In studio for several hours, but never got around to addressing a blank page. Instead, I worked on this commissioned pet portrait, and upgrading the felt advent calendar my mother-in-law made (new buttons and embroidery numbers)
The years of habit don’t let go easily; though it was a relief not to push myself to fill a daily page, it also didn’t and doesn’t feel quite “right”. I think I will continue for a while to hold myself lightly but observe carefully. I don’t think I’ve found the right balance yet!
I so quickly fall back on the old feeling that I don’t know what to make, and have nothing to say, so nothing I do will be of any value. That is precisely the path that led me to stop making art altogether for so many years. My commitment to make something every day provided a way around that block, and showed me how illusory it actually was. So I’m a bit surprised to find how strongly it hits even now, if I give it half a chance!
A new year. I want to try shifting my practice a bit, to allow for more time to work on longer term projects, and to maybe push some of the old pieces further along. I’ll try to still confront a blank page every day, and to post something here every day, but I may not post the daily exercise. It might be (as today’s is), or it might be something else I’ve worked on in studio that day. We’ll see how it goes – and I’m looking forward to it!
The pieces are all painted, and here they are placed in the frame another cast member built. Sadly the Yule piece got left at home by mistake, so is not in this picture. I’ll post another of the complete wheel later!
Yule made it into the wheel, well in time for the show. Sorry I didn’t get a pic with the good lights on it, but you get the idea…
I didn’t get around to a daily art today because I’m trying to get these props done in time for the Welcome Yule! show this weekend. They’re the spokes of a Year Wheel, which will fit into a standing frame to illustrate the cycle of the seasons and the festivals associated, based on Celtic traditions.
I don’t usually get to work on big things, so this is fun. But it is eating up all my studio time for a few days!
Last day away from home. Here’s an ibis from a photo taken at City Park. The photo was very small and blurry on my phone, so I made up most of the face and it’s probably not anything like a real ibis. But if realism is what you want, you can look at a photo.
I haven’t played with Artificial Intelligence generation of images, but I see a lot of of them going around lately. It seems to me that art is just human intelligence synthesizing images of what we see, with more or less fidelity to the mores of visual perception.
catching up with the house and the jobs after more than a week away…and still making sure to have time for good things in life. So, tired in studio and feeling no particular creative urge. Sometimes adding scribbles of discontent is enough to allow me to feel finished enough to let it go, and get my sleep!
I spent my studio time today starting to color in a Year Wheel for my next journal/planner book. It’s fitting, as I developed this for a workshop that happened on this coming weekend in 2017.
Below is a downloadable file if you want to color your own Year Wheel.
You can also go to my Etsy shop to get a print of the original, full color version, or give me a couple of bucks for the coloring page
eyespider 