7-12-19 Well, I'm finishing up my first week at Azusa Pacific University for my Alumni Artist in Residence here in California. It has been a rich experience so far. I've been able to see old friends, critique students' work, make art, sit in on lectures, and had my show opening. What I am seeing with the students' work are topics related to our society: isolation, technology, abuse, feminine identity. These students are digging deep into their concepts and ideas which makes for intriguing and poignant art. I'm looking forward to seeing more of their works. My show was well received and I was actually thanked for showing work that depicts the darker times of life. It was stated that within the Christian community, showing the negative or darker things of life can be considered a sin and that we need to always be positive. Well, that's not life nor is that consistent within the Biblical narrative. The Bible is full of dark and difficult ...
11-9-2020 I hit the wall. I got to the point where I couldn't create. I'm slowly coming out of it but it lasted a couple of months. I couldn't create. The only thing I could do was rest and think. Even then, thinking was difficult. It has been a long while since I was in this place. I'm usually very productive and creative but this time, all of my energy was sapped. It was an uncomfortable place. I had painted over 30 paintings and almost 20 drawings. I felt I was on a roll but it came to a screeching halt. Was I tired? Yes. Did I feel like I exhausted my possibilities with my work? No. But I felt a change coming. What that is, I'm not sure yet. I feel a new sense of stirring which will inform my work but I'm in the dark as to what it is. I know I need to get into the studio and work it out. This is unknown and uncharted territory of which I embrace. I'm excited to see what comes out of it but I'm still tired. I'm still in this place of inaction. I...
2-10-2020 I turn 60 this week. I'm excited to turn that age for I don't see it as negative but as a positive point in my life. It means I've been granted to live this long and been able to have a family, friends, and of course, be an artist for the majority of those years. As I reflect on my life artistically, I'm coming to the conclusion that this journey I'm on is really about process and the experience of making art. The 'product' is the outcome of this experience but this 'product' records the movement and markmaking of my creativity, whether it be painting, sculpture, or something else. I've also come to realize that I don't need to come up with something original, just something honest. The originality comes with honesty; it comes from being in tuned with who I am and how I want to express myself. For so long I thought that I had to create something that had a cooresponding concept or idea. I'm realizing that I am enough....
Comments
Post a Comment