OK, I’m frustrated I cant jump right into "work"
yet again today, but must continue to dig out from the fracas left behind
from flooding /leaking roof!
A couple weeks ago, right as our new roof was being put on
at the studio, we were hit with a torrential downpour, which resulted in lots
of flooding at the studio. Not too much artwork was lost- THANK YOU
UNIVERSE! Mostly materials and supplies I’ve been collecting over the
last 20 years, some of which were tearfully parted with (how can I submit a receipt
to the insurance company for antique topographical maps, grandma’s sheet music, and
boxes of pressed leaves?)
OK I admit I DO have some hoarding tendencies-
but I can rationalize that impulse (can’t most collage artists?) because of
what I work with. When I am working on a piece in December that needs a
green leaf to finish it off perfectly- I can’t run outside and get one. I
had to collect that earlier in eh year, press it, preserve it, and store it.
That bird’s nest I found on the walk with the dogs, the perfect
paper wasps nest, and the maple leaf wings- none of these things can be ordered
from dick blick. I relish their forms and meaning- but must figure out a way to
store them so that they are accessible- and protected form the next natural
disaster:)
And now that I am over the shock of it, I am viewing this as
a forced opportunity to reorganize, clean, and purge, and I reluctantly admit
that I am kind of enjoying this process. (But I am wondering- the
next time someone asks me how long it took to make that painting- can I count
this time spent getting studio back in working order? But I digress.... I
hate that question...) now I want EVERYTHIGN to be in a waterproof plastic bin,
so have invested in dozens of clear storage boxes.
When it becomes overwhelming and I need to take a break- I
treat myself to a chapter of "Inside the Artist’s Studio", which
shows the studios of 50 artists, and features interviews with them about how
they work, what their favorite tools are, their creative practice and how they
create a work environment for themselves.
It is a great complement to
reorganizing the studio, seeing how others have tackled their spaces. Gives me
some ideas on how mine might work better…and reassures me that my studio is not
the messiest one out there… Back to work...
Todays task is the collection wall- so here I sit, enjoying going
thru the boxes of rocks, sea shells, and fossils, and reminiscing on their collection
(remember that long walk in Marin county when I got that rock?). These
natural specimens are many times the impetus for new work, so as I go through, I
am enjoying the process of revisiting why I chose to keep it in the first
place, and consider how I might employ it today, years after it joined my
collection.
So here’s what was going thru my head as I
purge/sort/organize: May give some insight into how my pieces evolve....
Questions while sorting thru:
The rock shelf:
- The color in those stones from Sleeping Bear Dunes are so
varied and beautiful- what about a piece about place that addresses the geological
history that went into making them?
-Why do most of the Lake Superior rocks have a red tint? Some
research needed there...
-YEE HA! I STILL AHVE
SOME MARIN COUNTY MOUNTAIN rocks left! Love that teal and ochre mixture....
The sea shelf-
--Just came across a gorgeous portion of whelk shell showing
the undulating curves inside. Time for another golden proportions piece! Do the
math, include it....
- The fossil shelf:
-How can I incorporate that shard of fish fossil into a
surface - without damaging it?
- The fungus on that crocodile scute is awesome, but so
little. Could I reproduce that texture on a large scale, and have that featured
in a little niche? Or adhered to the front?
-Ammonites, ammonites, ammonites, I am in love with
that swirly spiral..... How to incorporate: make a rubbing of it? Make a mold
and press it into surface? Draw that math diagram that they instinctively know
how to use...
-I HAVE PEACOCK ORE! Forgot that that was there, buried in a
bag in a box....
- Could that ammonite dangle like a pendulum?
-Small resin cast of turtle shell- stain back to bring out
texture and use as focus, incorporate the screen of turtle, and the tracks they
leave behind in the sand? And I just found a turtle shell fossil! Use together?
Stay tuned to see how they develop!
