 |
| contemplating the rabbit hole |
I made it to VCCA! I arrived exhausted, but happy. It was a challenging week getting ready and hard to leave my feline assistant behind (only possible because I know she's in very capable and loving hands.) It was a long drive, but I got to stop for a visit with the lovely and talented Lisa along the way. Lisa works on large scale, nature-inspired drawings and paintings, and she's an inspiration to me in terms of tackling the project I have planned for the residency...
I feel a little bit like I'm cheating on the minis, but - the time has come - I'm going to work BIG! (How big is Big!? As tall as I can reach to hang the paper by myself (8.5 maybe?) and about 9 ft wide.) A grateful shout out goes to Fluxus artist Patrick Lichty for giving me the gigantic paper on which I'll be working (thank you, thank you, thank you!) I feel a little overwhelmed after working small (and medium) for a while, but I'll be using familiar techniques and breaking it down into smaller parts.
 |
| Day 1 |
 |
| Day 2 - with my home-made ruby slipper to the right for scale |
As for trying to see patterns, in thinking about the tracery piece and why I like repetition, I concluded that part of it may be that on a non-mini scale, I can't see the whole piece at once, but instead as fragments to mentally reassemble. (which is probably part of the reason I like minis and/or small discreet areas of extreme detail). It also might explain why I'm not "spontaneous" with large compositions - usually, I get an idea, then (try) to produce it that way; I don't move things around while I work. Because each thing is placed in relation to what's closest to it, a change could throw the whole thing off. Patterning and flat colors work well with this way of seeing to hold space between areas of detail because they allow me to know what's there and appreciate it without actually having to "look" at it. Hmmmm. It would also explain why I like to photograph my work each week - in a photograph made small on the screen, I can see the whole thing. So I'm going to try something new and photograph "Big" each day and let it develop that way. There is no overall plan for Big (it will be a surprise - for everyone, including me - Eep!)
Other things I've learned from attending residencies: to bring a roll of paper towels, extra (comfy) shoes, a big coffee cup (and in my case - a drop cloth for spray painting outside ;)).
.jpg)
