A phrase that describes a situation in which people must improvise or do what they can with limited means: “We don't have enough textbooks for all of the students, so it'll be catch-as-catch-can.”
What is most limited in my art life is long stretches of uninterrupted time in which to create, so I improvise with a few minutes grabbed here or snagged there. Way back when my kids were little, I crocheted a delicate cotton lace bedspread for my mom in moments stolen over the course of ten years, 32 square feet crocheted one 6-inch square motif at a time—in a doctor's waiting room, in a theater waiting for a show to begin, in my family room with Olympics on TV …
Today's few minutes:
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| grid composition #2 work in progress |
13 comments:
Great developments. Circles and more circles. You have created real depth in each square. Love that idiom! Each time I think this must be finished, I get more surprises. Catch all you can!
I love the image of the crocheted bedspread so much! I see you everywhere, with these little squares in your purse. I think it's really also a 'women's thing' (at least in our culture), to be creative in between all other duties. I think we can be really proud that we grab those minutes and make something! I loved the colours as they were, but right now I see those stamps and dots, and circles, and I love them too!!!
Carol, thanks for your feedback. Happy to know you see depth in each square.
Simone, you have exactly the right image of me everywhere with a ball of crochet cotton, a crochet hook, and an emerging square with me!
Thanks for your feedback about the stamps, dots, and circles. This piece has actually been a little 'challenging' precisesly because I HAVE been making it catch-as-catch-can; I get attached to one layer and find it hard to move on. I lose momentum in between. I lose wet paint in between which changes the process. And so forth. But it is an exploration, and so I am exploring!
Dotty, your art is getting more and more complex and colorful, and with such impact. This is no exception! I LOVE the contrasts with these colors.
Laurie, thank you for your input—you've been such a wonderful mentor ever since we met during a past 30in30. You lead by exquisite example in your own art and you help me grow through feedback. You provide such a suits-me-to-a-tee way for me to learn : )
love the image, the thoughts, the story of the bedspread...amazing what we can do with a few spare minutes. It's almost like we can't get in our own way if we dart in an out quickly.
Jen, I'll have to snap a photo of the bedspread next time I visit my dad. I do love all the witnessed/lived personal history crocheted into that bed covering : )
The layers and textures and the 'circles' - big, small, thick and thin. Such rich colour - all things that I love! The image of the bedspread and all the places the squares were created - 'they' must have quite the story to tell....
Janet, as ever, thanks for shout-outs to elements of visual language; it's so easy to get in so close as to 'lose oneself' while painting—which is grand fun but can leave me with no perspective whatsoever! I'm grateful to be reminded of the layers, textures, and colors. And your finger quotes around 'circles' was a gift to me, that recognition of sort-of-but-not.
Yes, that bedspread holds many of the early years of family life with my hubby and kids : )
Wow, thank you, Dotty!
Dotty, I am seeing this backwards, catching up as I can. LOL. I loved the before layers, bright colors, darks and lights. I would have hung it on my wall with pride. But you are an explorer, and so, I expected to see it again. And I love the new layers. The tease of more wonderfulness to come.
Loved the story, and the chance to know you better. Ever inspiring Dear Dotty! Your presence in my life is a blessing!
Sheila, I have to confess I REALLY liked the early iterations of this piece, and felt some loss when I added layers here. But, there ya go: life is change. So glad to have you as a fellow voyager.
Glad you enjoyed the story of the crocheted bedspread.
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