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| Art in a time of Coronavirus (first creation on right, second creation on left) |
I saw my psychologist today and there was no mention of the "C" word. That is... the Coronavirus -- which is what everyone is obsessing about right now (and rightfully so). Since I'm somewhat self-quarantining, I thought this would be an appropriate time to restart this blog. Though what I'm doing isn't any different than anyone else in our situation. I haven't stockpiled toilet paper, which has been flying off the shelves for some reason. I have a limited supply of that and hand sanitizer. I have an ample amount of activities to keep myself busy though.
Lately I've been working on several art projects. This little obsession began about a month ago when I discovered a hefty amount of National Geographic magazines still in their wrappers. I had recently returned from Hobby Lobby with colorful stock paper to make a collage of sorts, but the plain colors didn't seem to call to me the way abstract images do. So, I tore through eight of the magazines and started making hundreds (literally hundreds) of 2 inch circles.
Two black canvases sit blank in my office. My original intent was to fill them with inspiration (vision board style) but, nothing was inspiring me to rip out and paste up there. So instead, I took one off of the wall and began arranging the circles in color spectrums. Floral closeups mashed up next to aquatic scenes. Desert landscapes jutted up next to African natives. It's all fair game on that first piece. What materialized was both trippy and interesting (at least to me).
A middle and high school classmate of mine creates ornate 3D paper art installations for hospitals and businesses. I won't say I was inspired by her per say, but I do find her work intriguing.
https://www.instagram.com/artist.kellyjoyladd/
I was more just trying to find myself a creative outlet during this time of uncertainty. Sure, there's the uncertainty of who is infected during this critical pandemic where people are dying. But I am referencing my own uncertainty. Ever since I graduated with my masters degree I've been on the quest to figure out what's next. It's an uncertain personal time. Yes, I work for M as a part-time producer/bookkeeper, but in reality I'm simply doing the tasks M doesn't want to, or doesn't have the time to do himself. It's not my "thing." The uncertainty is, "What is my 'thing'?"
So, I finished the first piece and felt compelled to start on the second black canvas. Mom and I stopped at her artist friend's home and she commented that I should try working on one particular genre with my weird little hobby. Eve and I headed to the bookstore to see if we could get our hands on some books within one genre. I found two very different discounted photo books: Torso (black and white photos that focuses solely on the tattooed torsos of individuals) and Lost Baltimore (a picture history of some of the long lost establishments in the city).
At first, my goal was to artfully combine the two books as they were both images in black and white, but the more I worked within the chaos of the tattoos in Torso, the more I realized these pieces needed to be separate. I had enough (over 850) tiny circles to fill my second canvas.
Once the coronavirus because imminent and I knew I had to spend more time indoors, I began covering one of my (dumb and pathetic) self-painted art pieces with the remnants of Lost Baltimore.
There have been lessons along the way. Book photos hold up for hole punching circle-making better than magazines. The edges along some of the magazine pages would tear under pressure. Covering magazine clippings with Modge Podge wrinkles the art. Make enough circles to cover across all surfaces -- sides included. Don't try to get to fancy with constructing complicated abstract images on the canvas with the circles. Don't be afraid to rip off and start over and over again.
In the book, Find Your Artistic Voice, Congdon imparts the 10 steps to building skill. Most are logical.
1. Begin
2. Practice
3. Keep Showing Up
4. Practice More
5. Stretch Yourself
6. Practice
...... you get the point. The problem with non-creative people is that they are not willing to fail. They are looking for perfection on the first try. I am not looking for perfection. I am seeking creation for creation's sake.
So, now I've spent close to 50 dollars on books that should be arriving. I'm trying new mediums like fabric circles. My family things I'm absolutely nuts and they may be right. I think I may try hexagons next. Amazon Prime is delivering a high quality hexagon cutter next week. It's all worth a try.
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