Week 24 - in the Studio

I’ve been working hard for a great art show this past weekend, it was the first event to showcase two of my new series, Starting from Anywhere and Timeless Moments. It was exciting to plan the layout, make the show cards and get some great words together to talk about my work.

 

Then it happened, you know, the thing we’ve been living with for the last 2 1/2 years... not me, but in my household. Oh my, gosh darn, and several other expletives! There were a few tears shed, but I was offered Plan B. I was able to go early and hang my pieces, others volunteered to look after them...thank you dear friends! But it wasn’t the same....

 

So I’ve done a few other things this weekend, I worked in the garden, read a book and I started using a CMS or Content Management System to organize my ideas, plans and goals. It’s called Notion and the basic one (which I’m sure is enough) is free. And I’ve done a bit of research about dealing with disappointment... one source talked about 5 steps to work through it:

• Let It Out - don’t let it fester, feel it - ok I shed some tears

• Get Perspective - talk with your support network - ok, I dumped on my family

• Know Your Own Heart - My art and I were not being rejected

• Practise Self Acceptance - Like breath, disappointment comes and goes. So breathe into it and let it pass

• Don’t Let it Fester - Winston Churchill said it best: “success is the ability to go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm”

 

I appreciated these stages, disappointment will come and go, and there is always another opportunity and I will regain my enthusiasm. But I also remember to acknowledge all this and make it part of me.

 

So I spent time looking at different e-commerce sites to put up my work and I have some plans for videos. I was also totally thrilled with a piece I made for the Silent Auction at the show - I’ve been mulling over some small works for my Industrial Shoreline series and it I think I totally nailed what I had in mind.

Sailing into Hope

The piece is about 6" x 18" and is my response to the theme "Resilience in the Time of Climate Change". The board behind is a piece from my husbands family farm in Manitoba, I used a hand dyed vintage linen napkin, some indigo dyed fabric and paper collage. In the artist statement I wrote that "strength and focus will be two of the important components to making change for the future"

Here are a couple of closeup views:

This morning I pulled more barn board out from our shed to work on more pieces...any suggestions for a title for this sub-series?

Week 23 - in the Studio

There is a lot happening right now - spring into summer and hit the accelerator! I did spend a couple days at the Gathering the Threads Conference and Exhibition in the Cowichan Valley - I had fun as a student taking an Advanced Gel Printing workshop with west coast artist, Jennifer Love. It was lots of learning with several new techniques and methods of working, including how to clean my brayer with Murphy's Oil Soap. It seems like there's YouTube video for everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J5fO3wj5w8

I had a shift in the local gallery and took a selfie with my art work in the background, I didn't realize that I actually matched the pieces with my glasses and a new top!

While working on my book covers I grabbed some scraps of canvas and painted circles with spare paint...I like the heaviness of this canvas (12 oz) and the combination of simplicity and interesting colours...I wonder why we are so attracted to circles as a universal symbol?

I found this quote: "The circle is an omnipresent, universal symbol with extensive meaning. Without beginning or end, without sides or corners this geometric shape tells about perfection, unity,spirituality and life like no other form." The author went even further - considering a variety of cultures and faith groups and quoting Pythagorus that "the circle is the most perfect shape - no beginning, no end, it is infinite and stands for both non-existence and eternity". The website is fascinating and worth a read: https://thoth-adan.com/blog/symbols-based-on-circles In fact, spend time exploring the website, you'll be glad you did!
Two treasures I've found this week: a pile of old sheet music ready for collage and other ideas and a walk on the beach produced a small collection of sea glass, do you see the little bit of blue pottery at the top?

My family came for a visit this past weekend and we spent a bit of time at the beach - I love the variety of textures that nature provides:

This coming week, I'll be prepping for an art show, stop by if you can!