Studio happenings in March

As I mentioned in this earlier blog post, my art career stuff has slowed down, and therefore I am using this as an opportunity to plunge in to a bunch of new series, ONLY with a care toward what I feel like doing rather than what I am obligated to do.

Interestingly enough, now that my mind is clear and not bogged down with any specific exhibition or application deadlines or expectations, definite creative steps are presenting themselves to me. I have four series going at once, all quite different, but they are all an important part of what I want to say right now.

First, I have just had a taste of the creme de la creme of spray paints, and now I can never go back! (It's like eating your first piece of Godiva chocolate, when you're used to M&Ms.) I usually use Krylon, but they have recently redesigned their caps so that it's hard to get any specific sized marks. Enter Montana Gold!! This brand of spray paint goes on much more smoothly and solidly, it's far more comfortable to work with (i.e. the nozzle depresses more easily, so I don't have to tape my fingers to avoid blisters), and it comes with a series of caps that produce lines in different widths. (Plus it's not as smelly.) Heavenly!

I bought one can in "Mustard" color, and started to try it out, as shown below, in a 20" square collage. But I like the possibilities of this painting so much that instead I am going to cover more fabric with spray paint lines and collage the cut pieces onto a 40" square canvas. Tomorrow, the garage becomes a spray paint booth again! :-)




Next, I've finished 6 paintings in the Tapestry series (example of one of them, below), and I wanted to created 6 more in a cool color version. I tried making the painting below but wasn't satisfied with the colors. So I worked out a better color scheme on paper, and am going to test that out on an actual canvas this weekend.








I've finished 5 in the Frosty series (example below), so now I have Lemon, Vanilla, Raspberry, Strawberry and Pistachio. Since they have a very reflective silver surface, they are going to need to head to the professional photographer's. They are all wrapped in their little plastic raincoats, ready for the trip.




I also have plans to expand the shoe drawings I've done so far into a more specific series of illustrations with a more conceptual twist. More on that to come.

I have to admit, it feels strange to be doing all this for no specific purpose. I think this is the first time since graduate school (1997!) that I have worked so diligently without any definite end purpose for the work, such as a planned show, sales opportunity, or invitation to apply for something. It's like taking steps in the dark, guided only by my creative muse. But creating with this kind of intensity is what I live for ... it's what I work at my day jobs for, it's what I have simplified my life for. I can't not do it, illogical as that may sound.