Waiting in the wings

Artists (all of us, not just visual, but poets, composers, choreographers, architects, etc.) are always thinking, dreaming, planning, and scheming about our current or upcoming creative projects. Even when we're walking the dog, changing a diaper, working the day job, or whatever we need to do when we're not in the studio, our bodies might be in "functional" mode but our imaginations are wrapped around our creative challenges.

I haven't worked in a grouping of long, thin panels since last June, when I finished my painting titled "Suspense" (see below). I enjoyed the diversion of using that format, but then returned to my familiar squares. However, a few days ago, my husband found an image in an article on fluid dynamics (see below) that reminded me of the possibilities of vertical panels. Since he shared it with me, I've been turning the idea over in my mind for ways to create a new piece that has the same suspended lines running parallel across the wall, only this time in white on black.

I like the concept of telling a horizontal story through vertical means, as the fluid dynamics model does. My directional lines in "Suspense" repeat, whereas the modifying patterns in the fluid dynamics chart direct the eye horizontally across the panels, while the black strips emphasize verticality. It's a more complex direction I'd love to try.

Now that the notion has reached the "conveyor belt" of creativity, it's just a matter of time before I head in that direction in my studio. Having just completed two new series (on squares) last month, I was in the "take a break/get the work out there" mode. But I find it hard to remain there for long. My hands soon itch to get to making again!

"Suspense," acrylic on five separate stretched canvases, each 56" H x 12" W, 2013

 

More on this developing story to come ...