Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sweet, Sweet Harmony

Yesterday and today I got to spend full, uninterrupted days in my studio. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had that luxury.

The energy in the space has felt “off” for at least a month. I was so excited to paint the charcoal wall and add the storage area, but suddenly the space didn’t generate the flow of creative energy that I have become accustomed to as soon as I walked in the door. The “gallery” feeling still hung in the air. Something was indeed amiss.

So first, I took down all the work in the room still hanging, except for my one “gallery corner”, and got it ready for storage.

DSCN6496

DSCN6497

Every  surface in the entire space was piled with “stuff” – sure doesn’t look inviting, does it?

So I put on calming, meditative music, took some deep, cleansing breaths and decided to slowly restore harmony to my kingdom. Gradually I could feel a shift inside, could seem to focus on where I want to store various items, what’s important to keep close at hand and what can be stored away in a container in the back. My mental confusion cleared and suddenly my studio felt the way it always has, a pleasure and delight to be in, a place of quiet focus, satisfying experimentation and making.

I’m revising and mounting several Pages pieces at the moment for my May exhibition, which now has a name: “Off the Page: Reinventing Alphabets”

DSCN6494

The idea for this work is a crumpled page mounted on a stretched canvas frame.  The first view gives you a clearer view of the dimensionality. Yesterday I tacked it down to consider whether it needs any further adjusting. I’m letting it rest as it is for a few days and then will return and decide whether it will stay this way or get revised.

DSCN6490

Here’s the front view of Pages 9: Crumpled, 48” x48”.

DSCN6501

A third work is ready to be mounted on the frame that I applied composition gold leaf to yesterday and then aged today with acrylic paint.

DSCN6469

The third piece is an ochre ground that will be rippled and attached to the canvas, so it too will be dimensional.

DSCN6500

By the time I left today, the studio felt much more ordered and harmonious. It will be a pleasure to return and continue working there on Tuesday.

4 comments:

  1. I love visiting a 'messy' studio, but it has to be someone's elses. I agree with you that a tidy and ordered studio does help the focus.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I find this too. I can't work in a messy, cluttered place. Something about it feels chaotic and its hard to settle and be peaceful. So I get this need to clean and reorganize.

    Love your alphabet pieces!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It feels better to have some order, doesn't it? Love your works with dimension.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, ordering is a good way to describe the sorting process that was taking place this weekend, and not just externally, I was resetting my internal compass as well to return to my flow -- In my cycle of creating, restoring order by clearing away is a preparatory ritual, a making space for new ideas and new work. Thank you for your positive response to these pieces, I hope they will generate interest at my exhibition.

    ReplyDelete