After spending several weeks finishing up From a Distance - our collaboration series (if you haven't already, check it out: https://www.susanpm.com/from-a-distance-works-in-correspondance/) , I have found myself not really ready to take on big, new work - not really raring to go but more like that time when the house guests have left and now its time to pick up after them, change the beds, do the laundry and put everything back in place.
I spent a couple weeks preparing for and teaching some workshops - they were a lot of fun, the most amount of in-person teaching I have done in several years. Learning Point - I'm not willing to schelp suitcases across the country anymore, but I miss the excitement and supportive nature of being in a classroom. For now, workshops I can drive to are my best choice!
My studio work has taken a back stage - I'm still creating - in fact, I want to finish two large pieces in the next 3 weeks. But I realized that the condition of my studio was a big deterrent to wanting to be there! It's not a large space and artists are often magpies in another life - collecting stuff and building piles. it took a while to figure out what changes I wanted to make and then a bit more time to find the items at reasonable prices - I am thankful for FB Marketplace and IKEA!
Last week was spent pulling lots out of the studio, trips to recycling and rehoming some stuff - now my space is much more functional, wire baskets hold items that were hidden in cardboard boxes. and my table top has shrunk a bit, giving me more space for moving around the studio. Learning Point - make my studio space a more pleasant space to create. It will never grace the pages of a magazine but I can accept that!
Wouldn't it be fun to just make art - all - day - long? But...isn't that what artists do? Oh, I wish....but making art is hard work and part of being in the business - is the business part of being an artist. It's the website building and maintaining, photographing art, editing and uploading, contracts, emails etc. etc. etc. And dare I say - social media! And, I admit that I really enjoy that part, I make connections with other artists, collectors, gallerists and in the midst of that I make friends!
After looking at my website and "auditing my online presence" I realized that I had work in my studio (behind a mostly closed door) that wasn't on my website - so cataloguing, photographing, editing and posting a couple dozen images meant that it is now all listed for sale on my website. Learning Point - art is to be seen and shared. That is the final part of "making" art!
At Secret Cove - Paper and fabric collage 10" x 10"
View at Beaumont Park - Paper and fabric collage with stitch 12" x 16"
Near Turn Point - Paper and fabric collage 8" x 8"
So, where does all this take me? My working space is more functional and pleasant, the website is updated and looks better, and I made several new friends while teaching and sharing my knowledge and experience. The two pieces I want to finish are waiting for me and will be done in time.
Small steps forward - and sometimes being creative takes other forms, right?
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