As of today, I have a couple of things going on. First, I am learning to take constructive criticism again. It’s not about developing “thick skin” as much as it is allowing someone else to talk about the work and hearing what they have to say. Hear, listen, reflect, review, resolve, repeat.
I am having a difficult time narrowing down 3 concepts for the first assignment. Movement, love of nature, math and pattern in nature, aging (also movement), are some of the idea floating around beyond what I am already working on.
So what am I working on?
I have started a series (of studies?) I am titling My Brain. I have 3 pieces so far. I am trying to put down onto clay tablets, what is happening in my brain during my down time. So far, this is what I have:
The first image is ~ 4 x 4. This is an example of how I see a pattern in my mind. I work with it, visualizing each linear addition. It’s step by step, moving through the pattern like a wave. This particular tablet also shows value and what happens as I add/subtract detail.
The second is a stream of consciousness sort of image. I think I draw this in my sleep. It was created during our first class meeting and as we went deeper into discussion, I found myself putting “light” around the edge of the design. I knew this pattern was going on this tile of that size (4 x 2 ish) but I did not foresee the background until I was creating it.
The third piece is more in-depth of my thoughts. I am creating a system of symbols which represent…I’m not sure what yet. But still it all gets taken over by scallops. And the scallop shape is evolving, spilling, pouring, from the rest. This shape has been used for centuries in art including my Italian ancestors. I do love scallops. I could eat them every day. I love the versatility of the shape and how it can be a solid form (with lines) or can create a lace effect (without lines). The positive and negative space creates something I cannot get enough of. And now I have this other linear pattern. Two little lines can create so much movement or stagnation depending on how I use them. My brain…
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Last week I made a bowl to carve. I had a visual in my mind of how I wanted it to look before I threw it. I have not carved the inside of anything over 4 inches across but I set my intention and had at it. Before the review on Friday, I had this:
I thought it was finished. I let it sit for a couple of hours then looked again.
I decided it wasn’t there yet and added a little more to create this which I showed at my review.
During my review it was stated that in some of my work there were areas of color that was fighting with the carved areas. I didn’t see it. My initial reaction was to push back. Then I started reviewing my images more. I started to hear. I listened. I reflected, reviewed, resolved. This was my resolution:
