Inspirations and such.

Here I was thinking I would get all this work done today…not so much.  After a late start I got busy doing….well, nothing.  I did attempt to go to Michaels…totally forgot that it was a holiday weekend.  Fail.  By around 7:30pm I mustered some motivation to at least paint over some old canvases, prepping them to become the next…not sure.  While waiting on my friend to stop by, and for the canvases to dry I reached for one of the round canvases that I picked up and found my idea, somewhere mingled, mangled and mixed up in all of the images that I file away in my head (and sometimes literally file away).  I decided to continue with the theme of the face and my Mucha-inspired hair and love for text in the piece that I am still working on, inspired by all of the images that you see above.  

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In true fashion, I didn’t start just one, I also started an oval-shaped canvas and of course I have intentions of buying several more to start all at once, will probably aim for at least five canvases in each shape for a total of ten dedicated to this theme/imagery.  So far, faces are sketched on both canvases and only the round canvas has been developed further.  I am working with the text ‘love’ to create the hair, pushing the face to the bottom of the picture plane.  I started thinking about how it is easy to get preoccupied with one word, one thought to the point that it fills your head.  Love it is, then.  I am going to step away for tonight, look at the work with fresh eyes tomorrow and with some daylight!

Pic with my granny, April 2010.

I have been keeping busy this weekend with trying to find support for my fibers…that is to say, to help me either put away this paint brush and pick up my sewing needle again or reach for both.  I think in some ways I am hesitant to delve back into my embellished pieces, even though I know that somewhere in those beads, the hand-dyed fabrics and the marks I make with pencil and paint lives some resolution for what I want to create.  The beading can be intense, very laborious, with results that are not immediate.  One thing that I have done this weekend is seek out groups that maybe I could join.  I enjoy painting and drawing and admittedly prefer to do both alone with my music to keep me company, but there is a more social aspect for me when I work with fibers.  Makes me think of folks sitting around weaving together, stitching together, of quilting circles, of my own grandmother crocheting while everyone was talking and eating around her, never missing a beat.  Once I dye the fabrics and fuse them together, the actual stitch by stitch, bead by bead manner in which I embellish does well with some company.  Not sure anyone in the area is doing this specific work, but I was hoping to find a knitting or quilt group at least.  I have also been working on networking with the local community of artists, trying to find support and opportunities to exhibit my various drawings and paintings.

Tomorrow, more painting.  Maybe I will fuse some scraps together and just start a little beadwork, see where it takes me…

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