back to the drawing board...literally!

SO

After spending a week or so continuing to work in encaustics I realized that my work did not feel like it was moving forward.  So I moved into a different direction. I wanted to work in clay but since my studio is in a barn, I live in VT, snow ......... need I say more. So I am bound to a medium I can work with in the studio space I have in my home.  The above drawings are what I've been working on for the last few days. They are not meant to be representational but abstract images expressing my emotional connection to a certain geographical location. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what ties an individual to a place. One interesting theory is that where we bury our dead determines where we call home. That our ancestors tie us to the land and pull us back there. I have lived all over the country even spending a few years overseas.  I recently wrote out all the locations I have lived and I realized I have moved 35 times so far in my life!  Despite this nomadic lifestyle I've always consider the Upper Valley region of NH/VT my "home".  Is this because all my family is buried there and this is where I was born? I don't know but these ideas are the focus of what I am exploring this semester.

"deskilling"

Cardboard form

Finished Vessel

I have been working on "deskilling" my artistic practice over the last week. This was suggested by multiple faculty members at the Jan. residency. My first few attempts have been a mess. Obviously newsprint and elmer's glue are not my forte! So I took a different approach,  I created a form out of cardboard. Then using melted wax I attached strips of real estate ads to the form. I feel this was a much more successful exercise. It took longer than the 15min time limit I set to keep me from making anything to precious.  I did finish it in 45 min, without the time limit I might of continued working on it till I considered it complete. While working on this I had an idea to make  forms from wire then cover with tissue/rice paper dipped in wax. I am trying to only work with materials that are not permanent or valuable. Items we would throw away. I have not returned to working in clay yet but I plan to at some point in the semester. I am interested to see what influence that material would have on my current ideas.

Residency 2 Crit Space

The title explains it all!

Residency 2

I am currently halfway through my second residency at AIB.  The faculty and fellow students have given my some insightful suggestions.  I can not wait to get back home to start working through my ideas. I had been feeling that I was stuck for the last month so the timing of this residency was perfect.