Monday, April 26, 2010

...why am I not making work like this?

Last week I wrote two proposals for projects. Hence the reason I did n't get to blog the Greystones Art Group demo and the School live willow structure. Information to follow on both of those.
I've had a few ideas floating around my head for over a year and have not either had the time or felt really clear to verbalise aspects of a proposal or make the work. I refer to both personal and project work. Writing proposals is an interesting process (I just don't recommend two in one week). I always learn something more about the way I work or become clearer on some aspect of my arts practice.
Last week amid budgets and schedules I managed to get real clarity on two pieces of work. Of course the sketchbook I initially drew them in is lined but I think this evokes a certain edginess to them.
I had these ideas in my head and finally I could start getting them onto paper. Does that happen to you ideas that lurk in the ether? As if waiting for the right time to be downloaded. I have been keeping these ideas to present for project work they occupy a different space I don't know why. But up until now I have been waiting to make this work. On Friday after I submitted the second proposal. I asked myself "why are not making work like this? why are you only proposing to make this work? why are you waiting to make this work?"
The leaf motif is a shape that has appeared in a few paintings when I painted on the theme of change. It is a good representation of change.
It even appears in my Legacy series and features strongly in the subset ‘memories are made of these’.

I think that the doodle for image with the leaf is suited to be done on the mac in photoshop and printed on to some fine art paper showing the delicate shading and toning in computer graphics. It also makes me hark back to the days of etching and screen printing. So I suspect a series suitable for colour plate etchings will be developed also and a plan to spend some time in a print studio with a tutor. But it is asking to be painted first (…here we go again my creative genius is back and demanding how work should be done, do I argue? I have learnt to get out of the way otherwise disaster ensues). So I have started to make that work. The background has been painted for the leaf motif image,
a gird is lightly drawn and some spiral text handwritten. it is sitting on the studio floor drying. The image might not be great as my digital camera is giving me guff and this is taken with my camera phone.
So the problem now is that it is a lovely evening and I want to go hangout with my family but my genius demands that I stay here and paint... sometimes my genius wins and sometimes not.


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