This weekend I took a step back from my normal daily life which recently has involved a lot of science and conservation education. I stepped back into my art life, which I haven’t had a heck of a lot of time for in recent months.
I had a specific piece in mind, and ended up painting over a canvas which already had been painted over before, both paintings on the canvas had been juried into shows in Santa Fe, but not sold. I don’t like having a lot of pieces sitting around, especially now that I only have 400 square feet to live in, and I wanted something a little brighter and more cheerful than the last two paintings, because I really wanted something to actually hang in my home.
Yesterday I finished it. This morning I framed it. As soon as I get some picture wire, it’ll be ready to hang.
I call it “When the Sun Kisses the Sea”. It started out being more about primary color and shape, but the wave form, and the connection to the ocean, was always there for me. And when I got finished, it reminded me of a number of things, but it also reminded me of the feeling of relentlessness, and of the sunset, and of a story I’d blogged about a long time ago from when I lived in Florida with my three youngest.
At this point, I’m getting ready to cut stencils for my small collage pieces, and I’m also eyeing that 75 lbs of micaceous clay I’ve brought with me from New Mexico.
Sitting here on the cusp of so much change, whether it’s just the seasonal change in my volunteer work, the possibility of moving to a new city, or the slight but encouraging change in my finances coming up in July, it feels like I need to spend more time with my art. I still don’t have a feel for how much my art is part of my future or even how much it’s a part of my self definition. What I do know is that there are times I have a profound joy in that aspect of my life.
The gallery in Santa Fe where I’ve been showing my work regularly is closing it’s doors. Somehow knowing that has opened a new door in me. I feel almost unteathered, and I feel like there is a new world of unknown possibilities for my work.
The Radula Archives 