Last week I went to the private view of the series of wildlife illustrations called Nature Punk by Edwyn Collins, the much-celebrated British musician, in East London’s Idea Generation Gallery. Celebrated and acclaimed by the public and fellow music makers, Collins has received the high honour that is being given the Ivor Novello Award. In 2005 he unfortunately suffered from a double brain haemorrhage, however not only did he survive but through using art, has recovered much of his motor skills.

The stature of the artist and his following was evident in the sheer number of people in attendance. The event had been given an air of auspiciousness due to the required RSVP and guest lists employed.

There’s a funny disparity between the intended purpose of a private view and its actual result. The show is there to act as a catalyst to spike interest, a PR venture designed to get people talking about the show and to lead to an optimised quantity of foot fall to the subsequent run of the show. Lately however, the private view seems to be the be all and end all of a shows run. And every now and then you go to a show where the art gets lost behind people scrambling to get their hands on the free/cheap drinks and to enjoy the frivolity of a sup at culture. Don’t go getting me wrong, despite being a Fine Art graduate, I don’t mind admitting that unless I have a connection to the artists or curators, I mostly go to art shows to get a bit sloshed and to indulge my being a reverse snob, as in turning my nose up at the ‘high end’ art which is of the times and instead falling over myself like a cheap whore for any work that displays the application of genuine talent and craft.

Anytime I get to go to a show where drawing takes prescience I get excited. It’s something I can understand.

Looking at his work it was immediately apparent that Collins has an absolute firm grasp on building up of structure using shading and lines. All of my favourite illustrators are those who can produce an image that is striking and clearly representative of something in the real world whist still being very much a drawing, with flourishes of mark making and personal preference to certain lines and expressions instead of aiming for pure photo realism.

Due to his haemorrhage, it was evident that in some of his works, that the control over shapes and form was not as tight as his later pieces. This formed the charm and romanticism of the exhibition though. It was very much a testament to patience and will power that this man, who has already achieved so much, still works at improving on himself, not letting his illness defeat him and to not idly live off his deserved reputation as a talented musician but to also hone a talent that is lesser associated with him but still as important to him.

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However, looking around, at the works and at the crowd I could not help but wonder if we all would have been there if he was not for whom he is. The collection was a mixed bag with some early work showing his struggle to regain his motor skills up to some really beautiful drawings. But if he were not famous, would a sizable gallery in Shoreditch have given him such a showcase?

Likewise it’s very rare to get such a dedicated solo show to an artist that works in such direct terms. Illustrations of wildlife, no matter how beautiful would not be normally be given such presence. Likewise Collins’ drawings were very much a show case of art as a practice and not art as a product, again something not often perpetuated by the curators of First Thursday shows. On the night I remember thinking, with some degree of shame, that I felt this collection would have been better placed not in a gallery but rather a hospital or community centre. Not because I think this style of work is undeserving of a run in a gallery, but more because to me, the shining attribute of Collins, beyond his musical achievements is the inspirational quality to his art. This would do so much more for people who are themselves recovering from similar physical or mental hardships that could utilise art as a means of restorative therapy.

However, he is a celebrated musician. He has fans who love him across the board and it was a pleasure to see the excitement in people’s faces to be in the same room as the man himself.  He seemed happy to speak with people at the show and was amassing a circle of fans with seemed to grow as the night went on.  Due to my painfully-short attention span, I left the show earlier than I should have and as a consequence missed out on a live intimate performance by Edwyn Collins, we live and learn.

I was left confused with my own thoughts of this show, all for it on one hand but slightly bemused on the other. At the end of the day however, no matter what I thought of the curatorial and PR strategies of the show, you have to tip your hat at anyone who doesn’t give up on themselves or their craft.  However more than anything, making art should be fun, a sentiment shared by the man himself.

“Drawing is natural, relaxing, instinctive. In music, I’m always striving for something. It’s my passion, but its hard work. Drawing is also my passion, but is simpler for me. It’s a pleasure” - Edwyn Collins