Welcome to MissouriBendStudio!

This is an online journal of my artistic investigations and a way to communicate about my work, ideas, quandries and queries! I welcome comments and conversation and do hope you enjoy these musings. My artwork is available in my shop MissouriBendStudio on Etsy.com or on my website.

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Friday, February 11, 2011

Meeting Up With The Maker That Is Me

It's rather late in the day to be posting, but this day somehow got away from me, and I realized I'd better get back on task!  I've been on task, but several different ones and I'm rather excited to be getting to this new work to see what will happen.  What in the world is she talking about, you ask?



I'm talking what might happen with each of these seventy little 3" x 3" pieces of painted paper.  They had started out as thirty-five 3" x 6" pieces of paper that were going to be used for the collaboration with Johntimothy back in the late summer.  I'm quite sure they weren't meant for that life, because I think they were meant for this...not that I'm sure what "this" is quite yet, but it's in the beginning stages.  I've been mulling over these pieces for some time in their unsuccessful and unfinished state and had, after tearing each one in half, started painting over them slowly but surely, but it wasn't until this afternoon that things began to flow. I was sitting in the studio, a bit befuddled as to what was supposed to be happening, only sure of the fact that I was feeling this way because I was facing something new....the work was about to shift and change and it just hadn't quite gotten into gear yet.  I was slow to recognize the signs that a change was about to occur....now I know...when nothing quite feels right, or when I work on something and it feels as if I'm repeating myself.  That's a sign...because I've come to a point where I AM repeating myself and I must sit back and wait for the new thing to be ready. Frustrating as that is....you all know the control vs. letting go battle that goes on in the studio on a regular basis...I figured I'd just bumble along, making a lot of rejects until things clicked.  Then I looked over and saw, tucked away on the shelf on my desk between some books, a few folded pages made perhaps a decade ago...pages like this...

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It was like looking in the mirror...I'd been looking at the work of other artists so intently, being inspired and envious of the work of all the wonderful artists I continue to meet on a daily basis on my travels through cyberspace, that it was a moment of delight to meet the maker I was many years ago and to recognize the "handwriting" as my own...not so different from the maker that is me today.  These are the infant meditation drawings.  There were three or four of these little pages and before I knew it I was making marks on them...the one below has some drawing added from today.  It was sort of like hugging an old friend...I just had to touch them.  I got reacquainted with myself and went straightaway to those little 3 x 3" squares and painted them in wild abandon...and in color....lots of colors...letting it mix together on the paper.   Who knows where they go from here....I think those 70 little pieces of paper probably do know, but they aren't telling me...not just yet.

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Oh, and I learned the name of that piece with the trees....it was a page from The Absence Tales and it's now listed in my shop.  Hope you all have a good weekend!  We have been given tickets to the Sioux City Symphony for tomorrow night and we're going to have a lovely dinner out first!  A real date...very exciting!  See you Monday!



14 comments:

  1. i like this patti, all the subtle variety and texture/feel/color. wonderful!
    have a good weekend :)

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  2. You sounded really excited by this project, I'm sure its going to lead somewhere special.

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  3. Thanks Paula...I have another little project to finish up before I can get to these, but should be fun!

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  4. These look so lovely and with such possibility lurking within them Patti. The original 'cards' have a gentle fragility about them; and some whimsy of course! It sounded like a wonderful moment to rediscover yourself and your voice and be reminded that it is good! Enjoy!

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  5. Yes, so glad I came upon those old pieces tucked away between the books...it feels like they gave me permission to "let go" and play....something which I must be continually reminded to do! Hope to have fun with those new little squares! Thanks Fiona!

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  6. Good story, good works. It all circles back - but it's wonderful when it is not simply repeating oneself, but meeting oneself again and making the old works or old self new.

    I hope you had a great date!

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  7. lovely colours, i love using details of paintings.

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  8. Your 70 pieces of paper will probably pop into your head at unexpected moments and tell you what they want to be!

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  9. Gabriella...it does all circle back...so endlessly!! Or, perhaps it's the hall of mirrors, where we see endless reflections mirrored back at us! We did have a lovely time...thanks so much!!!

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  10. Yes, Abigail, I've been finding more and more that older pieces that never went anywhere, so to speak, find a new life as smaller sections of them become something entirely new! Quite interesting!

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  11. Carrie...yes, the 70 pieces of paper lurk behind every corner and show up in my dreams! Won't I be surprised to see how they develop!

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  12. Such a beautiful bundle of papers. I will enjoy seeing what you come up with next. :-)

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  13. Hi Morna...thanks...working on another scroll now, but then will get to those delicious papers! I'll post things as they progress!

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I'm happy to hear from you...comments and questions are welcome!