Rapira-Davies, S (Native Birds Productions). (2003). Native Bird Productions, Shona Rapira-Davies, Diane Prince [Exhibition catalogue]. Whangarei, New Zealand: Self-published.

 

Working in art is about using material that I have just discovered for myself, materials that I am only just in control of. The rush of excitement is in the handling of these new materials without having previous background knowledge and there is a continuing rush of anxiety and fear of inevitable failure- so that when I sometimes succeed there is an adrenalin rush that is powerful and satisfying- for just a little while.

 

I don’t think that what I do is all successful- rather there are parts that are- sometimes.

 

I don’t like repetition activity, like decoding a secret formula once that formula is known and it is successful, I become bored with further development. It is with relief I move onto other art makings. Like being in a sandpit- the castle has my absolute attention- until it is time to bust it down and move on. There are ideas that I have that I have endlessly argued, ideas that have coalesced themselves into visual problems that I have to solve.

 

For years the ideas stay in my head, feeding on new technologies and materials or withering for want of visual context. I have never needed to rush the transition of these ideas, so my work output is both slow and there’s not much of it. There is also the other thing- money, making art is really expensive, some of the best ideas require a lot of money. It isn’t even about husbanding resources, since a lot of the time I work on the principle of the learning curve and there could be a lot of wastage involved.

 

If risk is somehow involved with the art making process there is a gamble in the outcome.