September 12, 2024
A Little Bit of This
OMG, I had such a rich time with a little bit of THIS today: a tiny rectangle of abstract art.
That tiny rectangle, less than one square inch in area, became the spark that got me fired up to create a scraps diary.
In a recent search-the-studio-for-a-missing-item foray, I found that scrap which had come into being following a previous search-the-studio mission when I pulled a page from a 2019 sketchbook and cut it into bookmarks for a project.
It was weeks later when I discovered the scrap on the floor and just could not let go of it (MaryAnn, you know what I’m talking about, yes?!).
After which I bumped into what my artist friend Simone was doing with small found compositions. After which I bumped into a tiny bound “book” of sample watercolor paper in my studio. After which I bumped into yet another page in my 2019 sketchbook. After which I started playing—all mentioned in yesterday’s post.
That one tiny scrap became the huge gift of being a portal into boundless spaciousness. I was transported into presence throughout the process.
Start to finish, totally wonderful, including when, while working on this two-page spread and after I’d glued all the collage pieces in place, I made decisions on each page that turned out to be egregious … and yet had a grand time meeting the challenge of finding my way to resolution.
2.5 x 8″; acrylic, ink, oil pastel, and collage on paper
abstract
2024
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Art history:
For reasons mysterious to me, I never photographed the original page at the time,
nor did I photograph it before I cut it into bookmarks earlier this summer.
Last week I discovered a tiny scrap from that bookmark project ,
and it became the ‘centerpiece’ of the collage
featured on p. 1 of my current scraps-diary-in-progress.
also neither photographed at the time
nor yesterday before I cut into it in service of my scraps diary adventure.
I’ve pieced together the remainders of the original page so you can get a feel for
the source of three collaged rectangles in my first two-page diary spread.
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8 responses to “A Little Bit of This”
You had me at the title! My art life is full of this and that…including the things I find on the floor! Thanks for the shout out….because YES….that’s exactly what I do. All…the…time!
Your double journal page is just wonderful…and even more so that it started with a little found scrap. There are so many places for the eye to go…but also enough spaces of calm and rest.
And how fun to see the photos of its journey and origins.
To be transported into presence through process is such a wonderful concept. A phrase that will resonate with me. Perfectly joyful!
Well done Dotty!
MaryAnn, thank you! The journey of making this piece was yet another sweet and magnificent journey. Your ‘getting’ the enumerated specifics of that particular journey makes it all the sweeter and more magnificent! I appreciate your visual language feedback about movement and calm resting spaces—not something I thought about consciously while creating; it’s always gratifying to have some internalized information making itself manifest all on its own through my hand : )
Being transported into presence through process is yummy/perfectly joyful for sure!
Hi, Dotty ~. A scraps diary is such an intriguing thought for me. I am a bit boggled at what I would do with all my scraps and offcuts and so many lovely snippets I just can’t toss. Adore the lavender and chartreuse combos. How soothing that is, and yet vibrant, too. Hey can you describe how you created the twig-like sketches? Love those. I love the whole thing, actually.
Roseanne, I’d love to see what you might do with all your scraps, offcuts, and lovely untossable snippets. Ready, set, go!
Thanks for your feedback re the lavender and chartreuse combos, the soothing yet vibrant effects.
As to your question, it’s a good one, i.e. CAN I describe how I created the twig-like sketches? I’m not sure I can! At best, I can make some guesses. Those sketches were made five years ago, and I’ve been trying to figure out what materials I used—acrylics? oil pastels? Neocolor II wax pastels? India ink? Posca pens? I can see that I did use pencil—that’s about the only medium I can identify for sure!
Ironically, I’m not sure I can even describe how I created the extension of the twig-like sketches onto the diary page, and I did that just a few days ago!
On the righthand page of the spread, I began by extending the major black ‘twig’ off the scrap and into the space of the left corner of that page and the right corner of the adjacent page with a bold swath of India ink. And soon realized, oops, nope. Too dominant. Ouch.
To get it where it is now presented a significant challenge since I knew I couldn’t just ‘hit delete’ and start over with a clean slate. But I really had fun with the challenge. I just kept grabbing whatever my intuition came up with and worked with a what-if mindset. I think I used white ink, India ink, oil pastel, Stabilo woodies, and a little metal skewer to get a scratchy effect. In any case, the process was captivating and I am very happy with the outcome!
Sheila! Thank you for your picking up on all the elements that are nourishing me as I create—the tininess, the finding of and giving life to old things, the color!
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