MARCH 14, 2018
What's Happening in the Studio ?
I thought this might be a good time to post an update about what's happening in the studio. Though I have spent a lot of time on the computer lately, I also have some artwork in various stages of development. Most of them are coming along more slowly than I would like, but that's the way it goes sometimes. If I try to force it, what usually results is a mess. And that's also what my studio looks like right now - a mess. But it's the kind of mess that's unavoidable when multiple pieces are in progress.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” ~ PABLO PICASSO
Above is a shot of the unfinished work that's been in my studio the longest. I promised this painting to a dear friend, and have just been totally stalled. It's not the kind of work I usually do, and I have drawn and erased three different compositions on this canvas.
I suppose I let my perfectionist tendencies and my fear get the best of me, and I feel terrible about it. The photo shows the photo I'm working from, one I took of some cherry blossoms at SpringGrove Cemetery and Arboretum.
My to-do list sits right next to the computer desk, on top of my press. Believe it or not, at first it was nice and neat, but then things were crossed off, and other things added... It's time to write a new one, leaving off the tasks that were completed, and adding even more to the list. No matter how hard I work, it only seems to grow...
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” ~ Marie Curie
Making Slow Progress but Persevering
A sneak peek at the collages, in various states of done-ness, laying on my drafting table.
Here is a detail of one that's either finished, or very close to it. It started as a combination of pages from a discarded accordion book I had made. There were parts I wanted to keep, but the book as a whole wasn't working. You'll probably be seeing the final version in it's entirety on my next blog post.
A Few More Repairs
Not so coincidentally, I focused on perseverance in my last post, as well as in many others. I bring it up again here because I’m sharing with you a few more collages that are re-workings of some of my “weekly quick collages”. I had considered them to be failures, and they were just lying around taking up space. Why throw something out if you can recycle it, right?
Before: Invisable Influence, mixed media collage on multi-media board, 7.25 x 7 inches
This was one of my weekly quick collages. I liked where it was going, but the composition felt a bit disjointed and unfinished to me. I had never done a (mostly) black and white one before, and I was intrigued by the retro feel as well as the mysterious mood.
Below: Much better, don't you think?
After: Invisible Influence, hand cut collage, 7.25 x 7 inches
This one (left) was called No Direction Home, and it really didn’t have one. It was just kind of boring and blah. The reincarnated version bears very little resemblance to it. To me the new version seems kind of whimsical, in a somewhat weird and creepy way, but at least it’s not boring!
Harpy's Nest
Before: Inside Out, mixed media collage on multi-media board, 9 x 6.5 inches
I thought this piece was OK, but it seemed to be missing something. Like, something more. More surrealism, perhaps? So I kept adding things, and I think it’s better, but is it too much?
After: Inside Out
So, that about sums up what's happening in my studio right now, artwork-wise. In other news, some of you probably know that I adopted a border collie mix puppy in October.
She's quite a little firecracker, and does take time away from working in the studio, which is actually a good thing. She keeps me from sitting on my butt too much, and from becoming fixated on work. She wants to help, but frankly, her real talent leans much more toward destruction.
"Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up & get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part & a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself." ~ CHUCK CLOSE
Thank you all so much for reading my silly thoughts; you have no idea how greatly you're appreciated!
Comments