7.19.2010

Home Residency: Day 5 (belated)

Well, I am finally posting the pictures from the last day of the home residency! I have not worked on the pieces much since then as I have been teaching art camps for young artists. In the little moments I can grab I have been experimenting with more carving in and trying to simplify, simplify, simplify. I'll post more pictures at the end of the week when I  (hopefully) finish. I am so ready to be done.

A.M. - Piece No. 1

P.M. - Piece No. 2

Lunch

P.M. - Piece No. 1 (I know it looks almost the same but trust me, a lot happened) 

P.M. - Piece No. 2

A few things I learned during my five days of concentrated working:

1. Art takes a lot of time and a fierce concentration. 
2. Working every day gave me a better idea of just how many tiny decisions you have to make to create one thing. 
3. Being immersed in your work for hours each day does not make you a very good conversationalist during the off times. 
4. I need to make sure I am protecting more of my weekly hours to art making if I'm going to make any progress. 
5. I have to be ruthless about cutting out, covering over, and scraping down the things that are not really working with the whole piece. No matter how lovely the are by themselves. 

I am sure I will have more thoughts later. Now I'm off to make dinner. 



4 comments:

shannon newby said...

whew - so true! People don't realize how much work it is to try to make art as your job. It's one of those jobs that usually gets romanticized (as if to say, we just sit around, peer into our navels all day, drinking coffee and have flashes of inspiration) or cast off as easy work (and to that, I would add: try your hand at it for a full week and then tell me it's easy!!)

Unknown said...

Your observations are spot-on. Consistency in discipline is beautifully difficult but rewarding. Thank you!

Amy Joy said...

it is amazing how much work it takes to create something, what shannon said was true too. I wish the people who wanted to offer low-ball prices for our art could just see, for a moment, how much work it takes to make something fantastic!

Jean Dunham said...

I love your art machines studio website and blog so much, I put a link to it on my blog! <3, jean

http://roots-and-wings.tumblr.com/