A portrait of Finch's life and art, and a glimpse into the private world of the artist
Originally a film by avant-garde filmmaker Nichola Bruce,
The Romance of Bricks
is a portrait of British painter, performer and poet Liz Finch (born 1951). The book is a screenplay of the film, weaving the commentary of friends and figures such as Jools Holland, Brian Clarke and Martin Harrison with reproductions of Finch's art.
From her life-changing accident and rural solitude to the mad social whirl of anarchic performances in '80s London and up to the present day,
sews together archival film over many years to produce an intriguing glimpse into the private world of the artist.
Finch's figurative work explores themes of the unconscious based on early childhood perception and a preoccupation with the ordinary. She subverts the norm to see things as they are, not by the usual conventions. The result is humorous, somewhat haunting and poetic.