This winter I had the exciting opportunity to occupy a fantastic industrial style studio space, minutes from my home! I treated it like an artist residency, working 6 days a week, not wanting to waste a minute of this wonderful studio space.
My intention was to explore some new materials and techniques, as well as scale up my work. I figured that if everything went really well, upon departure I might have a new body of work. At the very least, I would have expanded my knowledge base, my artistic toolbox, and my studio practice.
Working in a large space, turned out to be a game-changer. One benefit was that I could investigate multiple ideas, materials, and techniques simultaneously. I rotated through many canvases and continued to develop my ideas with soft fiber sculpture that I began last year. In addition, I took a few detours, playing with encaustic monotypes for the first time and working on paper.
Without question, the number one benefit was the ability to see how all the work related to each other as I moved along. For me, this was very informative and helped me to make decisions that I felt strengthened the direction of the work as I moved forward.
Upon departure, I had a solid group of about 12 paintings that held together as a new series, as well as, couple of fiber pieces that I was happy with.
Next, I will be photographing the work, naming each piece, and updating my website. I’m grateful for the opportunities lined up to show my work this summer. More on that later....