Work or not?

A friend commented on my process, "Oy, what a lot of work!" I responded that it's not work if you love what you do. And I just happened to find the web site of Kirsty Hall, an artist who has this to say about process:

"People who aren’t working in a creative profession often think that what we do is easy, fun, glamorous or exciting. And it can be all of those things. But it’s also a time-consuming, brain-melting obsession that will eat your life.

It is not ‘five minutes, boom, you’re done, sit back and drink a martini’ – that is not how the creative process goes for even the most talented people. Techniques take time to learn and perfect. You make mistakes. Then you make bigger mistakes and have to start over. Even once you’ve learnt your craft, it’s twisty: you fret, you fiddle and things go wrong. You can pick away at a problem for months or years with no guarantee that you’ll ever crack it.

Sure, some people make it look easy but I’d bet my granny’s pension that they’re working hard when your back is turned. They’re dreaming their way into a role; they’re thinking about their sculpture on their lunch break; they’re drawing for hours every day."  http://kirstyhall.co.uk/2010/05/13/enjoy-your-process/

Kirsty Hall's site has a resource page with a compilation of blog posts offering creative commentary and advice that I found interesting. I like to read what other artists have to say about creating art. When you spend so many hours alone obsessing over this little line or that tiny color nuance, it's reassuring to know there's others out there who do the same with their creative work. A self serving purpose of this blog is to write about my art to develop my vocabulary and fluency of description. Artful compositions don't always come easily, but working on the craft sure helps.

No details permitted

Work on the little figures is going along. What a horror story it would be if they came alive, because they are the lumpiest looking creatures! But they're working for me and my imagination. Now I have to build the set in which they will inhabit. Foam core board, a sharp x-acto knife, and a straightedge are the materials I need for this. Architects build mock-ups from these materials. There are a surprising number of accessories available in large art stores to cut and trim the board with mitered angles and thin pieces. Not necessary for this - no perfection needed.

Check out this video for an incredible full size mock up that I found. I'm new to blogging and haven't figured out how to get the link to work, so you'll have to google it yourself. It's short and really cool.
Behind The Scenes - The Hub at Holiday Inn Mockup - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6JZ9T2O_M

An aside here - I struggle with perfectionism. It can be hard for me to know when something is "good enough." I have to remind myself what the goal of the task is and worthiness of time spent to achieve the goal. It can be freeing to have materials that are not exacting, as it limits how far you can carry something out. When I work out some basic composition ideas, it's better for me to use a crayon type tool, so I can't even attempt details. And in this case, arranging crudely made shapes together is what I need to help me envision my idea.

Behind The Scenes - The Hub at Holiday Inn Mockup - YouTube

figuratively speaking

Oh, no posts last week. Life got a little crazy, and I hardly got into the studio at all! I hope to post on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's Sunday now, and I'm going to show what I did get to work on this week… Then I'll get back to the regular schedule.

I 've never thought too much about sculpture. It just didn't seem too relevant to what I was doing. Maybe I was wrong. Understanding how a three dimensional shape fits into space is very informative to any two dimensional drawing. "Feeling" the space, the weight, the contours -is all important to drawing correctly. Making these figures is very entertaining. I've become absorbed in the process. Forget fabric, forget drawing:  right now, what exists for me creatively is how to make believable figures. Is this leading to anything? Yeah, I hope so, but I am not concentrating on that. I am following a path that might be a complete diversion - one side of my brain says "whoa, what the heck are you doing, wasting time like this - aren't you supposed to be sewing or something?" But I am drawn to this, feeling like it is important to realizing my vision. I will quiet the doubts and instead focus on the task at hand.

 I have a small wooden model that I am using as reference for size and I've bent wire to resemble  the head and torso shapes. Can't tell you exactly what kind of wire this is - I think it is something that I got at Home Depot or JoAnn Fabrics. I've experimented with bulking up the figure with pieces of foam core or chunks of tin foil. I like the tin foil, because I can twist and press it into the shapes I want.  I've used some florist's tape to wrap around the body, softening the edges of the tinfoil and holding the whole thing together.

Now I've made a few of these. They are pretty scrawny looking. But I think the clay will add the bulk to the extremities that these are lacking.

I've found a non-drying clay at A.C. Moore Crafts. I didn't want a traditional clay that would harden as it was exposed to air, as the whole concept of these figures was to be posable. It's called EZ Shape Modeling Clay. It's easy to shape. I don't like the way it smells or the way it feels on my hands - it leaves an oily residue that's hard to remove. I've found that if I use a moisturizer while washing my hands, it helps to remove it. I think these little people are going to be a big help!

Battling with Power Rangers

I'm so fired up about making a mock up of my idea. Experimenting with a new method is fun, and it's exciting to think that it might serve to move my art forward. Hmm, how to start. Oh, don't laugh at what's next - I'm going to play with some Power Rangers! I have a set of them in the house, and I think they are approximately the right proportions (if you minus a bunch of muscularity and bustiness!) And they are jointed, so I can set them up it position.

