Play, Experiment and Fun

Current lowkey life in the studio: work,work,work. I've gotten a lovely response on my newest abstracts and will continue with them this week as I plan on my next bigger canvas.

I have about two months until solo shows are on the calendar so it's imperative for me to create,produce and paint my butt off. It is hibernation and incubation time.

What I like about these is the process of layers that allows me to work on several at once in rotation. While one is drying another can have its next layer of work done on it.

Despite their simplicity there is a lot of decision making that goes into abstracts. There are little magic touches that you don't want to lose in the editing process and there are areas that need to be pushed further. Deciding what stays, goes, needs to be reworked keeps the brain highly activated.

It's important to shut off the dialogue that plays in your head while you work. The dialogue that wants to talk business, direction and other topics that do not matter while you are creating this type of work.

These have been very liberating to create, very freeing. They have reminded me of the importance of play, experimenting and fun...not just in work but in life in general.

It is easy to lose that in the struggle to survive. But you must never lose that. NEVER lose that.

Im feeling kinda selfish this week and just want to play by myself in the studio in my own little zone without disruptions. I don't get to take "artists retreats" for financial reasons. So I don't get that intensive, unbothered time of deep creation and focus. It feels like someone is always tapping me on the shoulder for something or other and I always feel the weight of obligations pulling me away from my work. So when I do get some days to create I covet them and yes I will push obligations (that are not pressing) off my shoulders. Even something small like a trip to the store or a friend stopping by disrupts the day as I have to anticipate stopping, getting ready, doing the thing and then trying to get back in the zone. Artists are just like this, we need to not be pulled from whatever place we are traveling to that day. In a perfect world I can take a phoneless, computerless retreat without worry or bother but not in that perfect world just yet.

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