applying myself

my application for an artist residency has been submitted. i have no expectations and would be completely shocked if i were accepted.

the gathering of work, pushing myself to finish somethings and finally, stepping back and coming up with why i made them in the first place was an important process. so either way, i win. it's also like "it's been 1 year since i basically stopped teaching full time and here's some stuff i did instead." 

could i have done more? sure. but it took about 6 months to even get to a point where i was making things that interested me. 

there was an image limit so my workaround was to put multiple views in one photo. the photo quality isn't perfect but here's some submissions i finished this year. i've also updated my website (current work and past projects specifically).

working title: im there; youre hungry. 2015. hand embroidery. 39 selected texts that i've sent to my husband this past year.

bed head. 2015. silk screen.

what is next. 2015. hand embroidery on paper.

sprout. 2015. hand embroidered painted paper shown with chlorophyll beverages.

diamonds in the sky. 2015. painted & folded paper with cotton candy.

there's about 9 more slides in the portfolio besides these, and i'm hoping they show my versatility but also seemed connected to each other. 2-3 pieces are OLD, but i think they still work. 

the most challenging part by far was the proposal. what the heck am i going to do for a year long artist residency? i have ideas but explaining their function succinctly was extremely tough. i don't think i actually did it, but i certainly tried.

i wonder what will happen.

behind the scenes

i AM working on things. veeeeery slooooowly.

i actually have an application deadline (June 15) and i'm excited to have some more polished photos (fingers crossed), an updated artist statement and website. so even if i don't get what i'm applying for, i'm still better of for trying. more on that later...

this isn't helping matters.

yes, that's a project she's nested in.

more french knots

at time of this post, i'm in Philadelphia giving this to Jenny O as a hostess/house warming gift.

it has almost the height of my first piece done this way.

i suppose i could sell them. they're small enough (8"x8") that they don't take me a full day to make. more like 1/2 a day. pricing is challenging with this type of work. (time consuming, small, original, custom). not many people want to pay what it's probably worth.

just for size and design sake.

the back is a bit of a mess! i'd have to get better at stretching it.

but i really like the see-through-ness.

i have been experimenting with french knots. turns out i can get very sculptural with them. i'm excited about this and can't wait to try out a few things.

just a practice. i can imagine it going all the way around...

a spring break

it's become inevitable that i need to take a short break from updates on my personal artwork. this is a difficult admission because i really feel proud that up until now, i've been able to have something to show for myself each week. it's been a real motivator to make noticeable progress.

1. i'm involved with teaching again, and though it's only a few hours a week...i'm making samples and ideas happen for these kids. there will be an update or two on it and its all closely related to my own processes, but my exemplars don't necessarily reflect what i want to post here for the next month or more.

2. the current personal projects i've got going are large and time consuming. it'd be boring and anti-climatic to post weekly progress since it's literally on an inch by inch basis...or not even visual art (oooo...cryptic!)

stay tuned for continued doyou haiku posts on wednesdays and i hope to be back in april with some new stuff to share.

final day: 30

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." --Leonardo da Vinci

though this particular 30 day challenge has ended, i'm just beginning. with what---your guess is as good as mine!

quick 30 day challenge reflection:
cons:

• unsurprisingly, developing & finishing a drawing everyday is tough work, even with clear basic rules to help take off some pressure. 
• it didn't provide a "warm up" situation for the day like i had hoped. these drawings turned into the main and only event, which still seems like not enough. at the minimum they took 45 minutes, at most and very rarely, 3 hours. i'm probably still in the "working long = working hard" mindset when maybe the actual minutes don't matter as much.
• i actually don't know what i'm going to work on next.

pros:

• i have much more done than i had 30 days ago.
• i even like almost 1/2 of them.
• leads into other ideas...i think. i mean---it must, right? maybe in a few days something will present itself.
• felt purposeful to have some accountability to myself...good practice in feeling worthwhile enough to keep promises to myself.
• a little more confidence that i CAN be self disciplined if i really want to be.

for a reward? maybe i'll FINALLY purchase this written by one of my favorite art bloggers, the jealous curator. she is really talented in so many ways, one being finding amazing artists and making a beautiful website i look forward to viewing on a regular basis.

day 2

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." --Lao Tzu

just remembered hair i've pinned a few years ago.

and maybe not coincidentally, most are done with chalk...just like the drawings are now.

and just like chalk gets all over the place, this hair would get chalk all over everything. completely impractical and so so beautiful.

30 day challenge

i've been trying to build better habits in my life since quitting my day job.

30 day challenges are a type of mindfulness that the average person can embrace without feeling like a "hippie." i actually have a pretty good track record when it comes to them. mostly they've been health related (exercise, food etc)

creating a completed drawing or painting everyday should help me stay focused. and even if i get nothing else done in the "studio" that day, at least i have ONE thing accomplished.

i'm going to try to stick to a concept i've got going already. i risk getting sick of it or feeling stupid about it. but i hope to have ideas evolve and allow for experimentation within my self-imposed limitations. you may or may not see those experiments!

i also hope to gain some semblance of self discipline.

day 1
"the secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." --socrates

sketchbook project 2013

here's it is: