When I woke up this morning, did I have any plan to sort through past paintings to see what I might use in today's creating?
I did not.
But, so much fun. No better words—so much fun!
I focus on a third interpretation of Project 1 in Lesson 5. First, the fun of creating a soft grid format on a 3x9" sheet of drawing paper. Love the color palette, love the blending, love the grounded feeling of brushing paint onto paper.
Then, the fun of adding a few collage pieces. I cast about, try this and that. No, no. This? No. That? No. I need something darker. Or lighter. More contrasty.
I find a few pieces out in plain view in my studio—scraps from yesterday's project, which originally came from an entirely different project, and which are painted on wallpaper purchased in 1979 for Meg's first bedroom in our first home. You can see that wallpaper here
and in the painted-by-me background of the first still life I did following the 2014 weekend retreat at which I took up painting.
I also find some patterns created for an earlier exercise in my Jane Davies class that I could use today.
But, what turns out to be the grandest fun is when I get the idea to paw through my own stashed-away past work. I find a small exercise I painted on unstretched canvas in October 2014. I was cleaning paint off my stay-wet palette at the time and trying my hand at an abstraction of a tropical flower. Pay dirt!
Very satisfying. Gives me such an expansive feeling about the magic and mystery of creativity.
I get my collage pieces in place.
Then, cut the strip into three squares.
Finally, add line.
Fun, right?
4 comments:
Wauw!
What a beautiful way to use 'old work'!
bye,
Simone
Thanks, Simone! I can't tell you how nourishing it was to do so. I'm looking at my accumulating art in a new way now. Very exciting to have a changed perspective—that work is not collecting dust, it's safeguarding potential energy : )
WOW! Just WOW, what a wonderful journey. And I applaud your ability to cut up that gorgeous flower! (Ouch) But oh how grand it makes each of these pieces. Love the line and connection between old and new in the first, the playfulness of the second, and the wonky path in the last :)
Sheila, thanks for your comments. Cutting up the flower didn't hurt at all. Couldn't have imagined two years ago that I would do so, but finding it for this project was exciting, and using it to further the creative process was freeing. Love your take on each of the three individual pieces. As ever, I value your impressions.
Post a Comment