A while later… I'm done playing with those dolls! Their joints are not movable enough; I can't pose them the way I want. And their colors are distracting me. They're keepers though as I could see using them in some other mock up. Next up for a try out is the wooden artist's posing figures; I have one large and one small one. Don't see how that will help as I want to envision many people in the scene. Besides, have you ever tried manipulating one of those wooden figures? Hard to bend, joints don't flex. Hate to say it, but kind of like me in the morning! But they do have correct proportions for the most part.

Wait, Aha! They can be of help! I will make clay models using the small wooden figure as a guide for sizing! I can make enough to populate the whole scene. Hmmm, and just what might I be using for that? White foam core board, white poster board, white duct tape or clear tape (if it holds) and maybe some pins. I've gotta get busy collecting my supplies!

"Build it and they will come"

Here's my solution: "Build it and they will come." (The ideas, that is.) Wasn't that said in the movie Field of Dreams? What if I try to build a model of what I'm thinking of?

I'm excited about this! Having found through my previous work that I work very successfully when I have something to refer to, the concept of being able to create my reference, and not just rely on photographs of actual people and places, could be a game changer for me. If I could mock-up a scene, I could play with the placement of characters and "set pieces," until I saw the arrangement I'm looking for. Then I could draw it, or photograph it and work from that. Unique method? Hardly. Here's what I found on Wikipedia:

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux' maquette 

for the fountain he donated to Valenciennes

Maquette: A maquette (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names plastico or modello) is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is bozzetto, from the Italian word that means "sketch." It is used to visualize and test shapes and ideas without incurring the cost and effort of producing a full scale product.The term may also refer to a prototype for a video game, film, or any other type of product. It is the analogue of the painter's cartoon, modello, oil sketch or drawn sketch. Modello, unlike the other terms, is also used for sketches for two-dimensional works such as paintings..Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor from the Baroque period, made his bozzetti from wax or baked terracotta to show his patrons how the final piece was intended to look. Eleven of these bozzetti were displayed in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004.[1] Some museums specialise in collections of maquettes, such as the Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta ,Italy.

invisible reflection

I can't seem to create what I have in my head. I think it is because I "feel" it more than "see" it. How can I draw what I cannot see? This blog's quilt comes from internal reflection. It's not inspired directly from a photo, or from an intriguing print on a fabric, or from something I've read or talked about. This is coming from feelings about events that happened in the last few years of my life. How do I get reference for that? Before I can figure out perspective and shape I have to envision the scene better.

I believe that some people see an exact picture in their mind's eye and they set out to create just what they see. Others, like me, have amorphous visions. In creating an artistic expression of my thoughts and feelings, I know whether I am representing truly what's going on in my mind, as it feels right or not, but I'm not making a physical copy of something I'm seeing in my head.

If this quilt idea is not tangible, and I can't "see" it well enough to sketch it out, what will I do?

Drawing teacher's critique

The drawings that I made in my sketch book are not satisfying to me. Thinking that my drawing skills are lacking, I have tried meeting with a drawing teacher. The review of what I've drawn is that although I may have a good idea, I need to make some decisions. What is the best placement of the characters to express the things I want to say? How can I use props to emphasize the story? There are a lot of elements I want to include, so how can I make the best use of the space I have available? I need to compose the story before I can record the image.

A magician's quest

"Exuberance"

Susan V. Polansky, 2007

I am a good copyist. Above is "Exuberance," completed in 2007. I wanted to see if I could capture the bigger than life, bursting with happiness feeling that was so aptly captured in a photo of my son as he turned three years old. I can look at a variety of images, recompose them, and create an interpretation in fabric. My last quilt, "No One but You," captures being caught up in a moment. I used a photo I took when traveling in Buenoes Aires as a starting place, and did extensive photoshop work to create a pleasing composition. I can't wait to show the quilt, but I have to wait until after the Quilt National 2013 show opens before I can post it. I can create realistic images, but I need those images to do more than show technical virtuosity. I am more pleased with my art when it comes from my heart - inspired by something that has emotionally touched me in some way. It is emotional experience that intrigues me the most. The magic of my quilt artistry is to conjure feelings from a collage of fabrics and threads.

"Zach, age 3"

Susan V. Polansky, 2006

"Exuberance" was proof to me that I could translate the captured expression in a photo to a piece created by fabric collage. But it also opened the door to the next desire. The desire to tell a story. I use my own photos, so it is not a matter of copying someone else's image. It is that I want to involve the viewer intellectually as well as emotionally. Depicting an apple accurately is one thing, even if it's an exquisite example, it will stay an apple in my mind. But give me a reason to think about it, and it becomes more than an apple. I can appreciate a beautiful rendition, but art that appeals to me more gets me to ask questions, makes me wonder, or involves me in the scene.

Did you know that the illustrator Norman Rockwell 

wanted to be a movie director if he had not become a painter? 

He had the desire to tell a story!