I am a messy person. Anybody who truly knows me, knows this. Even though I really do like everything to have a place, that doesn't mean it has to stay there...
If something doesn't have a place, then I may have it sit out until I can figure out where to put it or if something needs to be done I may leave it out as a reminder to do it.
While I'm working, I like to have supplies out for easy access and often even after I've moved on to the next project it's left out just in case, or because it has become part of my scenery. I feed on visual stimulus, and I have incredible powers of abstraction and ignore. (Paper accumulation, on the other hand, just baffles and is a bane to me.)
As wonderful as it is to have my studio in the living room where I can access my work anytime, it is also a little stressful since it means my cluttered landscape is the first thing anyone sees when they walk in the door or through the house. I'm out in the open and always seem available for interaction. There is nowhere to hide "my process" of allowing all horizontal surfaces to be filled to capacity while I labor and attempt to cogitate!
In addition to my own miscellany, part of my work table has become my daughter's hang out for school work and computer play because the air conditioner is in here and California has now entered the scorching heat of summer. My daughter is funny, and important to me, and is able to command my attention with just her presence.
If something doesn't have a place, then I may have it sit out until I can figure out where to put it or if something needs to be done I may leave it out as a reminder to do it.
While I'm working, I like to have supplies out for easy access and often even after I've moved on to the next project it's left out just in case, or because it has become part of my scenery. I feed on visual stimulus, and I have incredible powers of abstraction and ignore. (Paper accumulation, on the other hand, just baffles and is a bane to me.)
As wonderful as it is to have my studio in the living room where I can access my work anytime, it is also a little stressful since it means my cluttered landscape is the first thing anyone sees when they walk in the door or through the house. I'm out in the open and always seem available for interaction. There is nowhere to hide "my process" of allowing all horizontal surfaces to be filled to capacity while I labor and attempt to cogitate!
In addition to my own miscellany, part of my work table has become my daughter's hang out for school work and computer play because the air conditioner is in here and California has now entered the scorching heat of summer. My daughter is funny, and important to me, and is able to command my attention with just her presence.
"Colorful Distraction" 16 x 12
Yet, work gets done. The base of the upper piece is regular gel combined with yellow orange azo soft body paint. The heart was scraped into it. I sprinkled white gold micro beads over it. Gold, silver, and purple inks were splattered onto it. Then a little quinacridone magenta was brushed on, some green splattered and brushed. Pink and green dots added.
Much of this painting employed chaotic smears, sprinkles, and splatters, and yet in the end I was caught up in adding strategic dots. Most of the splatters and dots are metallic paints which are quite shiny and a bit challenging to see when flat and wet under the work light. So I would have to wait to see how it looked until it dried at least enough to turn it upright. As quickly as acrylic dries sometimes it is still not fast enough!
Much of this painting employed chaotic smears, sprinkles, and splatters, and yet in the end I was caught up in adding strategic dots. Most of the splatters and dots are metallic paints which are quite shiny and a bit challenging to see when flat and wet under the work light. So I would have to wait to see how it looked until it dried at least enough to turn it upright. As quickly as acrylic dries sometimes it is still not fast enough!
While I waited for dots to dry and trying not to paint on it more just because I wanted to paint, I decided to start another painting.
I got out a canvas and slathered on regular gel again. I smeared it around with various palette knives and threw on a few dots of color. I settled on the notched palette knife to the right to make the grooves.
The heart was filled with magenta and red and a vigorous dollop of impatience until I just had to let it spill over. I was willing to sacrifice the outcome of this painting for the joy of the process, and then to my delight, I think it turned out beautifully!
I got out a canvas and slathered on regular gel again. I smeared it around with various palette knives and threw on a few dots of color. I settled on the notched palette knife to the right to make the grooves.
The heart was filled with magenta and red and a vigorous dollop of impatience until I just had to let it spill over. I was willing to sacrifice the outcome of this painting for the joy of the process, and then to my delight, I think it turned out beautifully!
"The Sacrifice" 16 x 12
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