STUDIO TIME
The words {studio time} conjure specific images and actions in my mind: writing word lists, note taking, visually reviewing work from previous sessions, stretching, sitting and standing, moving around, rearranging supplies, testing materials, mixing colors, staring out the window (a lot) and probably realistically, checking my phone, responding to texts and calling a friend prior to ‘buckling down’.
This week, as we teeter between 1/3 to 1/2 way through our summer residency, I was grateful for the concrete directives from my GSS advisor to steer my way into production. My first one on one visit with Kelly Kaczynski, last Wednesday, identified the part of my process which frustrates me most and she immediately offered two suggestions (which I took as assignments) to guide my way. I understood these as trusted methods to stretch outside my comfort zone - one of the main reasons I am here.
Grateful for new parameters, I got my hands on physical materials for the first time since arriving in Chicago - relieved to have some direction. The point of departure Kelly was addressing in my work was that I generally lack any referential imagery from direct observation in my pieces - the layers are formed intuitively as a response to the process itself. Kelly suggested I go out into the streets and do a few quick ‘plein air’ sketches of the city.
I couldn’t quite get with that process, mostly because it’d be difficult to concentrate along the bustling sidewalks, but I did snap a few photos of the L and a set of small drawings emerged.
I was dismayed with the outcome and with my incompetency using new materials (oil pastels), but was glad to have broken away from my habitual means of creating abstract imagery.
The second prompt truly captured my imagination. I was excited to try it. I’d been asked to take color copies of my paintings, cut them in pieces and create entirely new compositions from them. She wanted to see how my mind works when approaching abstraction in novel ways. This felt productive and liberating.
Then …
because I have been researching fabric, cloth & thread in relation to mending and repair since I arrived, I was inspired to reach across disciplines to try something new. (Kelly and I never touched on these budding interests in our short time together). I was moved to construct small ‘bundles’ - little packages with hand-written messages hidden inside. Working on these - seeing the set line up on the table made me happy. Their raw simplicity, the sense of these as humble offerings felt like a satisfying new direction.
A few last words on what I know about myself and how I ‘studio’:
I require lots of time for contemplation. LOTS. I realized a few years ago that the pause is not unproductive - it’s a necessary stage for me. I tend to vacillate between periods of intense productivity and recuperation. I have hoped to change this pattern, but now graciously accept (for now)this as part of the work.
I am messy. Meaning I make a big mess while working. And, I also need the sense of order that tidiness brings, so I clean up and put things away each time as an act of respect for my process. That way I get to enter an orderly space next time I arrive in the studio.
Although I am primarily a visual artist, writing, words and found poetry usually accompany the visual articulations
Lastly, there are the ongoing questions….
Here are a few I keep asking myself in the studio:
1) Is there a place for beauty in my work?
(What if I removed the needing the work to be, in some obscure way, beautiful?)
2) How does a sense of craftsmanship show up in my work? (it is now given priority but in the past eschewed).
3) How can I shift to using only sustainable materials in my work? (repurposed supplies vs. acrylic paints which I have depended on).
4) How does my voice stay consistent as the materials change?
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.