It has been a very busy week thus far. I have, as yet, only made it to Wednesday thus far. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. That would be amazing. I finished working on a coloring book project and constructed a model for a second project for one client this week. It is such a relief to look back at those two projects a little rather than telling myself I need to finish it over and over again. During last weekend I realized that I needed to start spending some more time on work for my Fine Arts practice. I love making illustrations, and there is definitely some stability in making them that I have not yet found in making paintings and installations, but if I do not make those paintings and installations then I lose some of the vigor that I have for making artwork. With that in mind I determined to really dig in a little bit to my Square Foot pieces. I do not think that I will even make the deadline for submitting to this show, but I very much enjoy the catalyst to making these works. I think they will function well in some other mix too.
This series has led to a lot more experimentation. I have been working back and forth between pen, acrylics, and sandpaper. In letting the sandpaper have as much say as the other two very controlling methods of application, I am able to distance myself a bit more from my pieces than I usually feel capable of doing. I suspect that I will make enough of these to fill an entire wall space. It's interesting to me as well to consider how similar in a way this is to my idea for my thesis, but how this looks more mature, despite the complicated nature of that thesis work.
It is an interesting thought. While illustrating lately I have been thinking, "if you mess up, do it confidently." Perhaps it was that which I was missing while producing that thesis work. I don't know, but I do know that I am pleased that I have begun to understand some areas to improve on that work, and I am pleased that people have been pursuing some of the work. Life is shaping up again.
I'm glad you're here for the ride.
Peace
-Mike
2 comments:
"In letting the sandpaper have as much say as the other two very controlling methods of application, I am able to distance myself a bit more from my pieces than I usually feel capable of doing."
That's exactly how I feel when I use sandpaper in my artwork, the sanding removes a layer of "something" that can get in the way.
It's funny too, because I try to avoid being too controlling by starting with surfaces that are already beat, but I think my spirit is always walking that line between "fixing" that surface, and utilizing that surface.
Thanks for reading, Rachel!
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