A Collaborative Adventure

Hello everyone....I feel like I've been AWOL for a week or so, but I do have a few new things to share with you here.  Last weekend Johntimothy and I participated as collaborative artists in a local (Sioux Falls) event called Take The Day.  You can read a lot more about it by following the link here, which includes a few photos, the first of which is our table!  Basically, Take The Day, which began as an event a year ago, provides a way for the public to see artists at work, as they spend the entire day in one of the beautiful and spacious galleries at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls.  This year 44 artists participated, which included a few collaborations, such as ours. The idea was to spend the day creating a work from start to finish, with the event culminating in a reception and silent auction where the completed works were available for purchase, with the proceeds split 50/50 between the Washington Pavilion and the artist.  All the finished works are now on exhibition through December 11th. 

This was the first year we participated and I have to say, I spent quite a bit of time leading up to the event in angst over the whole thing....after all, art making, for many of us, is a very private and sometimes intuitive process, which doesn't quite lend itself to being on display in a public venue during the creative phase.  Johntimothy and I have collaborated before and made work of which we are both proud, but neither of us was sure what to expect in this case when we signed on.  But, I'm happy to say, it was a great deal of fun!  I had to admit to myself very early on in the day the energy in the space was really flowing, with the artists and the interested public fully engaged.  

Johntimothy and I had decided to start with thirty 6 x 9" masonite panels, which we had gessoed and ready to go at the start of the day when we arrived.  We thought we'd just work on all of them throughout the day, moving them back and forth between us, and hope for a grouping of finished pieces at the end that would become the "finished piece."  Because we didn't have time to really sit back and contemplate the decisions, and we had nothing to lose, we just played, completely free to respond to what was happening in the crazy mix of ink, paint, rubber stamping, etc.  Total abandon and joy in the process.  It was interesting to see the folks who would come back to our table throughout the day to see how things had changed on certain pieces and whether they even recognized them anymore.  At the end, we chose a grouping of eight pieces, which I'm pleased to say, sold at the auction....sorry, no photos.  

We also ended up with a number of other pieces, which we are calling finished and the rest are either very close to completion or not too far from it.  It was by far the best collaborative experience, perhaps because we had no clear expectations and because the time factor forced us to move quickly and most importantly, we kept our hands moving and allowed ourselves to play! It was exhausting, but joyful and we'll no doubt do it again next year.

Below are a few of the pieces.  The top three are in the "finished" group and the last one is in the "just needs a little something" category. I'm not sure yet, if these pieces will end up in my etsy shop or on our websites, but certainly if there is any interest in seeing more, let me know!

I leave on Friday morning for my trip to Jentel, the artist's residency in Wyoming, so I'm busy in the gathering phase, as I try to corral everything I think I might need for the month.  You won't see me much during that time, but will try to do a post now and then.  I should have plenty to share with you when I get home in mid-November.  I'll see you again with a least one post before I go. Have a great week!