How Old Is Makeup Artist John Maclean

Michael Proudfoot introduces his new characteristic-length documentary on the life and work of creative person John McLean.

I can think of nobody, now painting, in Uk, who is so absorbed in the business and the magic of colour.

One affair cameraman Chris Morphet and I chop-chop learnt most watching John in his studio was that when he started a new painting he never knew what its outcome would be. At i point in the moving picture McLean ponders on the idea of the paintings being 'magicked' into being, simply concludes that if this were the case in that location would be 'no fun' and therefore probably no point in the venture at all. At that place is sometimes a misunderstanding about artists and the level of pattern for an end object: the finished thing. The process or journey, the failure, the blind alleys, the mistakes, are all part of the sweat that makes upwardly the final object, and in a McLean painting this is what nosotros come across.

Every bit nosotros watched and filmed John at work nosotros realised that we were witnessing the virtually individual of adventures inside the creative person'southward studio. Still, John was happy to reminisce about his childhood in Scotland or some theory nigh how Monet used or didn't utilise white in his paintings, and all the while he would carry on with his own infinitesimal decisions in color and shape. His exact musings were e'er entertaining simply occasionally the painting in front end of him would tug him back to the present consciousness and he would of a sudden declare, 'This is speaking to me now' or more commonly, 'Oh s**t!'.

Long after you have hung it and passed it every day, the painting will keep to surprise you lot, showing y'all some other tributary in the process of its creation.

When I look at a John McLean painting now, what I see is this multi-layered journey. In the best ones there is e'er a sense of discovery every time yous wait at it. Long later yous take hung it and passed it every day, the painting will continue to surprise you, showing you some other tributary in the procedure of its creation. And, the meaning of all this? If at that place is a meaning, it is as Richard Morphet (ex-Tate) says, 'The very things that surround us: infinite, shape, colour, time and our relationship as humans to all of these things'. There are other things going on too. More than one person in the film comments of the 'wittiness' of John's work; he's laughing at us, or with u.s. – or maybe at 'art'.

Although my company and I have fabricated films for broadcasters and clients of all kinds, it might be worth mentioning that the truthful 'consequence' of our piece of work is often an unknown too. And maybe all worthwhile creative ventures must have this element of chance (adventure is not a popular discussion in the world of commerce, by the way). We have systems and strategies for protecting our paymasters from disaster and we as documentary-makers have gained a reputation for always producing coherent, high quality work. But this film was unlike.

In the example ofWhich Style Up there was no brief, no fourth dimension slot, no channel.

No constraints of commercial breaks where there is a desire to tell the audience what they have just seen and well-nigh remarkably… what they are about to encounter.

We had a duty to John and to Jan, his wife, to show him as he is simply we wanted to show what a painter, similar John, does and how he does it. If y'all watch carefully yous can learn something about painting – I mean actually doing it. So, in many ways we felt, in the making of this film, a piddling bit like a John McLean painting – the picture show's outcome would be revealed in the process of its making.

John also has Parkinson's disease. As the period of our shoot continued his health has deteriorated merely his want to pigment and make new work, effort new things has non. In contempo months two studio assistants and a nurse have helped him down to his studio in Deptford where he has made some remarkable new paintings. As the National Portrait Gallery's Paul Moorhouse, says 'Fine art, for John, is like life'.

Michael Proudfoot, Director,Which Fashion Up with John McLean.The motion-picture show premieres on 31st May – look out for updates on Proudfoot's Twitter business relationship.