I'm still trying to figure out my 'rules' for this blog. On one hand I feel like I should only blog if I have something deep or fun to share. On the other hand I'm tired of rules that feel arbitrary and I just want to do what I want to do! So right now, I'm leaning towards writing more often than not, regardless of the 'depth' of what I am sharing. I trust you will all take what you want and leave what is irrelevant :)
Here's a little update on my fabric+patterns piece. I've managed to get past the fiddly and stabby phase where they were all held together (badly if I may add) by pins so I could stitch them together. It's slow and sometimes clumsy work to put pieces like this together and I'm happy to be at the next phase where I get to do the little lace-like work which feels very exciting to me. A lot of times I'm just playing with material I haven't really had any experience or training with and so I tend to make it up as I go along. Working with fiber and embroidery is in that category.
Because this is slow work, I like to listen to podcasts while I do it. I have a bunch of favorite podcasts and I always learn a little something from each one. I thought I'd share a little snippet that stands out to me with each blog post. So yesterday I was listening to Windowsill Chats, with Margo Tantau interviewing the lovely (and hilarious - check out her reels) artist Annie Galvin. The thing that jumped out at me was when she said -
"I just like to make"
She's prolific and likes to play with different methods of expression, from collage to painting to reels etc. I loved that she was so matter of fact about it and totally enjoyed playing with all the variety and mediums. I feel that way too but often second-guess myself for being so 'fickle' with a medium and getting easily distracted and quickly passionate about something 'else'. But the truth is, like Annie, I just like to make! And I'm planning to embrace and just make what calls to me and not explain or apologize for it. Another thing I loved was when she said sometimes when she's not in the mood to make, she just paints a bunch of backgrounds and keeps them ready for when she wants to collage! I've also often heard Danielle Kryssa say that about her own collage practice in her podcast Art for your Ear. So yesterday I did just that.
I found a bunch of papers I had saved up from a previous project. They were all jumbled and hard to lay flat....so I decided to do what my friend and amazing artist/paper-quilter Sami Lange does. Cut out circles. Since I'm playing with organic circle shapes in my art these days, I thought this was a great idea to cut these gorgeously colored paper scraps into circles, so I have them ready when inspiration strikes next!
The beauty of art is that it allows you to slow down, and for a moment, things that once seemed unfamiliar become precious to you. ~ Kehinde Wiley
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