Working with Negative Space

LEN'S WEST HAM - Number 7 Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've done a full blown blog featuring West Ham and life in general. This is generally because I can't seem to get away from it, even though I gave up my season ticket and stopped featuring on Moore Than Just a Podcast. It's possibly the last thing I want to talk about, as so much conversation comes to me without even instigating it.

Sometimes it's about where to put the brush, and when to leave the canvas empty.

I don't get involved in a lot of things lately, I find the more you get involved in, the more aggravation comes your way. I tend to look at the wasted time and effort over the working week, and wonder whether it would have been better spent painting. The answer is always yes.

Sometimes it's good to get away and just do things you enjoy.

There's a nasty rumour going around that I am spearheading a group to expose David Sullivan. I can assure you I'm not. I'm a bloke that looks after his elderly mum and does a bit of painting in between. There are still phone calls and emails about good things to make before I even think about negative stuff. This is not the 'Negative Space' I wanted to write about today though.

The definition of 'negative space', according to google is: the empty or unoccupied area around and between the subject(s) of an artwork or design, also known as white space.

My art studio is really into this lately. I'm taking on plenty of commissions for my 'British Lion' painting. This is the first time I've used black canvas, so the negative space serves as the darkest part of the image. This makes the colour really pop, and collectors are loving them. How dare I digress toward the subject that generates my income though...

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Back to the blog. Now armed with the knowledge of what 'Negative Space' is, I want to tell you what happened to me late last week. I was walking down the vegetable aisle of Aldi when my friend Paul Colborne called. After a thorough catch up with what's going on with Hammers United, he asked if I could produce something to promote the boycott against Brentford.

The challenge Paul and the HU guys are up against is, somewhat, working with negative space. Paul isn't trying to persuade you to do something, he's trying to encourage you NOT to do something. If that wasn't hard enough, it's something that you may have become a big part of your life. It's easy for me to empathise with his challenge. Working in beer advertising for years, it was easier to encourage people to 'buy this beer' and 'drink this beer' rather than 'maybe you should have a week off drinking beer'. Asking people NOT to do something somehow can be harder - when it should be easier.

Oh look! Beer and masculinity are combining...

Now, deep down, I think Paul was hoping I could produce a whimsical cartoon. Unfortunately, these now seem to be dominated by artificial intelligence. So, I thought I would try and offer a bit of human creative intelligence - or at least give it my best shot...

Google's definition of negative space continues with 'What is negative Space?':

Empty Space: It is the area that is not filled by the main subject.

Background or Gaps: This space can be the background, the space between words and paragraphs, or the space between elements in a design.

Deliberate Inclusion: It is often intentionally left empty and devoid of detail to draw attention to the main subject.

Understanding the power of negative space a little more yet?

As a creative project, this is what Hammers United's boycott is setting out to achieve. Staying at home, and displaying swathes of empty seats, creates the negative space that draws attention to the main subject. Hammers United's main subject is the poor ownership of a great football club - in a lousy stadium.

As far a fan engagement displays go, you could actually be part of a masterpiece, and all HU are asking is "would you consider doing nothing to make a difference?" - Because negative space actually CAN make a difference.

You can still watch the match on the telly by the way...

Now, myself and Hammers United aren't trying to tell you what to do - I certainly wouldn't do that. I'm just trying to interpret from a creative persons point of view WHY they are asking you to consider it. If you are going to the Brentford game, I hope you have a great time, and Nuno and the boys play well.

I used to be an absolute West Ham nut. So much so, I took a sabbatical from my job to make a film about them. This season, I gave up my season ticket. I'm not doing a one-match boycott, I'm boycotting the whole stadium. If that can't persuade you to boycott one game, at least have a think about why a guy that once made a film about West Ham now doesn't go anymore.

Blog done. Look around for, and appreciate, negative space. Here's my latest painting of Lemmy using negative space...

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