculptures derived from an exercise by a student at the Bauhaus, had no waste. When I made them from brass I collected the powdered brass from the cutting process without knowing how I would use it. Eventually I used it to make colourful flames. You’ll discover that much of what I do reflects my “No Waste” philosophy.
I also write, but I’m not a writer. Almost daily I think of some idea I want to share with others. Have a look at my Substack page if you’re interested. I used the Digital Foundry concept to convert 150 handwritten pages of Dawn Collins’ “Scratching The Surface” to digital format, so that she could publish it. Many writing competitions require entrants to declare their submissions to be their own work. If I were to sponsor a writing competition it would be one that required works to be collaborative.
My creativity has flourished since I moved to Frome in 2015. I benefit from and contribute to Frome’s strong sense of community. You’re invited to pay for my work – you donate what you can afford, and your donation is passed to worthy causes, mostly in Frome. Your donation reinforces the pleasure I have in knowing that my work is valued.
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You can find more about me at http://zanitie.weebly.com/paul-fine.html
Digital Foundry 