Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Expending Creative Energies

The last 2 days I've been zoning at the studio!  I've been showing up and doing what I do even if the muse has been playing hookey.  I did get the un-sewing and re-sewing done on "docked", the piece shown in the previous post below.  There is still something about it that is not quite right...Michael Alexander, the painter in the studio behind mine gave me a critique and he suggested the yellow was two strong and that depth around the boats could improve the atmosphere that is going on at the bottom and the top.  The depth was an "aha" for me and the other thing that I woke up with this morning is not liking the vertical orientation.  The first "boats" piece is horizontal (and larger).  I can't walk into this small piece the way I can with the larger one.  I don't think "docked" should be trashed and it is worthy of saving as it is...but the points are duly noted for future reference.

Is it an unrealistic expectation to hold that a piece will go from my head right down to being completed in a smooth process?  Sometimes I just wish it would happen, but for me it is still necessary to live with a piece over time and even after I declare "finished", sometimes it isn't and not to mention the bumps in-between.

I made changes to Stanza.  After seeing it hang in 2 exhibits it just didn't hang right.  It had that "oh what a creative placemat" feel.  It is such a challenge to display small pieces.  They lack weight.  Stanza is now wrapped around a frame and I'm loving it again.  
Top: Stanza; Bottom: OX or XO depending on orientation
The other piece will become a 6x12, a series of pieces that I attach to a 6"x12" frame.  In addition to being fun to make, these have been the pieces that sale for me.  

Wednesday is typically my rest day and I have a mild fibro-flare in my upper arms, but I'm feeling eager to get going so I'll show up and see what happens.  Peace.

6 comments:

  1. You are far too complex for it not to be a process. How's that for an artsy good reason?

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    1. Complex is overrated! I'm at a point in my life where simplicity is a blessing!

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  2. I love the frame idea in the piece you show. I've thought about it, but have never tried it. This has started me thinking again.
    The colors you use just makes the day. I'm sure you will decide what's best for your pieces. You always do.

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    1. Thanks Carol...the hardest part was tucking in the corners at the back.

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  3. Framing that small piece is a good....gives it a strength all it's own now.

    I've recently been looking into finding a small studio space away from the house like you have at the Chitlin' Curcuit so I can concentrate without being so distracted by friends and neighbors who drop by unannounced, household chores and the like. No luck so far but have to keep trying.

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    1. Even though I often visited Mellwood since it's inception, I still looked around the city for 2 years before committing and I don't think I would have taken the plunge solo...it the beginning I shared the space with a long time and very dear friend before she relocated to Nevada. I'm sharing the space again with a young woman painter...she has 1/3 of the studio space and we get along beautifully.

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Swatching it!

Well, well, well...look who is swatching!  The plan (here goes...) is to knit my grand daughter a sweater.  This will be my first knitted ...